DOT regulations

Thanks to all that responded to my idea to have a DOT officer come to talk about the laws. I was thinking about having a retired DOT officer come for the same that was posted above, that's where the costs came from, he hates what the DOT has turned into.
I thought you might like to find out true. I'm sorry to have posted this bad idea and was not trying to start a war over it just trying to help. So let's go play with tractors.lol
I'll try to just keep my pie hole closed.  

It was not my intent to cause trouble with what I've posted on this subject. Don, if your intent was to invite a former DOT officer to Booneville and charge us an admission fee, I'm all for it and would pay to hear his remarks. He will be like me though, talking about what it was like when we were there. That will be good information . History is good to review but it's the present and future that is and will be the problem. Remember that government regulation never go away or get small. By design they grow and grow. And I'll open another can of worms for thought and conversation, "INSURANCE" as required by FED DOT. My truck is a 2002 FORD 7.3 F-550 Crew Cab 4x4 GVWR 17,500 lbs. and it's my daily driver. When I retired I wanted a new truck and this truck was what I thought would be good for towing and it was no bigger than a Ford F-350 in outward appearance just in GVWR. My 1995 bumper hitch trailer is 24 ft. long and GVWR of 14,000 lbs. When I was told by DOT that I should get a DOT number I went to my insurance agent and told him I was thinking of getting a DOT number . He said that with the DOT number my currant insurance company would no longer issue me a policy. This combination currently cost me around $1,000 a year. I made some inquires with insurance companies that would insure me with a DOT number. The cheapest was $6,600 a year and went as high as $11,200 a year. This insurance coverage is necessary because you will be hauling for hire. "REMEMBER" if you so much as receive a ribbon for attending a tractor show or your life long friend buys your supper for hauling his/her tractor to the show with yours the FED DOT says that RIBBON and or meal or anything you would receive for hauling no matter how small or large it is compensation and thus you are in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise. The Coverage price I was quoted was for $750,000 to cover the vehicles and the coverage of cargo. This is the minimum amount of coverage the FED DOT requires. The agent then asked what I was intending to haul and I told him I would be hauling my antique tractors to shows. Well then he said that requires your coverage to be increased to $1,000,000. Why such an increase was my question to him. He said that increase was required by the FED EPA as now I would be hauling hazardous materials. WHAT ??? EPA said such things as a tractor contains OIL,FUEL or GASOLINE and thus I was hauling hazardous materials. Ladies and gentlemen I ask you, where does this stuff end ? Do some checking with you insurance company ,yours may be different than mine but I doubt it, then I live in Illinois. In all seriousness I'm at this point in my life with all of these regulations and laws that can effect me going to something as small as a tractor show that I begin to think maybe I should sell my collection. On second thought , Hell no!! I'm staying to the very end. Just my 2 cents, from a guy OUT THERE. RODNEY

I have an '05 F250 and haul an H&H trailer, tandem axles.  I do have plates on the trailer, not commercial.  The ID plate says it is rated to 9,975 lbs, was told this is to stay under 10,001 lbs but the trailer is built to handle much more weight.  I use it mostly to haul logs I pull home to cut up for firewood.  Sometimes I haul my tractors on it (WC & WD).  Elect brakes/battery emerg. brake on it also.  My truck has DAV tags on it.  If I was to pull my trailer back to say, IN to pick up a tractor, WD45, D-19 or such, do I need to have DOT on truck trailer now?  Everything I do is for personal, not for hire or for sale.  It's strictly hobby, well, occasionally hay work but I do it and get payed in hay/straw for my personal use.  Do I need to worry about the revenuers (DOT, cops, etc)?

I'm thinking the DAV tags might get me in trouble doing this.


Edited by NDBirdman - 23 Feb 2016 at 10:37am

I've worried about that.  I don't know what an 18-20 inch diameter, 6 to 8 foot ash and oak log weights, but I figure I've been over weight too many times.  I load around 8 on front half, 8 or 10 on back half.  It's a 26ft trailer.  I try to load it so the trailer locks balanced just in-case I get looked at.  I did build sides all around, 32 inches high with 2x8s so the load is hard but not impossible to see.  The side also let me haul dirt/gravel etc. on it. (with tarp laid down, don't want to sand vehicles on the hiway)  On the days I cut the logs 18 inches long for firewood before hauling, the load is up almost to the top of the sides, front to back.  Yea, I know that day I was pushing way too much, glad I did not get stopped.  That would have been bad.




Edited by NDBirdman - 23 Feb 2016 at 11:26am

Any more I'd recommend carrying a 49 CFR with you. In the event of being stopped and the officer says one thing you can show him where he's wrong.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number

NDBirdman wrote:   I'm thinking the DAV tags might get me in trouble doing this.

What will it all look like in another 10 or 20 years? They are slowly extinguishing the small guy.