Proper tags on the truck

[sangell]

Ok I just spent the last 1. 5 hrs at the DMV and then talking to a Kansas Hwy Patrol Officer to get all of my info. I now have have some questions for you all. The Kansas law is that the tag on the trailer has to be high enough rated to cover the weight on the trailer axles, the tag on the truck has to be high enough rated to cover the total GCW. For me to do this I would need a 26K tag on my truck and pay and extra $270. 00 per year just for the tag.



The set up is a 03 Ram Cummins 3500 dually 12k GVWR with two Jeeps on a 34' low boy goose neck with tandem 8k axles and 16k GVWR. The trailer has a 16k tag and the truck has a 12k tag. The weight works out to between 10. 5k and 11. 5k on the truck axles and between 13. 5k and 14. 5k on the trailer axles. If the trailer is towards the heavy end the truck will be towards the ligher end and vice versa.



Now for the question, if I am rolling down I-70 headed to Moab in either KS, CO, or UT, get pulled over and the officer weighs the rig, looks at the tags, and gives me a ticket will they make me unhook the trailer and leave it for a "under tag violation"?



In KS the "under tag violation" is a $40. 00 fine with a $60. 00 court cost.



I also do alot of work in an area where the streets are Blvds and have no truck signs, if I were to get a 26k tag I could then be given a ticket for driving on a Blvd even when empty and not towing any thing.



I will pay the ticket I just don't want to have to leave the load.



Thanks for your input.

Scott

 

[ndurbin]

I have a 26K Farm tag on my truck and it runs about 75 bucks. My stock trailer is tagged at 16k+ and is also a farm tag. I went alil heavy so if I ever did get stopped I wouldn't be "under tagged". I haven't seen them bothering pick-ups lately, they've been after the semis from what I've seen around here.



I believe that when they post the no truck signs their trying to keep semis and larger trucks like that out from going up and down them everyday. Being business related I think you have a reason for being there and are not just there because you can be. I've had my tag for about 2 yrs and haven't been stopped once for being on a street that has no truck signs.

 

[y-knot]

The offical determination of what is considered a truck varies state to state, but in Ohio it is anything that weighs over 5 tons empty. Check your state. Also it seems ridiculous that the state would allow you to get a tag for your truck that is above it manufacturers rated rating. Here all the trailers get a trailer truck plate, regardless of there weight. And the truck plate needs to be high enough to cover the trucks load, I run a 14,000 lb plate. They do not charge any more for the plate, but we have to pay a property tax every year. If is starting to come down for me, last year was 375. 00, but the first several years if was well over 1,000 bucks for registration.

My truck weighs 9010lb and when I pull the pin weight is 3200lb=12,210 so I have a cushion

 

[ndurbin]

Also it seems ridiculous that the state would allow you to get a tag for your truck that is above it manufacturers rated rating.

Kansas does have some interesting laws as does every state. But when I tagged my truck I talked with the DMV people for awhile on my options. And as far as being over the manufacturer's rating Kansas doesn't have a 21k. 12k. , 16k. , and 26k. are the options that I was told when tagging my truck.

 

[sangell]

Thanks for the input, Kansas does have a 24k know, just a little info. Since I posted this I have also found out the the city I live in has a code that states any truck taged over 18k cannot be parked at a residential address for more than 48 hours and can only be there for two 48 hour periods per month.



I know the no trucks signs are for the big trucks but as the law states the no truck rule is for any "heavy taged" (over 18k) truck.



I just seem to be in a no win situation, if I cannot be made to dump my load for being under taged I am staying as I am know

12k on truck 18k on trailer. Thanks again.



Scott

 

[TowPro]

I have called PennDot many times about this, and get a different answer every time.



Here is what I believe (and practice)



This information is for private trucks, Tractor trailers are different.



You tag the truck for its GVWR. In my case this could have been around 12K, but I have specialized tags (They have my Amateur radio call sign on them), which can not be used on a vehicle over 10K GVWR, so I had to tag it as 9000 lbs. (which is what you would normally tag a 3500 at in PA).



Now there are 2 private trailer tags in PA. One for under 10,000 lbs, and 1 for over 10,001 lbs. This is based on the Trailer Gross weight. My Terry has the over 10,000 lb tags (cost about 2x the price of a under 10K tag, but still I think less then $36. 00 month)

 

[sangell]

To throw a new twist into this, I talked to a rep at my insurance company and I was told (getting a fax so I have it in writing) that since my state law is that the truck tag has to cover the GCW then if I was by state law under taged as was to get into a wreck then I would not be covered due to being overloaded. Now with a tag on the truck heavy enough to cover the GCW as I was to get into a wreck I would be covered. So I am know the proud owner of a 26k ($315. 00 per year for just the tag) tag on my truck.



Scott

 

[QRTRHRS]

Hey Scott, it could be worse. In PA, going over 10k on the trailer requires regerstering the truck in combination just like your doing. Only, 26k is $405/year for the truck and $27/year for the trailer or $135/permanent.



Food for thought. Let's say you register a trailer at 10k then haul over that. You happen to get weighed. With the trailer still hooked to the truck, the trailer axles together are under 10k so the rest is on the truck. The truck is still in though. The DOT can upon their discretion, ask you to unhook and weight the tongue. Keep in mind this is PA I am talking about. This cost my friend (a farmer hauling hay in a supposedly ag friendly county) 800+ bucks.



Bottom line, the fed has tightened the state's feed bag up and the state's are hungry. Trucks are revenue waiting to happen. It pays to garner every bit of info you can find on the area you frequent.

 

[Ray Torresdal]

Iowa law

In Iowa the truck must be tagged for the GCW - in my case I run 12 ton license, and occaisionally a few pounds over. The trailer plate has nothing to do with weight - at least not in this size trailer. When I bought my truck, the county sent a letter stating that my truck weighed more empty than the standard 6000 lb. license. Didn't say that I had to buy the heavier tag, but I took their hint. I think it was only $15/ton for heavier tags.



Ray

 

[QRTRHRS]

Ray, could be like PA in that a truck cannot be registered at less than the weight of the empty vehicle. Ha! I have a friend with a 92' 7. 3 that registered light. Still has the truck with 180k or so.



The over 10k trailer fee of $27 I mentioned is for any weight class. It's the truck that increases.

 

[Mopar_Mudder]

Wouldn't you think that the states would all get together and make this uniform, but that makes too much sence.



In WI you register the truck for the GVW of the truck and register the trailer for the GVW of the trailer. Seems real simple to me, that rest of you guys are too complicated. I was told by the Wisconsin DOT that when I travel in other states they have to go by the laws in the state that you are registed in.



So my truck is registered at 12,000# and the trialer is at 26,000#. It is a 24,000# trailer but their is no 24,000# plate.

 

[sangell]

Mudder, I wish and thought that was the case here in KS but it's not. You are correct that WI is simple and KS is a pain. You are correct in that when out of state you are held to the laws of th estate in which you are registered.





Scott