Pa guys gvw ?
- Thread starter slor1de
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zippywildfire
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If only they would enforce drug laws like do the motor vehicle code.
slor1de
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Appreciate the input guys. I think i just need to get my cdl myself to be in the clear as i have one trailer thats 9900 gvw and be legal, but have a 14k moritz and a 15k appalacian that i'm apparently not legal to hual with my ram 3500 door tag is 12kgvw but registered at 11k.
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. There is a bigger picture to look at than just a cdl. With your truck registered at 11k the total combination gross weight may not exceed 11k so with an empty 15k trailer hook up you are most likely over the registered weight limit. To legally haul more than 11k with the rig you will need a combination registration for the amount of weight you wish to gross.
Yes but you will only be legal without cdl if the trailer gvwr is 10,000 or less.
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Yeah because God forbid a politition needs to obtain a cdl to tow his 5er or to drive his million dollar diesel pusher!
kalder
Kevin Alder
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I know the question is about PA, but I'll spill what I know about WA.
To determine if you need a cdl, you look at the stickers on the door jam, the one the manufacturer puts in with the VIN and tire size and GVWR. If that sticker plus the one on your trailer added together equal more than 26001 lbs you need a cdl.
As far as weight hauled, the towing vehicle gets the tonnage for the trailer also when you buy registration.
So my 98 has a sticker in the door jam for 8,800lbs and my goose neck has a sticker on the tongue for 14,000lbs.
Together they add up to 22,800lbs- I do NOT need a cdl.
I DO need to register my pickup for 22,800lbs to haul at the max weight, as the trailer does not carry tonnage on the registration, it all goes on my pickup.
22,800 is expensive, so I register my pickup for 12,500 (empty weight with trailer) and buy a trip permit for the extra weight when I need it. We still have the trip permits that I can carry around, then fill out the dates when I need it.
trailerpro
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I'm trying not to be a dick here but lreiff is WRONG. Trailers over 10,000 gvw do not require a CDL unless the gvw of the truck and trailer are over 26,000.
So if your truck is 12,000 the trailer can be 14,000 or less and not need a cdl. If you pull your 15,000 trailer with the 12,000 truck then you would need a cdl.
His advice on licensing the truck is correct.
hydroshok
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Commercial and personal do not matter in PA. It is less likely they will stop you, but they still hand out fines if the trailer is over 10k and you do not have a GCWR on your truck.
If you call any of the PA DOT personnel or DOT for the state you are running out of they will tell you what you need. Do not call the DMV for your state as they will most likely steer you wrong. The laws are very clear on this. Also, I know Take 3 will give you a new VIN plate for whatever you want not to exceed the sticker originally on the trailer for $30. I did that and never had any problems. I had a 9k truck and a 17k trailer.
If you guys want PM me and I will give you the info on who to call. They are both really decent guys and will tell you what you need to do. They also do the audits for when you first get your US DOT number so they can help out with that as well.
If you call any of the PA DOT personnel or DOT for the state you are running out of they will tell you what you need. Do not call the DMV for your state as they will most likely steer you wrong. The laws are very clear on this. Also, I know Take 3 will give you a new VIN plate for whatever you want not to exceed the sticker originally on the trailer for $30. I did that and never had any problems. I had a 9k truck and a 17k trailer.
If you guys want PM me and I will give you the info on who to call. They are both really decent guys and will tell you what you need to do. They also do the audits for when you first get your US DOT number so they can help out with that as well.
slor1de
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Got to talk to a dot officer at a seminar in mercer pa this afternoon, basically said it didnt matter what gvw on truck was but if trailer was 10,001gvw or more i need a cdl. Im gonna get my cdl but, i still believe this is a gray area as you cant seem to get the same answer from 2 different officers standing beside one another.
trailerpro
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Do you have a phone number for the officer?
The last truck I stopped had 17 out of service violations, no front brakes, cracked frame on both sides, no trailer brakes, and a 17 year old kid with a car license driving. Driving a tractor trailer loaded with hay, only 2 axles worth of brakes on the whole rig all the way from upstate NY to CT like that. Thats screwing the taxpayers?
hydroshok
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I wasn't talking about you. I mean the guys here in PA that just sit and write tickets for BS paperwork. The two officers I met last were obese and grossly obese. All they did was sit in their van all day, smoke and wait for people to come through the toll booths so they could write tickets.
If it is a safety issue; I agree with writing tickets. However, if you are sitting there to make the state money by enforcing laws that can be interpreted either way, then you are a glorified welfare recipient.
I only stop trucks that are out of service. It's a waste of my time, and the drivers time to spend half an hour inspecting a truck thats squared away, so I choose what I stop wisely.
I only write tickets for safety violations, I could care less if the violation is a chickens**t violation that is buried under 400 pages of motor carrier codes and will never cause a wreck. Whats the point? I stop trucks to prevent wrecks, thats the only reason to be doing it.
The last one was awesome, they stretched the frame on this tractor and filled the gap with lawnmower blades. Lawnmower blades! And then slapped a giant bead of weld across the top. It was a train wreck. The wrecker company took one look at it and said "We are not towing it, it will break in half" They put it on a Landoll.
I only write tickets for safety violations, I could care less if the violation is a chickens**t violation that is buried under 400 pages of motor carrier codes and will never cause a wreck. Whats the point? I stop trucks to prevent wrecks, thats the only reason to be doing it.
The last one was awesome, they stretched the frame on this tractor and filled the gap with lawnmower blades. Lawnmower blades! And then slapped a giant bead of weld across the top. It was a train wreck. The wrecker company took one look at it and said "We are not towing it, it will break in half" They put it on a Landoll.
hydroshok
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Wow! I have met a bunch of decent DOT guys while hauling and you sound like one of them. Keep up the good work. I thought it was obvious from my post that I meant the bad ones here in PA.
I guess it goes both ways. You see a bunch of people hauling that shouldn't be on the road and I get hassled for BS. It was funny too because those DOT guys told me to put the truck in park then got mad and asked what I was doing when I put on the e-brake and shifted into neutral.
I guess it goes both ways. You see a bunch of people hauling that shouldn't be on the road and I get hassled for BS. It was funny too because those DOT guys told me to put the truck in park then got mad and asked what I was doing when I put on the e-brake and shifted into neutral.
hydroshok
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I heard about that a little too late. My friend went though. He is a full time job seeker lol. Think about it before you go CDL because you will have more expenses (IFTA, random drug testing, apportioned tags and more paperwork).
It all depends on how heavy you want to haul and what shape your equipment is in. I have been stopped and ended up talking to the DOT officers for a long time about all the modifications I had done to the truck, the business, making money and ended up giving them my business card because they wanted to do it when they retired. I typically grossed 23-25k loaded and never had a problem save for bs paperwork. I can give you numbers to call if you want.
There are a lot of decent ones out there, but the few bad ones stick in my mind. I guess that is how it is.