racer61 Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 Note: Just found out that my brother-in-laws company had a one ton truck pulling an enclosed trailer with welding equipment get pulled over going thru wichita falls by DPS and fined for not having a CDL, Log Book, or DOT #'s on truck and trailer. This was a brand new super duty with a year old goose neck, not speeding or having a violation. Officer pulled them over to do a "routine safety inspection". 2000 dollars later and a CDL licensed driver and he drove up to wichita falls to get his rig home. What a bunch of BS. Be careful, it seems like evrybody is out to get the privateers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boernebullet Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 The same thing just happened to Chris Swenson pulling his race car trailer in San Antonio at Dezavala and Interstate 10 a couple of weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotoddie Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Hey guys Not to hijack the thread but does anyone know the exact law(s) pertaining to this as I don't want this problem. Nick, you can start a new thread about this if need be. todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 I'll check into it. This might explain why so many of these vehicles have "not for hire - recreational vehicle" plastered on the side of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boernebullet Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Gary Swenson from Swenson Racing Chassis checked into all this after their tickets and there was a maximum load between the trailer and truck. Something like 26,500??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landlord Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 I hope Texas is not falling in line with florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 They are also pulling over old men with white hair traveling too fast on I-35....right Txtom??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielsen Motorsports Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 A DPS officer told me if the trailer has a shower/bathroom in it then it would be considered an RV not requiring a CDL, maybe somebody can check to verify if this is correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Why not just get a CDL. It's no big deal. I've had one ever since the law changed and my job required that I had to have CDL. The advantage I had was that working for a big company, we had trucks to take the test in. A lot of guys at that time were renting trucks for the driving part. I still have the hazmat endorsement on mine but most of you guys wouldn't have to take that part. Don't mean to be a wet blanket but it doesn't look like ths CDL is going away........................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Walker Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Something like 26,500??? Anything 26,001 GVW and over has to have a CDL. SS19 can you check on hauling fuel? I think we are allowed up to 600 pounds. The trailer also should have a state inspection sticker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer52 Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Something like 26,500??? Anything 26,001 GVW and over has to have a CDL. SS19 can you check on hauling fuel? I think we are allowed up to 600 pounds. The trailer also should have a state inspection sticker. I have heard that...any truck with 2 axles or any trailer with 3 axles is a giveaway for pulling people over to check for cdl.... I am confused on one question...is a GVW of a truck include the trailer? Or do you have to add the two.... I have also heard of a non-commercial cdl....thinking of getting one of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemdk Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 GVW "Gross Vehicle Weight" would be the combination of the Trailer and the Tow Vehicle. The amount of fuel carried would be 1000 lbs before the trailer would need to carry a haz-mat placard showing a flamable liquid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford27 Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/cdl.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Walker Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 GVW= Gross Vehicle Weight rating. Truck and trailer(s). My truck GVW is 12,500. Trailer is 10,000. Total GVW is 22,500lbs. Number of axles and dually or not all are keys to watch for. Dually plus three axle Pace trailer equals 27,500 or more depending on the axle rating for the trailer. 6 lug wheels=5000 pounds per axle 8 lug wheels=7500 pounds per axle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jracer98 Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 If the 26,001 gvwr is accurate, that seems black and white. My F350 has a 10,000 pound gvwr sticker on the doorsill, Pace trailer (2 , 5000 lf 6 lug axles) has a 10,000 pound gvwr rating per their published specs. Truck bed is "empty" and the trailer has a lightweight race car in it so the whole thing is obviously not overloaded relative to the spec. If you had a copy of "the law" in the glove box, the factory weight rating sticker on the truck and the trailer info, shouldn't that be enough for the trooper? Wasn't that Florida trouble about big, long toter homes/18 wheel trucks and whether or not " hobby racing" was a business i.e commercial? Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Harris Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 i own gullo wrecker service in conroe,tx. and tow for all the gullo dealerships, you would not believe all of the new laws that have and will go into effect this year partaining to pulling a trailer, hauling a vehicle, even with a tow dolly. you might take a look at this on a new web site under the TDLR ( texas department of licence and regulation, which is a new division of txdot. we all will have to take a written test, drug test, and wear approved uniform/safety vest to comply with these new standards. anyone not in compliance will be fined and take a chance on loosing their permit. i agree that some wrecker companies rip people off, charging to much, but this was brought on by the insurance companies because of rippoff wrecker companies being hard headed, they stated that they were charging high tow bills because the insurance industry was and is charging too high premiums for trucking and wreckers. needless to say, now we all have to pay because of greed. these new laws also look into the hauling of private individuals, pulling trailers, because some people were and are boot legging freight and using a enclose trailer for commercial use, i do not advise getting a CDL, because then if what you are hauling is considered freight and you don't have a txdot number on your vehicle and a txdot registration along with a cab card and insurance, you will be subject to these fines. the local law enforcement however, if you don't have proper licence plates, up to date, or your plates don't come back registered to you or the person you barrowed the trailer from, will seize the trailer and put it in their compound until you can prove ownership. likewise on a truck and trailer if you have NOT FOR HIRE on the truck and they find out you were hauling for profit, will also sieze the vehicle and fine you heavily. my advise to anyone would being just like the rules at you race track, call TLDR or TXDOT if you have any doubt, do not take a chance, you may be more than DQ'ed. thanks, del Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landlord Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 If the 26,001 gvwr is accurate, that seems black and white. My F350 has a 10,000 pound gvwr sticker on the doorsill, Pace trailer (2 , 5000 lf 6 lug axles) has a 10,000 pound gvwr rating per their published specs. Truck bed is "empty" and the trailer has a lightweight race car in it so the whole thing is obviously not overloaded relative to the spec. If you had a copy of "the law" in the glove box, the factory weight rating sticker on the truck and the trailer info, shouldn't that be enough for the trooper? Wasn't that Florida trouble about big, long toter homes/18 wheel trucks and whether or not " hobby racing" was a business i.e commercial? Jay Florida started with the big rigs and made their way down to the small haulers being pulled with a duelly.The owner of 5flags told us these weekend that florida tracks/fans and out of state teams called legislators and that it was all dropped.It all sounds simple to just call and find out,but what has happened in the past is that teams would call and get told one thing and when they got to the state line scales it was totally different.So we were just turning off in Mobile and going around the I-10 scales and it worked for a while and then out of nowhere,on the turn road an Alabama trooper pulled us over and proceeded to write us up.So we switched to the smaller hauler and have driven by hundreds of cops and all the weigh stations(we are stopping for the fruit stand stops,we were told early on not to blow past them) in the last 3-4 months in every state in the southeast including all over florida with out any problems(knock on wood).We are now in a 1-ton hauling a tripple axel trailer with two cars with a 28,000 GVW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer61 Posted May 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 I had considered a week ago buying another enclosed trailer, well thats not gonna happen now. I guess to the letter of the law I can see the need for a CDL and DOT #'s on commercial vehicles, but an average Joe hauling his local sportsman car to a neighboring track. I fit s bootlegging cargo than the officer should look in the damn trailer and see a muddied up dirt car or a wrecked asphalt car(or clean and not wrecked depending on your luck). At worst you might have a half empty cooler of gatorade and some bud. And most of these racers trailer have something on them, ie: ABC Racing, Homeless Joe motorsports, 1922 Track Champion - TX Tom. This does not seem to me to be the way to win over the public. Racing is hard enough without the local governing bodies adding there fuel to the fire. JMFO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landlord Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 i own gullo wrecker service in conroe,tx. and tow for all the gullo dealerships, you would not believe all of the new laws that have and will go into effect this year partaining to pulling a trailer, hauling a vehicle, even with a tow dolly. you might take a look at this on a new web site under the TDLR ( texas department of licence and regulation, which is a new division of txdot. we all will have to take a written test, drug test, and wear approved uniform/safety vest to comply with these new standards. anyone not in compliance will be fined and take a chance on loosing their permit. i agree that some wrecker companies rip people off, charging to much, but this was brought on by the insurance