IA, DOT Laws? any body concerned?

 In January, I spent along time on the phone with getting tonnage on my 2005 Dodge 1 ton in WA. STATE. I carry 32,000 GVW on the thing. (I know I am opening a can of worms here, I have been doing this since 2005) I told them I am running private and not commercial and hauling my own tractor. I pay $400 a year for tabs. I do carry a log book, have a med card, and have class A CDL  because I will run for fill in for my friend who runs tankers and end dumps. I had the gal from Olympia run me though  the web site with her and I explained what I was all doing on hauling my tractors. She said if I have any problems, she gave me her direct line. I am legal on the tires, axles, fifth wheel plate etc etc. I know what the GVW is on my truck is lower,  and I know alot of the DODGE or Ford or GMC HOT SHOT  trucks can run up to 40,000 in a one ton. I do not know how they do it, but they do. I have not had a problem going by the scales and am just waiting till the summer when I go down south with my tractors on the trailer. When I haul our 31 ft 5th wheel I am a total of 19,000 lbs and I dont have DOT number for that because it is not required.  (Recreation is the only reason why ? So is my tractors ) I have thought about getting a Peterbilt with a big sleeper to do some traveling with the RV and the tractor, but I dont want to run a Pete  for s short 10 run to pick up or drop off a tractor at a friends house.

I was told by the IA DOT that if the sign says something like "All trucks over 6000 lbs must weigh", you would want to be pulling in. If they don't care about you, you'll just get waved on through. If they have to chase you down, you are much more likely to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. If they want to, they can write a ticket for failure to obey a traffic control device. (scale open sign)

JC(WI) wrote: "Around here things are good .. something has to be pretty bad for SP to get   involved (locally "  Maybe not in your area, but I have been stopped to many times already just minding my own business running under farm tags.    " I have had a commercial license since 1975, I have to take specialized tests, I had to pass a rigorous road test and had to show proficiency with the machine plus do minor repairs to get it out of the line of fire when it broke, needs to be the same for these people." Thats a half a joke there, A few years back I helped a company that shipped a load of peat granulers every evening, You wouldn't believe the number of truckers that came in there that couldn't back a rig up to save their soul...Some couldn't even speak our language and others well, lets say I wouldn't trust them with my pickup and there they were behind a steering wheel of 40 tons. All dot certified...Makes me really wonder.   As for all the laws endorsements etc, most of that is nothing more than a racket to make money in some form or another...such as fines when they stop you and you don't have that specific listed on record.Theres stupid all around the world and in every profession ... And I usually say to myself, don't make it any tougher on everybody else, rather try and make it easier on yourself.  That falls into that catagory of "why me, why aren't they required to do the same too?"  In this case of dot, we the people gave /allowed them to push/pass to much crap/rules/regs/laws  on our former freedoms... and didn't take a stand and tell them to back off -cease and decease.   Shoot man, I don't remember roads piled high with accidents back in the sixties because we didn't have big extensive dot laws to protect the public ..........

At one time I did service work for an electrical contractor at ware house complex. It was not very hard to tell the long haul drivers from the short haul/local delivery drivers.

You get a DOT number, you're then in the computer and "They gotcha".  May be easy to get now and no problems, but wait a while and they will make life miserable for you eventually.