Moving Inlaws from WI to AZ have some ??? on towing

[RickM]

I need help!!! I just found out that my Inlaws are moving back to Phoenix from Wi and been volunteered to move them because I have a 99 3500 Quad Cab 4x4 and a 32' Pace inclosed trailer. MY Question is with the new laws with CDL and DOT#do I need them? My GVW on the truck is 10,000 lb and on the trailer is 10,000 lb I don't have a business I am not for hire I used the trailer to hall my 4-wheelers upnorth and sleep in. There are no markings on the truck or trailer do I need to stop at truck scales? Any Help would be appreciated.



Thanks Rick

 

[WestTN]

CDL means 'Commercial Drivers License' so You aren't going to have to worry about that.

No, you do not have to stop at the scales.

 

[HBarlow]

No, you'll be okay. No need to have a CDL or stop at scales. Nothing to worry about. What you'll be doing is not commercial.

You'll simply be doing something for your wife's family without compensation. The private property that will be in your trailer could be yours anyway. Who could prove it was not your personal property.

 

[GAmes]

Could you share the technique to get the in-laws to move 1800 miles away from you?:-laf:-laf

 

[RickM]

Don't tell the wife but I paid off the Doc to tell my father inlaw to move to warmer climate.



Rick

 

[WestTN]

They may stop you to verify whether the trailer and it's load is commercial of private, but the commercial laws are uniform throughout the contry.

 

[MMeier]

, but the commercial laws are uniform throughout the contry.

Really now !!Which ones are you reading?

 

[HBarlow]

Yeah, MMeier made a good point. I wrote in an earlier post that you won't have to stop at scales but my statement may not have been exactly accurate. I have pulled trailers commercially in 49 of the fifty states and did have to stop at scales in most of the states except CA. I have also pulled my own private RV trailer in 49 states and ignored the scales. Private RVs are normally exempt.

However, you will be pulling an enclosed trailer that will be used for personal use but could also be used for commercial activity. It is a little less clear what some of the states may expect you to do. The enforcement rules are applied differently in some states.

My corrected advice is to read the signs as you enter states or pass their scales and watch for lights signalling you to enter the scales. You will not be commercial and will not be subject to commerical rules but if the state DOT officers or scales tell you to enter a scale you should follow their instructions. They may want to determine that you are non-commercial.

 

[Jim W]

I was new to pulling a 5er in the fall of 2007. Stayed local until I was use to pulling and could back and parked the unit. Last year we started to venture out pulling to different states and I was checking the DMV sites of all of the states that I would travel in. I read the towing laws of South Dakota and Minnesota to understand the do's and don'ts of towing in these states. The requirements for SD were confusing, so I contacted the DMV. Spoke to an officer of this state (recorded his name and rank) to find out if I needed to stop or not. If I remember correctly, he stated all trailers and vehicles pulling them must stop except RV trailers. He was very helpful and sent their state map along with the RV rules for SD.

I would suggest you check each state web site for the DMV and read their towing laws, if you have questions then contact them. This may take more then one phone call but at least you will get the correct information. I would also write down the phone number and the person that you talked too.

Good luck at least you may have a place to stay durning the winter months now.

 

[RVTRKN]

Rand McNally sells a very good "Motor Carriers Road Atlas" that will give you a lot of info and most importantly the locations of all scales, rest stops, and major city freeways. I use it when I tow commercial and it is the bible of OTR truckers. They are expensive ($50-60 bucks) at a truck stop, but when you have to worry about scales or need to avoid them, or know where you can rest at, it will payoff. Try to plan when you enter SD and NE, for the middle of the night and hope they will be closed. With the type of vehicle your going to tow with, there will be no weight limits on the State Hwy's, and going around the scales will be easy, and not bring any suspension to yourself.

 

[HBarlow]

Duhhh. Weight limits always apply with any vehicle driven or towed on the public roadways.

Advising fellow TDR members to go around scales is not a good idea. Every rookie DOT officer in every state knows full well that some drivers attempt from time to time to evade scales and are very familiar with the routes that can be used to go around scales. Some less traveled roadways also have scales that are randomly open just for those who attempt to go around them. Not a good plan. I have run a few scales but do not recommend it. It is very risky and the penalties can be severe if caught.

 

[RVTRKN]

Duhhh. Weight limits always apply with any vehicle driven or towed on the public roadways.



Advising fellow TDR members to go around scales is not a good idea. Every rookie DOT officer in every state knows full well that some drivers attempt from time to time to evade scales and are very familiar with the routes that can be used to go around scales. Some less traveled roadways also have scales that are randomly open just for those who attempt to go around them. Not a good plan. I have run a few scales but do not recommend it. It is very risky and the penalties can be severe if caught.

