Farm Dump Truck and DOT

This is in Minnesota if it makes a difference:

1.) Does this truck need to be DOT stickered if it has farm plates on it. I would get the turn signals and break lights working, but not worry about all the little marker lights.

2.) Do I need a CDL license to operatem my own personal farm dump truck. It is a tandem axel rear end.

It is safe to drive on the road, not worried about injury to anyone. What I am worried about is some idiot running into me, sueing me, and then I find out it wasn't legal and I'm at fault. It is only county roads and little gravel township roads that I would run it on, but you still never know.

Thanks for any insight you can give. I have been given answers from it is no different than any other Big rig on the road, to if you can make it move and it has farm plates, you're legal. Just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks for any advice you can give on this issue.

Depending on where he is at, it could be a 3 hour drive just to get to one.

I've used the call in number off the state DOT website and got good info, without the officer being a smart a$$.

I live in MN and have quite a few miles commercial 18 wheeler (close to a million) now just farm.

Anywho, here is my explanation of the situation you are in. Now keep in mind, many DOT officers will read the laws printed in black and white many different ways.

Operator License.
If the vehicle is used/plated for farm use regardless of the weight, key phrase is from farm to first point of delivery or used in a non hire circumstance for personal farm business use. A class C license is needed. Your D may be OK. Point being that a semi can be driven in this situation without a CDL.

Vehicle license and inspection.
Any vehicle plated at 26,000# and under does not need an inspection sticker. Over that, ALL trucks need the inspection sticker, farm inspection stickers are valid for 2 years. Any 5 axle combination needs to be inspected yearly with no designation of farm or commercial.

In your situatation, I doubt any registars office would license the truck @ 26,000 being a tandem. It would not be wise for you to even try. If in any circumstance you WOULD get weighed and licensed at say 26,000 and weighed in at 56,000 gross. You are over what the vehicle could legally haul regardless of plating. You would get the overweight fine PLUS you would have to buy the correct license in addition to the fine. 2 tickets.... under plated and over weight.

Fine for not having inspection sticker 4 years ago was $254, plus providing proof to the court that the vehicle was indeed stickered after the fact.

Hope this helps some.

Be very very wary of accepting/taking advice from out of staters that are quoting Fed regs. They are only the base of regs that the state of MN go off of, nothing more.

Do a google search for Mn Dept of Transportation/commercial division to get the official website of the state. It lists a telephone number to contact a real live person in charge and they are more than happy to advise you on what is and isn"t needed.

Hope this helps some

How safe would you feel driving down the road knowing that any minunite you could come up on a FARM truck that could not pass a DOT inspection.

With a farm tag you are exempt from a CDL as long as you are carrying things to are from the farm; but your truck still needs to meet any and all safety inspections.

Have to remove all stickers from the windsheild and cab to run Farm Use too.

Dave

Jerry

A lot of people get all bent out of shape over this kind of stuff, and from the horror stories I hear in some states I guess they have a right to. Its real loose here, of course this is home to 'extended weights, too' where on certain roads coal trucks are allowed to haul 180,000 on a regular 80,000 pound semi.

I get checked every so often hauling a dozer/skid loader/back hoe since these are the most common things people fudge on (doing custom work on someone eles farm is not considered farm use here). We have 6 farms in 4 counties 120 miles one way between so I am occassionally on a long haul with something yellow.

I could tell you what the rules are in KY but that wont help you a bit. Here, a farm plate gets you to 38000 pounds and no CDL as long as you are within the state. Light and brake wise, all you would need is what a pickup truck would have (1 tail light and 2 head lights). Doesnt mean squat in Minnesota though.

On the inspection, besides what the law may require, you had best make sure those brakes are in good working condition and properly adjusted, fil, gravel, crushed stone and similar materials, depending on moisture and density of the aggregate, can be quite heavy, you may not need to be heaped over the sides to be over. No fun to haul fill with poor brakes.

It could be possible that you may need a D.O.T. number even with the farm plates, my neighbor runs a tandem with a big 30 yd box for grain and other things and he's up over the 26,000 lb line, so the CDL and the D.O.T. number is required, he's got agricultural plates, farm plates limit your travel and require a specified route, maybe your DMV is set up like that and I am incorrect.

Best to check with them and see. One good thing is that you are out of the main path it seems, and is probably flat terrain, but still, you'll know you have a load on when hauling fill, so take care of those brakes, and don't get greedy with the loads, keep em within the limits, especially at first, until you get the feel of the truck, it's a real bad feeling to not be able to stop, with a heavy load, been there and done that.

I am curious about this topic too, as I run an old F-600 for light hauling, and have just a NYS inspection, agriculture plates, it's in good running condition, but I am curious about the D.O.T. requirements, have not asked DMV here, and they told me nothing when I put it on the road.