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Going to RPRU, CDL?, Scales? Its been a while

R

redtom

Well-known Member
I know trailering and CDL's have been covered several times here but I haven't always followed the threads. Here goes: I'm hoping to go to the Red Power Round Up in Des Moines in june. Heres a pic of my trailer. Sorry for the quality. Its been a rough several years for me and I haven't shown a tractor in 12 years or so. Its time and my son is now old enough to help and show interest. Question is,I have a CDL A for my job (mechanic) but to be honest, I don't think I've gone on the road to get a disabled truck in 20 years. Does one need a CDL to haul his own stuff with a pickup? Do I need to go over scales? The trailer is 21,000 GVW 27" long and I'm using an 06 Dodge 3500 SRW that I've used before locally. I want to haul two tractors a 340 and a W-12. I've hauled around locally with 3 tractors and firewood logs etc. We bought this trailer new in about 94 and at that time State police (MSP) told us there was no limit on a personal pickup. Later I was told by MSP: NO privately owned personal pickup (not for hire) ever needed to scale and only one ton dually on up would have to scale if the truck was a flatbed (not original pickup box). I got stopped for going 70 in 2000 with one tractor and was told by MSP that I must stay right and go 55 as required in Mich for all trucks. So you see, my info is dated. And yes as a CDL holder I am aware of the regs and know that my truck and trailer would exceed 26,001 lbs GVW, but do they really hold true for a guy with a couple shiny tractors on board. Please keep comments civil.
a155848.jpg
 
All the regs hold true, the scales are all on the interstates, all the ones on state hi ways are gone, replaced by big white SUV's. They have the discretion to pull over trucks at anytime for any reason. That being said I have had no interaction with them and my truck and trailer hauling tractors, but they will know your triple axle trailer is rated for 21,000 just like they know my double is under. They will know your over 26,000, will that attract their attention? Only they will know, and if you drive by the scale house and should have stopped, they will run you down in one of those white SUV's. Better to follow all the regs from the start. Knowing the DOT, they may run special enforcement during RPRU.

http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/motorcarriers/truckguide.pdf
 
Going from MI to IA is a pretty easy route to avoid the scales. If you want to avoid the toll on 80/294 I use 94 to 159th street and then just keep going west till I am past the IL scale. You would be on US-6 .
Yes all the legal items need to be addressed for that trip.
They have changed the Interstate significantly from Ripley street to the Split for I-80 west. Added a few lanes and changed the traffic pattern since you were there, if it has been 20 years since you were there. Watch the signs closely. After Torrence you want to let the 2 or 3 right lanes just stay to your right or you will be downtown. There are now like 5 lanes through there and can use all but the 2 left ones now. You could also use 394 south to pass the scale by using US-30 west.
 

Redtom, this forum is a very bad place to ask for advice on the legality of your hauling rig. The majority of the answers are usually what someone "got away with". You should go to your local registry for the book that they have there for you. After all you have already paid for it. The bottom line is this: "who will be living in your house next year if someone pulls out right in front of you and someone is badly injured?"
 
Will they mess with you? Probably not. Can they? Absolutely. I'd just touch up on the laws and do what I'm supposed to then have nothing to worry about.
 
Just my opinion and my practice. A collector -- NOT FOR HIRE.
When the DOT start pulling RV's, Pushers and U-haul trucks into the scales I will go into the scales. Until that happens I will not go in.
G
 
In Ohio ALL trucks and trailers are licensed by EMPTY weight. The only difference is commercially or private.
 
Someone posted on a farm forum not to long ago about getting stopped in IA with a farm tagged pickup picking up an item purchased for the farm. Outside the farm radius, crossing state lines, because it was for the farm a log book, ECT.

So call each state DOT. Get a name and or badge number of the person you talk to and get the information from them. Don't turn what should be a pleasant trip into a problem by getting this type of advice on here!

Rick
 
I would not assume normal rules will be ignored for the RPRU. Any trooper will instantly know you are over 26,001 GVW with that trailer. They will also know that any out of state farm tags are way out of range. I-80 in Iowa mostly follows East-West grid lines, so its up one long hill and down another any time you cross a river or creek (about every three miles). Your total load is about 7000 pounds or less? A smaller trailer better suited for your load would make that trip easier in several ways.
 
