DOT and non comercial traffic

[Soundguy]

was on my way to work today and passed a buddy pulled over on the side of the road.. he had his f250 and gooseneck loaded with 3 culvert pipe for his farm. A dot had pulled him over, and a city cop was just pulling in.

This is not a comercial truck.. I know the guy.. just a private truck.. etc.

any ideas why dot might pull over a private vehicle. I know a dot officer -CAN- pull you over for regular traffic violations etc.. but it seems to happen so rarely where I live.

IE.. dot pulls over big trucks and city/county pulls over 'other traffic'.

ideas?

soundguy

 

[MarkV]

Same thing here. You rarely see them pull over private trucks but they sure can. The way I see some private useres haul I almost wish they would more often. I would guess they either thought he was over weight or didn't like something about his equipment.

MarkV

 

[sandman2234]

Actually, my experience tends to lean towards the D.O.T officer pulling just that type of vehicle over, along with box vans that fall below the 25,900 window. Don't get me wrong, they hit the big guys just as hard, but I seem to see a lot of the small guys getting hit. Don't know the reasons why, but the "mid-size" guys seem to fall between the cracks, and they know it, and the D.O.T knows it too.

David from jax

 

[RickB]

"Here" any truck over 10,000 GVW is fair game for DOT. Unless of course it's pulling an RV. You don't even have to know how to drive to be legal in one of them. Just think of how your buddy is going to convince them that a GN trailer with culvert pipe ISN"T a commercial activity. Prrobably ain't gonna happen. Not right, but it's the way it is.

 

[Duffster]

Here farm use is still commercial, it just is CDL exempt.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm not sure how going and buyingg some culvert pipe is going to be comercial. I am gonna have to run him down and see why he was pulled. maybee a lamp or a flat on a tandem or ( tag ) or something.

For sure not overweight.. was metal squash pipe.. I bet the 3 pieces didn't weight over 800# all together.

I found out, from a previous thread, and looking on our stat's site, that florida did away with the class D LICENSE. ie.. either you are class c and do air brakes and that stuff.. or class e and under 26000 and non comercial.

can't wait to see how this turns out.

soundguy

 

[Duffster]

I'm not sure how going and buyingg some culvert pipe is going to be comercial. I am gonna have to run him down and see why he was pulled. maybee a lamp or a flat on a tandem or ( tag ) or something.

For sure not overweight.. was metal squash pipe.. I bet the 3 pieces didn't weight over 800# all together.

I found out, from a previous thread, and looking on our stat's site, that florida did away with the class D LICENSE. ie.. either you are class c and do air brakes and that stuff.. or class e and under 26000 and non comercial.

can't wait to see how this turns out.

soundguy

You say he was hauling pipe for his "farm". Is he a farmer or is it recreational property?

There are 2 definitions of commercial motor vehicle. One has to do more with the vehicle and starts at 10k and the other has more to do with the driver and starts at 26k.

According to the FMCSA site Florida and Wisconsin have the same USDOT number requirements. If this is true a "farm" truck over 10k (single or combo) would be a commercial motor vehicle, which can be operated by a driver with a standard drivers license. (Your class E is like our class D).

 

[Soundguy]

You say he was hauling pipe for his "farm". Is he a farmer or is it recreational property?

There are 2 definitions of commercial motor vehicle. One has to do more with the vehicle and starts at 10k and the other has more to do with the driver and starts at 26k.

According to the FMCSA site Florida and Wisconsin have the same USDOT number requirements. If this is true a "farm" truck over 10k (single or combo) would be a commercial motor vehicle, which can be operated by a driver with a standard drivers license. (Your class E is like our class D).

He doesn't have farm plates.

His 'farm' is about like mine. some pleasure horses, and a couple other lil animals.. just pidly stuff.

