I stopped at a weigh station here in Colo and asked questions about my old 2001. The inspector said if I were ever weighed the only thing they would check is the weight per axle and the tire rating. As long as the tires are rated for the load then there would be no problem.

 

I'm also confused. I have an '03 2500 w/ 5.9 HO diesel, 4X4 long bed. 40,00 miles. Great truck. I pull a 34' horse trailer w/ living quarters. I weighed at a Love's scale 4640 front, 7420 rear 11320 trailer axles = 23.380.

The spec on the Dodge booklet say: Curb wt. 6039, GVWR 9000 GCWR 20,000. The booklet says Quadcab 4X4 HO diesel max payload 2270, max trailer wt. 13,100.

I guess that I am 3,380 lbs over the GCWR. In practical terms, what does that mean?

I live in Missouri and have a 24,000 lb license.

Thanks

 

It basically means that you could not sue Dodge because some part was not heavy enough. Everything else will be fine. About all the factory rating means in the book is what they are willing to stand behind in case of a law suit. With a possible exception of California, what the book says does not interest the law, only what the door jamb says and the GCWR is not on there.... on purpose actually.

 

Haulin.... since you seem to be the resident expert on finding and translating these laws, How do you do it? do you spend that much time sitting at DOT weigh stations? internet searches?
My main concerns are, what does Oklahoma say? and does other states have to honor my states laws where there is a conflict?

 

Fronty, I live in Oklahoma and I am a commercial hauler. What questions do you have and what are you driving? Is it a business vehicle or are you transporting freight of some kind? Commercially, when you register your vehicle, you register in all states that you want to transport in. So when you enter those states, they simply look at your registration and any other federal paper work. If I am stopped in Oklahoma, I have to answer to state guidelines as well as federal. Let me know exactly what you need and I can be more help. My family has been trucking both small and large since 1940.

 

By doing what you did to save money on property taxes, you better make sure you never tow anywhere close to heavy, or they will hit you with big fines that will outweigh any savings you have now.

I'm not really sure how you got away with this, as in VA, the empty weight of the truck (not gvwr or gcwr) is what forces you into the extra taxes. If the truck weighs over 6000 lbs empty, it is in the higher tax bracket.

That is how it was explained to me by the people at dmv and the book they showed me.

However you did it, just be careful, as VA is starting to really crack down on people with huge suv's and 3/4 & 1 ton trucks changing the numbers on the registration to get out of paying the taxes.

If you have a 3/4 or 1 ton truck, with car plates (the cheaper ones), a bag of groceries in the truck will get you a ticket. Car plates are limited to 6000 lbs (I'm sure your truck weighs more than that empty), and if you are in it, and there is ANY cargo of ANY kind, they can and will ticket you.

Just beware.

 

What kind of tires do you have? The load range E tires on my '03 2500 are good for 3200 lbs. max each, for 6400 lbs. total per axle. If you have 7420 lbs. on the rear axle it would seem that you have the tires overloaded by over 1,000 lbs. which doesn't sound too safe. I wouldn't worry too much about the axle and truck being up to the weight but the one thing I sure wouldn't do is overload the tires.

 

Haaaa, expert indeed. I am only an expert on growing old. I have been in trucking off and on since I was a teen. After a few years you tend to have the FMCSA manual partially memorized and real familiar with the rest.

Ok a very difficult question. Not really answerable. Privately in your own vehicle that is non commercial you are legeal if your states says you are. But not in all things. Watched a pickup truck get a two bear ticket in Atlanta for pulling two boats. Length and trailer laws are generally dependant on the state that you are in. CDL laws are at a minimum by FMCSA standards, but follow stronger state laws. In all states you can pull a 53 foot trailer, but wrong. Not in Tennessee if you have a zero king pin setting. They measure 50 feet from the king pin to the rear of the trailer. That is why car haulers are 50 foot instead of the practical 53 feet.

States do have to recognise your out of state registration, but not what your state will let you get away with. Many states will not plate a pickup truck for over the gvw on the door jamb, but have to allow my 33,000 plates from Alabama. I run no flaps on the tractor here while loaded with the trailer due to turning considerations and hitting the first car on the bottom. In Penna I would get a sizable ticket.

In Ohio a car hauler can get overlength tickets if the car overhangs the trailer in front, here they don't even look at how much overhang there is. Many of the state laws that are governed by minimums by FMCSA only apply to a semi, with generally a gooseneck applying ok. Truck and trailer (read pickup truck) are held to state laws. I had to take the bed off my Dodge to run Flordia legally. Then they were happy that I was a semi, not a truck and trailer.

Some of it is trial and error. No one person can be up on all the state laws. I only at this time am fairly confident of the laws on other states as it regards to my Alabama vehicles running in other states. It is getting tougher out there, I understand that ALL vehicles that have a capacity of over 26,000 will have to have a DOT number on them starting June of this year.

This sounds terrible to some, but if you are in doubt, stay off the scales. No one seems too interested in what you are running so long as it looks good unless you get on the scales. I stopped playing the scale game about three years ago. Ihave had no DOT checks or stops since then. Life is easier. But I know all the routes that miss them in the southeast also. Just run three loads from Lakeland Florida, no scales no stops except for the AG stops.