(quoted from post at 10:33:58 04/02/17) Someone posted on a farm forum not to long ago about getting stopped in IA with a farm tagged pickup picking up an item purchased for the farm. Outside the farm radius, crossing state lines, because it was for the farm a log book, ECT.

So call each state DOT. Get a name and or badge number of the person you talk to and get the information from them. Don't turn what should be a pleasant trip into a problem by getting this type of advice on here!

Rick
Click to expand...


Well, yeah! If you're a farmer (that's commercial, whether you make a profit or not) with a vehicle or combination of vehicles with a GVWR or CGVWR of 10,001 lbs or more, outside the farm exemption radius, across a state line, then why was he surprised he got nabbed? This really isn't that tricky.
 
(quoted from post at 21:15:12 03/31/17) I know trailering and CDL's have been covered several times here but I haven't always followed the threads. Here goes: I'm hoping to go to the Red Power Round Up in Des Moines in june. Heres a pic of my trailer. Sorry for the quality. Its been a rough several years for me and I haven't shown a tractor in 12 years or so. Its time and my son is now old enough to help and show interest. Question is,I have a CDL A for my job (mechanic) but to be honest, I don't think I've gone on the road to get a disabled truck in 20 years. Does one need a CDL to haul his own stuff with a pickup? Do I need to go over scales? The trailer is 21,000 GVW 27" long and I'm using an 06 Dodge 3500 SRW that I've used before locally. I want to haul two tractors a 340 and a W-12. I've hauled around locally with 3 tractors and firewood logs etc. We bought this trailer new in about 94 and at that time State police (MSP) told us there was no limit on a personal pickup. Later I was told by MSP: NO privately owned personal pickup (not for hire) ever needed to scale and only one ton dually on up would have to scale if the truck was a flatbed (not original pickup box). I got stopped for going 70 in 2000 with one tractor and was told by MSP that I must stay right and go 55 as required in Mich for all trucks. So you see, my info is dated. And yes as a CDL holder I am aware of the regs and know that my truck and trailer would exceed 26,001 lbs GVW, but do they really hold true for a guy with a couple shiny tractors on board. Please keep comments civil.
Click to expand...

Look, speaking as a retired NYSP DOT Trooper, you have to do some homework. Going to RPRU to display a tractor probably (???) isn't under the definition of a Commercial Motor Vehicle, or so I'm told. Things have changed since I retired. So chances are, and you'll need to check on this, you won't fall under the FMCSR. But, scales are not a Federal issue, they are a state issue, so you're going to need to check with state authority as far as scales and licensing. Don't depend on something a faceless name on a website forum gives you for info. I've seen a lot, and I mean a LOT, of truly bad info given here and elsewhere. Call the states you are going to pass through State Police or Highway Patrol, get the info, get a name of who you talked to, ask every question you can think of, get it in print if you can (like from a state website), etc. Better safe than sorry.


Off topic here, but it has always struck me as insane that a guy hauling a tractor behind his pickup has to jump through hoops, so to speak, but Grandpa Greyhair can drive his motorhome towing the Caddy (and in some states, his boat behind the Caddy!) and never have to even pass a higher class license test!
 
Glad I don't have my CDL anymore, there is so many "gray areas" in DOT laws it depends on the officer if you get pulled over, or not. As long as you are going to just show, and not compete for money, or a trophy it shouldn't be considered as commercial, so they shouldn't mess with you (but they probably will pull you over, and ask anyways).

On another note when I was a heavy equipment field mechanic for a construction company. The company just bought a brand new Mack truck, got pulled over, got DOT inspection, and was red tagged because of an oil leak. The "oil leak" was a tiny bit of seepage from the valve cover (a couple of drops of oil that got spilled onto the valve cover). I had to go, and wipe the tiny bit of oil off the engine, and check the valve cover bolts that were not loose. Then they removed the red tag, but still got a ticket for a oil leak.
 
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