Anyone ever been stopped and weighed for overload?

[bedubya]

Originally Posted by walaby

I've seen a time or two where the message board tells me to pull in to the weigh station. I believe that is because the scale "assumed" I was a commercial vehicle (the scale itself can't tell), and I didn't have a transponder, therefore I was told to pull over. I just kept on driving, since I am not commercial. No one came after and chased me down.


Mike

You may be right, because my memory is a little fuzzy. But as I recall, the message board said something like, "Blue Toyota please pull in."

[Oafdawg]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

By mistake we bought a 2500 diesel and a bigger fifth wheel than planned.

I installed overloads on the 2500 and it is fine for the fiver, but I am roughly #800 over payload.

Not real excited about buying in 3500 for $25,000 more than the truck we have. After 8,500 miles in all conditions it is swell.

Has anyone been weighed?

Ticketed?

How did you mistakenly buy a pickup and trailer? What did you think you were buying?

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by GlowPlug

Upflying: Some folks are aware of the 26,001 LB Rule but I'd bet a lot of people on here don't know about it.
You say weight enforcement is focused on Commercial Trucking. While that is true, It also Pertains to RV drivers as well.

If you take a dually truck with a GVWR of 14,000 LBS and throw a 12,001 LB GVWR FW onto the truck you just entered the 26,001 Lb GVWR.
Now the RV driver needs a CDL Drivers License.
Don't see many FW trailers that look all that light weight.

How many of you are Towing over this 26,001 LB Limit without knowing you had to have a CDL...

This is from the DOT Website:
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

It depends on the state.

In Maryland, over 26,001 pounds you need a non-commercial Class A license.

In Florida, you don't need anything beyond a regular license.

[ependydad]

As for the original post, there's a PA state police member that has called out scales a time or two but it was for obnoxiously overweight setups.

I've never heard of a first-hand owner account of getting weighed.

I'll double what is mentioned- watch your axle weight rating (rear GAWR) and your tire load capacity. You'll only know that by weighing the setup.

I've had multiple friends who found they were over on single-rear-wheel 1-ton trucks with the tire load capacity. One owner upgraded to a dually and the other upgraded the tires to higher load capacity tires. They were still over the listed axle weight rating but it seemed like that was de-rated to match the tire load capacity. I don't think they ever looked up the part numbers to find out what it really was.

[frank4711]

Nope never seen or heard ... I have been payload deficient not any more ... DW says the ride is good in my 3500 that's all I need to hear ... and you are correct not more $ for a 3500 sometimes less ... I would guess there are 1000's of 2500 Diesel truck over payload out there .... axle size and a leaf spring in the rear gets you 2000 + lbs of payload .... thanks Frank

[TowPro]

Originally Posted by GlowPlug

If you take a dually truck with a GVWR of 14,000 LBS and throw a 12,001 LB GVWR FW onto the truck you just entered the 26,001 Lb GVWR.
Now the RV driver needs a CDL Drivers License.

CDL stands for Commercial Drivers License.
Commercial means you are driving to make money.

If you are delivering that RV to a dealer as your job, you need a CDL.
If you own it and are going camping, you don't need a Commercial Drivers License.

Your state may require a NON Commercial Drivers License that has higher weight restriction, but its not a CDL.

CDL license is not just weight, its about enforcing other rules like hours driving, Alcohol and Drugs as well.

CDL was brought about because each state has its records locked up and out of state LEO could not get driver info from other state. some of the major causes were drivers with license suspended in 1 state but other state did not know. DUI enforcement, etc.
In 1986 the Feds stepped in and made this a federal regulated drivers license with a central information clearing house contact. this went into affect 1992

[5picker]

"800 lbs. over on payload".... so are most all of the folks pulling travel trailers!