companies because of rippoff wrecker companies being hard headed, they stated that they were charging high tow bills because the insurance industry was and is charging too high premiums for trucking and wreckers. needless to say, now we all have to pay because of greed. these new laws also look into the hauling of private individuals, pulling trailers, because some people were and are boot legging freight and using a enclose trailer for commercial use, i do not advise getting a CDL, because then if what you are hauling is considered freight and you don't have a txdot number on your vehicle and a txdot registration along with a cab card and insurance, you will be subject to these fines. the local law enforcement however, if you don't have proper licence plates, up to date, or your plates don't come back registered to you or the person you barrowed the trailer from, will seize the trailer and put it in their compound until you can prove ownership. likewise on a truck and trailer if you have NOT FOR HIRE on the truck and they find out you were hauling for profit, will also sieze the vehicle and fine you heavily. my advise to anyone would being just like the rules at you race track, call TLDR or TXDOT if you have any doubt, do not take a chance, you may be more than DQ'ed. thanks, del What made the insurance companies mad was that local jo is paying a lower price for the same tow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 I spoke to a veteran DPS License and Weight trooper today. He told me what I was already thinking but couldn't remember for sure - so long as your truck and trailer combo don't exceed 26000 GVW, you don't need a CDL in Texas. Across state lines may be a different story. There are some other variables that could require a CDL like hauling passengers, but they don't apply to this topic (hauling a race car.) Regarding the fuel - containers LESS THAN 8 gallons each are considered trade-based or hobby-based items and can be carried without hazmat placards, etc. A few 5 gallon jugs of race fuel is not a problem. As far as Cory's original post, the situation sounds a little different than hauling a recreation race car, and I didn't get into that with the trooper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer61 Posted May 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Chase, This was an unmarked truck with an unmarked trailer. I saw on an earlier post someone said something about wheel lugs and axle ratings. This is a year old trailer with two 8 lug axles. The trailer has current plates along with the truck and the inspection on the trailer is current. With that said, from the outside the officer had no idea what was in the trailer or how much it weighed. He said it was a routine safety inspection. He was fined for no CDL, no log book, and no DOT #'s. That was bad enough but to impound the truck and trailer until a licensed driver arrives is absolutely absurd. This was not an 80 thousand pound semi. And not even having a good reason to pull you over, this is getting stupid out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Chase, This was an unmarked truck with an unmarked trailer. I saw on an earlier post someone said something about wheel lugs and axle ratings. This is a year old trailer with two 8 lug axles. The trailer has current plates along with the truck and the inspection on the trailer is current. With that said, from the outside the officer had no idea what was in the trailer or how much it weighed. He said it was a routine safety inspection. He was fined for no CDL, no log book, and no DOT #'s. That was bad enough but to impound the truck and trailer until a licensed driver arrives is absolutely absurd. This was not an 80 thousand pound semi. And not even having a good reason to pull you over, this is getting stupid out there. I understand the frustration, but not knowing the whole situation, it's possible that the vehicle in question qualified as a commercial vehicle. If so, nothing the trooper did was out of the ordinary or new. The license & weight guys routinely impound commercial vehicles when they find the situation not up to par, and they have been doing that for as long as I can remember. They can stop any vehicle that appears to be a commerial vehicle for a safety inspection without any other probable cause. They can also weigh that vehicle to insure that it's in compliance. On the other hand, if they were truly not a commerial vehicle, it sounds like they should have their day in court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jracer98 Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 "The trailer has current plates along with the truck and the inspection on the trailer is current....." Inspection? I have never had a race car trailer inspected. This is literally the first I have heard of this. Can anyone elaborate? This is getting worse by the minute! Thanks Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrss1 Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 i believe that pretty much if it is a trailer that has a title it should have a inspection. at a certain gvw all trailers that weight and abouve require a inspection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Jay, trailers with registered actual weight of less than 4500 pounds are exempt from vehicle inspections in TX. What does a typical 26 foot enclosed weigh? (not gvwr, but actual registered weight) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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