Come on HBarlow, why are you busting my #%&##. You know very well what weight limit I'm talking about. With a non commercial pickup truck and trailer, why would anyone expect him to follow commercial guide lines pertaining to restricted routes for OTR vehicles pertaining to GCVW. Next your going to tell him he must keep logs so when he is stoped at a scale he won't get fined. I would never recommend to a fellow member or anyone else for that matter to break the law. The last time I checked its a free country and he can travel any route he wants unless he is a commercial vehicle and it is over the restricted weight limits for that route. Now if he has a CDL and is pulled over driving a COMMERCIAL truck and trailer, then I would agree with you, but he is not.

 

[RickM]

Thanks for all the replys . I do have all the safty gear, brake a way cable, weight dis. hitch and all the other stuff need in the truck and trailer. I will be going WI ,Iowa ,Missouri,Kansas,Oklahoma, Texas,New Mexico,

and Arizona. I would take this route back in the 90s to go to the dunes with my 4-wheelers when gas was $1. 50 a gallon. It's been ten years the last time we wen't out west and with 9-11 every thing has changed. If the scales are open I will just follow the rules.

 

[RVTRKN]

RickM, what I was suggesting for you to do was to take a county road or state hwy that would of bypassed the scales, instead of staying on the interstate, which would of saved miles as well as time and allow you to see some of the country side, kind of like cutting a corner. Your rig will not be illegal to do this and I was quite shocked at HBarlow's comment to my post. As long as you stay within axle ratings of your rig, which is what HBarlow might of been confused with, concerning my post, you will not have to worry about any road in the US.



The way this thread seemed to be going was a concern for the scales, and the delay in most cases if the scales were busy, or the worry some out of control rookie trooper would of harassed you. My experiences with scales have all been positive, and if I would save time and miles going by or through them I wouldn't hesitate to do so.



I hope you have a safe trip and enjoy the country side. It is a very nice thing your doing for your inlaws. I had to take care of both of my inlaws because I was the one that was able to quit my job due to a minor health issue. I'm sure they will have more respect for you after its all over and realize they have left their daughter in good hands, when they are no longer able to do so if needed. I'm a father, and hope my son-in-law will do the same for me if needed and can relate to there necessity.

 

[Andersonville]

Just hang some bikes on the front and don't worry about the scales. If they pull you over have the wife and kids in the truck. They might want to look inside the trailer. NOW if you are overloaded on your tire ratings the cop might warn you about that! The Motor Carriers Road Atlas can be had at Pilot Truck Stops for $29+ tax. They pull over enclosed trailers all the time in every state and check for drugs and illegals. Good Luck

 

[RickM]

Well I am ready the truck and trailer are ready BUT THE INLAWS are not, half to wait a week . But when I do go I plan on stopping at a truck stop scale and get weighed so that I am not overloaded and go from there. I know that I will get stop some time on the trip so they can see what's in the trailer so be it. What ever hapen to when you could get in your truck and just drive any where you want with no hassle.



Rick

 

[Andersonville]

CRASH,MADD,PATT,FCSMA and 9/11.

 

[HBarlow]

It is likely that no enforcement officer will even notice you on the entire round trip but you asked and we filled your head with all the rules. You'll be legal. Just go, be careful, and enjoy the beauty of this great land we live in.

 

[TMRoper1669]

Weight Limits only apply to any commerical vehicle on the road, as long as your not for hire or commerical then there is no reason to stop at the scale. I have never seen or heard of anyone getting pulled over to get on the scales if they are pulling for recreational use or personal use. If anyone should get pulled over it would be me, some of the stuff I have pulled down the road I know was too heavy for the the CD laws.

 

[HBarlow]

Weight Limits only apply to any commerical vehicle on the road, as long as your not for hire or commerical then there is no reason to stop at the scale. I have never seen or heard of anyone getting pulled over to get on the scales if they are pulling for recreational use or personal use. If anyone should get pulled over it would be me, some of the stuff I have pulled down the road I know was too heavy for the the CD laws.

Weight limits apply to any vehicle on the public roadways whether commercial or private.

Some states require all trailers, even all towed vehicles to stop at scales but generally, all states ignore RV trailers. States do not necessarily ignore enclosed cargo trailers.

The original poster was inquiring about pulling an enclosed trailer. There is no way that enforcement officers can know whether the trailer is being used for personal or commercial use unless they stop the driver. If the sign or lights tell the driver to stop at scales it is a mistake to ignore them.

The "commercial" distinction includes any vehicle that is used in any commercial activity not just transportation for hire. A building or painting contractor driving a truck with tools and equipment or pulling a trailer that carries his tools, supplies, and equipment is commercial and if it is a combination vehicle with a trailer with a GVWR in excess of 10k pounds the driver must stop at scales.

The fact that some drivers in some regions of the US can get away with ignoring scales does not make it okay in all states or regions.