[formerFR]

as an insurance agent, and a CDL license holder, I'll suggest some differing answers to these concerns:

- for insurance, I've never in a quarter century seen any insurance company application or wording in a policy ask or refer to anything to do with whether you know how to drive a vehicle you are insuring, whether you have any experience driving a vehicle you are insuring, whether you know anything about what it weighs, what any trailer weighs that you might be towing with it, or even whether you even know HOW to tow any trailer, and certainly nothing about whether a trailer you are towing doesn't weigh more than a certain amount. It only requires that you have a license to drive a automobile in your resident state. It does not ask if the state requires you to have any special schooling or license endorsement for driving your vehicle or for towing any trailer.
Having said all that, the insurance industry has little control over what you 'do' once you've been issued a policy. They only pay claims when an accident or damage happens, and that has nothing to do with the weight of the vehicle, or any weight of any trailer or device that your are towing with it, even though the Liability coverage of your automobile you have insured EXTENDS to any trailer or device you are then towing with it, automatically. *while every company has a policy that could be worded slightly differently, these are generalizations of the automobile insurance industry as a whole

So, claims have nothing to do with whether an owner is 'overweight' while towing, or even overweight because of too many people in their vehicle, or too much cargo in the bed of a truck. Insurance companies don't weigh a vehicle before they pay out a claim. They don't deny a claim because your trailer was overweight, or your truck too 'small', or whether your truck has underinflated tires, or whether the tires on the trailer were 'china bombs'(as some refer to them), or whether the owner doesn't know how to maneuver their rig within a gas station.
Once a policy is issued, a claim will be paid. period.

- as for 'CDL' concerns... the definition of CDL is 'Commercial' Driver License. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with personal use of ANY vehicle, EVEN if that vehicle might 'normally' be a commercial vehicle. A commercial truck driver can drive their tractor(the 'truck' part of a semi-truck/trailer) home, on their personal time, not in the action of working on behalf of a trucking company, and be totally using that vehicle in a totally personal action, and therefore NOT be subject to any DOT or state requirements, any more than any of us driving our own car home.
Having said that, no RV or Motorhome falls into a 'Commercial vehicle' category simply because it is 'bigger' than other 'normal' vehicles around it. The DOT authorities don't 'care' that you are driving a truck while pulling a fifth wheel, or that you are driving a 45' Prevost motorcoach while towing your Cadillac. They only care about COMMERCIAL trucking - those in the business of 'business' use of their large semi-truck and other similar 'trucking' oriented vehicles and trailers, hauling goods around the country, or even for a single mile from one factory to another, owned by the same company, but while on 'public' roadways. So, no, they don't want YOU to pull into a weigh station - you are then helping to 'clog' the COMMERCIAL truck lanes. The truckers won't be happy. The weigh station personnel won't be happy. And all the other RVs passing by on the interstate will wonder 'why' you've pulled in there!
Could some authority pull you over for any reason, any where? Yes, of course, they have that right to pull over ANY vehicle anywhere if they feel there is a reason to, but not 'just because' you are large, long, or look 'heavy'. They don't spend their time bothering people just to bother them.

While CDL does stand for 'Commercial', do some states require us 'regular' people to have a special endorsement on our license if our RV exceeds some type of limit? Yes... and this is where the confusion happens.
NC is a state who requires a special endorsement if your Motorhome exceeds a certain weight - the weight stated on your motorhome's GVWR label, not what it happens to 'weigh' at any given moment. The limit is: 'over 26,000 lbs GVWR'.
If your rig exceeds 26,000 lbs, meaning 26,001 lbs or more stated on the GVWR label, AND you are a RESIDENT of NC, and you hold a LICENSE in NC, you are then required to have this additional endorsement as part of your regular driver license.
What 'is' this endorsement, what does it 'mean', and how you 'get it' can sometimes be a mystery, or confusing, as even the driver license folks don't always know what it is, how to have you receive it, or even what it requires. If you are determined to get it, let us know how it works. CA is a state which requires one if your motorhome is over 40' in length. Now, is that actual 'measured' length, or its it a length stated by the manufacturer on some label or paperwork, is it determined by the 'model number' of your coach, such as '45A', and does it include the rear ladder in that measurement??? Who knows.

If you fail to have this endorsement, will it allow your insurance company to deny a claim? No. If you fail to have this endorsement, will the authorities suddenly pull you over, weigh you, measure you, issue you a ticket, and take possession of your motorhome? No.
If you are involved in an accident, will the authorities take the time to compare your license to your state's additional 'endorsement' requirements if this accident takes place in their state, which is not 'your' state? Doubtful, highly doubtful. If it even happens in our 'own' state, will they care? Probably not.