As far as I know he's making troughs and decorative planters and a compost tube out of the pipe.. at least last I talked to him he was doing that.

as for why he was pulled.. won't know till I talk to him.. for aal I know maybee he had a strap dragging or something.. or dot didn't like how he had the load secured ( not enough straps? )

as for his truck? just a plain f250 like mine.. drive to work.. home.. play.. etc.

no home business.. no 'on the side' lawn care or anything.. he's a 9-5 5 day a week office worker that likes to look out in his back yard and see some animals.

soundguy

 

[RickB]

I'm not sure how going and buyingg some culvert pipe is going to be comercial. I am gonna have to run him down and see why he was pulled. maybee a lamp or a flat on a tandem or ( tag ) or something.

For sure not overweight.. was metal squash pipe.. I bet the 3 pieces didn't weight over 800# all together.

I found out, from a previous thread, and looking on our stat's site, that florida did away with the class D LICENSE. ie.. either you are class c and do air brakes and that stuff.. or class e and under 26000 and non comercial.

can't wait to see how this turns out.

soundguy

I'm just telling you how it is. I'm not defending the system. For all the cop knows, he could be delivering the pipe to a job site. The whole DOT/Homeland security/commercial vehicle safety thing is as much about revenue enhancement as safety or security.

 

[Thomas]

Last couple of years seen more and more w/lettering on hauling vehicles Not For Hire..dual axle plus goose necks,not being pull over in our area.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm just telling you how it is. I'm not defending the system. For all the cop knows, he could be delivering the pipe to a job site. The whole DOT/Homeland security/commercial vehicle safety thing is as much about revenue enhancement as safety or security.

Ok I see what you are saying.

the dot guy see's a truck / trailer that -could- be comercial and perhaps pulls him for a compliance check.. or stops him for some other infraction ( lamp out, speeding, etc.).. perhaps that's why a city cop was pulling it.. dot found out it was a non comercial vehicle.. but there was still some ticketable infraction that needed to be handled.. thus the city cop.

that could be.

can't wait till I run him down and ask.


soudnguy

 

[Soundguy]

Last couple of years seen more and more w/lettering on hauling vehicles Not For Hire..dual axle plus goose necks,not being pull over in our area.

Hmm.. methinks I need to add a not for hire / private use only magnetc plaque to the door on my f450 when I pull my trailer to go grab an antique to restore. might save me some headache??

soundguy

 

[ModMech]

This is not a comercial truck.. I know the guy.. just a private truck.. etc.

any ideas why dot might pull over a private vehicle. I know a dot officer -CAN- pull you over for regular traffic violations etc.. but it seems to happen so rarely where I live.

ideas?

soundguy

A CVI can pull anyone over for any moving violation except maybe for speeding. A brake light being out, tire concern, overload etc. are all probable causes for the CVI to initiate a stop.

There seems to be a concerted effort to catch overloaded LD trucks, there have been SO MANY terrible accidents from people pulling Bobcats on tandem trailers w/o brakes and 1/2 ton pickups (or even 1 tons that are loaded) that the DOTs are after them for GCWR violations. This is one BIG factor in our decision to sell our beautiful F-150 SC and get a F-250 regular cab with about double the GCWR.

There are only two systems on a vehicle that are really important, steering and brakes and it's WAY too easy to get into trouble with braking if you are over loaded.

 

[Soundguy]

There seems to be a concerted effort to catch overloaded LD trucks,

show ignorance here but what is a 'LD' truck. ( light duty is the only thing that comes to mind )..

thanks for the comments too.

soundguy

 

[Bird]

show ignorance here but what is a 'LD' truck. ( light duty is the only thing that comes to mind )..

thanks for the comments too.

soundguy

"Light Duty" or "Long Distance"?

 

[20 20]

lousy Drunk

laundry delivery

laxative drink

laughing donkey

Okay I'm done now.

 

[LBrown59]

Hmm.. methinks I need to add a not for hire / private use only magnetc plaque to the door on my f450 when I pull my trailer to go grab an antique to restore. might save me some headache??

soundguy

Might work until D O T starts seeing to many of them and pulls them over because they think they are trying to hide something.

 

[LBrown59]

lousy Drunk

laundry delivery

laxative drink

laughing donkey

*Okay I'm done now.

*R U sure ?
U must have left out something.

 

[Jaylegger]

Give the guy a call, on behalf of TBN'ers you can not let this hang. I'm betting it was a tie-down issue.