There are quite explicit exemptions for transportation of personal property...for occasional hobby uses...in th USDOT regulations. Most cops and enforcement agencies don't bother to read that far into the rules, but they're in there.

<Snipped>

... if somebody tells you that it&#39;s Federal regulations that require USDOT registration, they&#39;re talking crap.
[/b]
I can&#39;t disagree with any of that, to my understanding you&#39;re 100% correct.


I think if you look into the MazdaTrix problem mentioned previously, it was somebody with a LARGE rig with large graphics that just didn&#39;t pass the &#39;sniff test&#39; when he claimed that it was a &#39;recreational vehicle&#39;.
[/b]
Also true. Dave&#39;s is a large rig, toterhome and 40+ foot trailer. I should have said that before. I wasn&#39;t trying to mislead anyone, and I did say I was making a long story short...

The Mazdatrix rig may not pass the &#39;sniff test&#39;, but I understand it does meet the published standards of a recreational vehicle / motorhome, that is it does have running water, an onboard crapper, 120V power, inside cooking facilities, etc., so the &#39;sniff test&#39; isn&#39;t really relevant. No, I don&#39;t have the CFR section memorized but IIRC there is a list, and to be considered an RV you must have four out of the six (or some such). I could probably find it again, if someone is really interested.

I believe that, per the federal regulations, a toter towing an enclosed trailer is no different than a class A towing an SUV, but have you ever heard of something like Dave&#39;s situation happening to left-lane grandpa?

The point I was trying to make is that it doesn&#39;t really matter what the law is, if the DOT cops feel like screwing with you they will. If they feel like it late on a Friday night, you may not make it to the races on Saturday. If they perceive you are a snotty rich kid who likes to play with race cars, they may feel like it more than they otherwise would. Discretion is the better part of valor, I&#39;ve been told.

If you, John, carry a copy of the rules with you, you&#39;re probably more likely to end your encounter quickly and painlessly.

If you could tell us exactly which rules apply, and where to purchase a copy of those rules, we could all do the same and I, for one, would be grateful.