Additional state endorsements of licenses for the purpose of longer or heavier RVs is simply a way for the state's legislature, in their own concerns, to create a demand on residents who own and drive these larger RVs to have some sort of additional 'educational requirements'. Some states don't even require a real 'driver test', but only a 'paper test'. I can see that some in the legislature may feel like this is a 'good' idea, at least if only for residents of their state, but it's very doubtful that any of these 'additional' endorsements make any one of us any better or knowledgeable or experienced or accident-proof drivers of our RVs.

Someone mentioned a while back that you should endeavor to meet each state's RV requirements if you are to be able to safely drive thru each state while RVing. While that may be comforting to some who would feel the need to go to such extremes, it's not possible to get an 'endorsement' for another state you don't reside in or are licensed in - you can only be licensed in a single state. If your state does not have any additional requirements, and the vast majority don't, your regular everyday license is all you need to travel to ANY other state, or even to ANY of the Canadian provinces, or probably anywhere in Mexico.
If you live in a state which DOES have an additional requirement, and you have that endorsement, no other state cares.

travel, enjoy... just don't get bogged down in the 'details' ! : )

[formerFR]

as an additional and interesting note about CDL licensure:

I even transported(drove) brand new motorhomes from the factories to dealers all over the U.S.... I had no CDL at the time, and was not required to have one.

[67L48]

Weight police? Those are the uniformed officers at official weigh stations on the highway. I've not seen any people on these forums enforcing laws and issuing citations. No weight police I've ever seen here. There are, however, people who are adept at math and comparing numbers.

The last example I read was last week on a truck forum. A guy said he was towing a large gooseneck trailer (though I don't know what was on it). The weigh station flashed him to pull over. He was in a 3/4 ton diesel and was over GVWR (they don't care about GAWRs and the other ratings). The weight police only gave him a warning and told him to go directly back home.

However, that's not an RV. He probably looked like a commercial load and that's why he was checked.

The number of RVers who get checked is somewhere between scant and confirmed bigfoot sightings.

[Jim34RL]

I do know of one individual who was stop for pulling a trailer with a car on a trailer with a 2500, 3/4 ton pick-up truck. It was his own car he was trailering home so; he was not a commercial truck. It was my oldest son. Why was he stopped?

His licenses plate on the pick-up, was IL class B plate which is rated for 8,000 LBS. The state trooper gave him a warning ticket and informed him that the truck needed to have a Flat rate licenses plate on the truck to be legal in IL., which is a class D. When towing a non-RV trailer. This plate is required for anything over 10,001 LBS in vehicle weight. You simple register the pick-up truck for what every weight you want in 2,000 to 4,000 LB increments and pay the appropriate fees for the licenses plate. In his case a 12,000 LB Class D plate cost $258 a year to operate in IL. Then he is legal to tow a trailer or anything in the bed of the truck for his own personal needs.

According to the rule of the road in IL. any vehicle over 8,001 LBS needs to have either a new class C plate or the Flat rate plate. Since most 250/2500 trucks are registered for a class B plate in IL., you legally can only carry one occupant to stay under the 8,000 LB limit. I know my Dodge/Ram 2500 Mega Cab with my hand tools, wife and myself are over the 8,000 LB limit.

[Ejs4029]

Originally Posted by wzpsjm

Why would a 3500 cost $25,000 more than a 2500? Somebody is snowing you.

When it's an old 2500 and your looking to trade up to a new 3500...Depending on how old it is it can be alot more then 25K to get that new 3500

[formerFR]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

...
His licenses plate on the pick-up, was IL class B plate which is rated for 8,000 LBS. The state trooper gave him a warning ticket and informed him that the truck needed to have a Flat rate licenses plate on the truck to be legal in IL., which is a class D. When towing a non-RV trailer. This plate is required for anything over 10,001 LBS in vehicle weight. You simple register the pick-up truck for what every weight you want in 2,000 to 4,000 LB increments and pay the appropriate fees for the licenses plate. In his case a 12,000 LB Class D plate cost $258 a year to operate in IL. Then he is legal to tow a trailer or anything in the bed of the truck for his own personal needs.

