REQUIREMENTS FOR DRIVING IN THE USA

[S2710]

I live in Wi. and looking at the rules in wi. to drive my pickup with a gooseneck trailer (8000 lbs. truck and a 14000 lbs. trailer =22000 lbs.) I do not need a CDL. If I load my tractor on it (gross wt. of everything is under the 22000) and go to a show in MI. Ind. Ill. Mo. Ia. and Minn. will I be legal? If it is not legal could you post a link to where the law states that. Also I am not going to profit in any way from this, only going to the show to enjoy myself and particpate in the show. Thanks

Bob
 

[d beatty]

I don't know of a site that will give all the states in detail . I go to search and type in - Who needs (the state)CDL. Then then go down untilI find the DMV site that covers that.
 

[john in la]

As long as the truck + the trailer has a gross weight rating under 26,000 lbs you do not need a CDL.
If the combo weight rating is 22,000 lbs and you weigh less than 22,000 lbs the only way you could have trouble is if you do not have it spread over the axle evenly.

Will you have trouble for not having a DOT number. That is a whole new can of worms.
 

[S2710]

John would this apply to the DOT number thing?
under Exception # 3
poke here

 

[d beatty]

You asked about DOT number. If you go to US Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationIt says to need a DOT number you need to operate a commercial vehices transporting passengers or hauling cargo in interstate commerce and must be registered with the FMCSA. It goes on with more that wouldn't pertain to you.
 

[puln70]

I really doubt that he needs a DOT# since he is not hauling for commerce.Once you get one then you better get a logbook & med.card & get your truck & trailer inspected every year to be legal.
 

[730d se]

One of the confusing points to how all of this works is, people think of "commercial" as being in the business of hauling for hire.
It has nothing to do with that per se. It is the name given to rigs that have the capabilty to haul over 26,001 LBS or a trailer that is over 10,000 LBS.
This is all about safety. I have said it before, and I will say it again.
All of these "excuses" that people try to use to roll a CDL rated rig over road go away if you or your family are hit by one of them.
People that are not properly trained, do not drive and handle heavy vehicles on a regular basis, are indeed more of a hazard.
 

[ericlb]

i would call the mvd in each state and ask, also get the name of the person who gave you the info, here in nm while i have a class A cdl with numerous endorsements, the back of my drivers licence has a ledgend printed on it and it states that for a regular licence, you have a 10,000 lb towing limit, this also applies to a class B cdl, ie according to the gov, you can drive a tri, or even a 4 axle dump truck, but you cant take your backhoe with you on a trailer behind you, unless you upgrade to a full class A , this limit does varry state to state so its not a easy question, as for a dot# as i understand it as long as your not pulling for hire, and you own everything you have on your truck and trailer, you dont need one, also from experience, be advised all this seems to be open to inturpretation by the individual dot cop doing the roadside inspection, whos experience will varry, some are highly trained proffessional people who know their job, others are fresh, and should be reassigned to being a mall cop, as they will prove that dont know anything about the transportation industry, these guys are supposed to be under the supervision of a superiour officer, but out here in the west they arnt always
 

[puln70]

If you do a google search for FMCSA it's the federal site,there's a quiz on it that will tell you what you need.
 

[VicS]

I have a rig the same as yours, All states should be the same, they are Federal rules/laws. I have a cdl and a dot no. because I have a 80000 truck. and run multiple states. But when I haul my pulling tractor I am just having fun. I don't pull into weight stations, etc. I have been to meetings sponsored by the Farm Bureau, they say the same thing. The main thing is to drive carefully, have all your lights working, have the reflective tape around your edges. Don't speed! don't crowd the limit! 70 in a 65. Don't have loud exhaust! One chain every 10 ft, (3 on every tractor) you will never be bothered. Vic
 

[john in la]

Bob;
Yes § 390.3(f)(3) does give you a exemption from a DOT#. The problem is does the cop that stops you feel the same way. Some think that entering a show makes you eligible for a prize. It might be best tractor and the prize may only be a ribbon but it is still compensation.
Stupid if you ask me but that is the way it is.

Lets put it this way.......
You haul a tractor with a brush cutter to a piece of property you own to cut your grass. You are exempt.
You haul this same tractor with a sickle mower that could be used to cut hay to a piece of property you own and you got real problems.

The difference is hay is a compensation. You either sell the hay or feed it to cows that you sell. You are still compensated.
I guess you could say you are cutting hay for the family horse. But who buys a tractor; sickle mower; hay baler; ect for just one horse.
Sounds more like a lie to get around DOT rules than the truth.

Hauling a tractor and using the going to a show line..... The tractor better look like it belongs in a show. Hauling a tractor for several states could also be seen as hauling for profit or delivering a sold tractor.

I know it's crazy thinking. But look at all the guys feeding a line just to get around rules. I would be willing to bet some of the people on this site advertising for tractor hauling are not legal. The good pay for the bad.
 

[Welding man]

John, I disagree. The Feds do not classify prize money,trophys or ribbons as compensation. Read the intreprentation section of the regs.They state And I Quote;Guidence:The exemption would apply to this kind of transportation provided(1)the underlying activities are not undertaken for profit ie (a)prize money is declared as ordinary income for tax purposes (b)The cost of the underlying activities is not deducted as a business expense for tax purposes and where revelant(2)corporate sponsorship is not involved. I carry a copy of this in my truck at all times and if I need it I will use it. If they don't like it, we will have our day in court.Since when is it against the law to have a hobby.Pulling a load of horses, a boat or a camper is a hobby. My tractors are a hobby and I enjoy them.
 

[john in la]

I agree welding man. It is right there in black and white but some of these young gung hoe cops could care less. I have seen some really off the wall tickets over the years and your day in court 3 states from your house usually does not matter. Most will just pay the ticket and be done with it and the cops know that.

Carry a copy of the regs in your truck. Hope your tractor looks like it belongs in a show.

The thing I can not understand is..........
Pulling a tractor behind a pickup could look like a bussiness even if you are a personal hobby.
BUT........
Pulling a race car with sponsors names plastered all over it behind a RV seems to be OK.

I am really into the safety side of the rules. I think the feds need to enforce the safety rules to the letter. Maybe even re-write some of the laws to devide the safety rules more so the exemptions are clearer.
But trying to add personal use into all our paper work would be just crazy.
 

[730d se]

John,

You hit the nails on the heads in my view. The rules are set up to protect all of us. As typical with politics, it turns in to a money machine and safety is not at the top, no matter what they try to say otherwise.
It is dangerous for a guy who seldom drives the rig, not used to the weight, stopping distances, etc., to go rolling off somewhere to "pick up a tractor". Safety has nothing to do with whether it is his play toy, if he makes money on it, or if he is actually a famrer.
If he runs through a traffic signal, runs over the vehicle in front of him, blows a tire and runs across lanes, the ugly result is the same.
I say we either set the rules for all, or drop them completely and everyone take their chances on the road.
We all have that thought that it "will not happen to us." Many people with that thought have been proven wrong, some of them are not alive to argue the point.
 

[rustyfarmall]