According to the rule of the road in IL. any vehicle over 8,001 LBS needs to have either a new class C plate or the Flat rate plate. Since most 250/2500 trucks are registered for a class B plate in IL., you legally can only carry one occupant to stay under the 8,000 LB limit. I know my Dodge/Ram 2500 Mega Cab with my hand tools, wife and myself are over the 8,000 LB limit.

this type of story kinda adds to the confusion and mystery surrounding these 'concerns' that folks have about RVs, and even if 'their' state has any rules or additional endorsements surrounding it. Your story is about something most other states have no dealings with - a 'special' tag for a vehicle, such as this truck.
The interesting thing is, though, that while your son was apparently 'out of bounds' without the special tag, he still was ONLY given a warning, which tells me that these issues are not that important as a safety issue to the authorities, especially if you can just say that 'well, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of such a requirement', or similar excuse.
It's similar to a 'motorcycle endorsement' for most driver license in most states. If you have a standard license you can certainly drive most any vehicle you wish, EXCEPT for a motorcycle. Yes, I'm sure a motorcycle has a different driving aspect and learning curve, but I've yet to ever have any motorcycle owner admit that they have received a ticket because they didn't have this endorsement, though it's rare that any new motorcycle owner even realizes there is such a thing - it sounds like the RV endorsements that a few states have! So, it's not just RVs.

Insurance companies will ask about this motorcycle endorsement when applying for a new policy, but don't have any problem issuing the policy even if the owner does not. I've yet to see any insurance carrier ask about whether an RV owner has any special endorsement, yet, at least.

[LegacyFB38]

Originally Posted by ependydad

It depends on the state.

2X What Dad () said.

[LegacyFB38]

Originally Posted by formerFR

I've yet to see any insurance carrier ask about whether an RV owner has any special endorsement, yet, at least.

"Yet" is correct. I've been in a similar situation already.

New York has a requirement that personal watercraft operators must get a safety class certificate. My insurance company strongly suggested/requested that my wife and I get the certificates.

[BandJCarm]

I don't and won't travel to the Northeast. That said, I don't know anyone who knows anyone who heard from anyone that has a neighbor that heard that it's possible to get stopped while driving down America's interstates on ANY truck weighing station.

I ain't gonna ever stop at one.


I DO wish it didn't say "All Trucks Must Exit", and instead would say "Commercial Vehicles Enter Here". But regardless, I ain't stopping.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by formerFR

this type of story kinda adds to the confusion and mystery surrounding these 'concerns' that folks have about RVs, and even if 'their' state has any rules or additional endorsements surrounding it. Your story is about something most other states have no dealings with - a 'special' tag for a vehicle, such as this truck.

No it is not a special tag as you call it. All 1 ton 3500 and the newer 3/4 ton 2500 trucks at least for Ram starting in 2013.5 need a FLAT RATE PLATE. Any truck over 8,001 LBS in gross weight which they all are, need to have a FLAT RATE PLATE in IL. To some this could be a Class C or Class D and or Class F. What every you want to pay in fees for licensing the truck.

[Tundra 2014]

My greatest concern is my safety and being safe to others on the road. There are 5 different weight concerns. As long as you are below those restrictions, good to go. My experience is people exceed payload, rear axel load and rear tire tire rating frequently. With E rated tires you have already addressed that and extra springs should cover the extra load. Weigh your unit at a CAT scale, loaded as you would travel and you will have accurate #s to compare.

[Oafdawg]

[QUOTE=formerFR; Yes, I'm sure a motorcycle has a different driving aspect and learning curve, but I've yet to ever have any motorcycle owner admit that they have received a ticket because they didn't have this endorsement, though it's rare that any new motorcycle owner even realizes there is such a thing -
[/QUOTE]

If you own a motorcycle and don't know you need to have a motorcycle endorsement in order to operate it on a public road, then you should stay off the motorcycle. And getting a no motorcycle endorsement citations is very common. In fact I've issued dozens of citations for just that in my career.

[Boris0119]

Originally Posted by Oafdawg

If you own a motorcycle and don't know you need to have a motorcycle endorsement in order to operate it on a public road, then you should stay off the motorcycle. And getting a no motorcycle endorsement citations is very common. In fact I've issued dozens of citations for just that in my career.

I agree with this and actually depending on the state statute, not having the endorsement is cited as no operators license. not just no endorsement.