Some background- my P/U gross wt. is 8600#. My dump is 19500#. I tow a 10000 trailer with either one. From what I understand, I dont need a cdl for either rig. The issue gets stickier when you look at Fed regs. It seems I need a DOT number for any combination over 10k for interstate or 17k# for interstate. The paperwork with that is unbelievable – medical, drug testing, past employment history, yada yada yada…. I figure a lot of youse are up in the same wt. class with a pickumup and trailer. Whats a little one man operation to do? What do you guys do? My observations on the road dont show a lot of the smaller operations in compliance. Any thoughts or experiences?
Steve
Be driving the back roads.
Replies
Are you talking interstate meaning crossing state lines or intrastate meanining operating in only one state. IF IT IS ONLY ONE STATE YOU DONT NEED MEDICAL CAR but you cross state lines over 100 miles you need it all.
Stash,
I'm not sure on your dump & trailer. Generally the rule is over 26k GVW triggers CDL, med card, etc. USDOT number is not difficult to get. Update over the web every 2 years. Med card is not difficult either. 35-50 bucks every 2 years. Look for a "mill" where the trucking companies send thier drivers. Don't go to your family doc. He will get you a WTF look. Driver paperwork isn't too bad. Go to an outfit that gives you the package all in one. JJ Keller comes to mind. I have a local office here in Portland that I use but I can't remember the name off the top of my head.
What I'm not sure about is the combo GVW weights triggering CDL requirements. I think it does. And that is a whole nother deal.
When I added the trailer last year, I simply called the State Patrol and said, ok, explain this to me. Man am I glad. Way easier than I thought it was. I'm just intrastate (local) -- and that made all the difference. Here, anyway, the paperwork takes five minutes, it's free, the only thing you pay for is reflectors, fire extinguisher, etc, and someone to make the DOT #s to stick on the door.
If you're stayig local, check with the folks who are going to be writing you up. . . seemed to work.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
We have to have CDL for any vehicle over 26k gvw. Not hard to get and update medical cards every 2 years. We are intrastate (local) and we are told that ANY commercial vehicle needs DOT numbers. We don't comply unless over 26k. We haven't been pulled over yet in any of the pickups. My truck is plated at 9k and my trailer is plated at 12k. I'll wait until I get pulled over before I put DOT numbers on my truck. All our bigger trucks have DOT numbers, fire extinguishers, CDL drivers, inspections, fuel stickers.....
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Maryland sucks. Im getting rid of my big truck (gcvw 25,000) cause it's to tough and expensive. Tags every year $200.00, yearly inspection $250.00, CDL med cert, weigh stations... plus the older it gets the harder to find parts... GM just dropped it, had to go 100 miles to have a custom made speedo cable.
I'm going on the 40,000 mile 3500 van plan.
The real buster of this is they'll let a 80 year old, on meds that'd kick your butt, tool down the road in a motor home the size of Texas with no restrictions. Go figure.
Edited 3/13/2005 7:21 pm ET by GEOB21
As others alluded to this can be tricky if you cross state lines. Do you need to take the trucks out of state?
I would try my hardest to avoid getting into official trucking and federal listing. It is a nightmare of paperwork, license fees, government, regulation; the whole thing is probably the very most over-regulated business in the history of the world. I did this some years back, and the paperwork has followed me ever since.
Keep on trucking. Plead ignorance but find out what your state's requirements are first!
Yeah, Mad Dog- Im thinking that ignorance will keep me blissful. I do a fair amount of my work in DE, so there is some border crossing, but I keep ~ 15 miles from my shop- not too many miles in either state.
The cdl issue kicks in after combi weight over 26k# provided the vee-hickle being towed is over 10k#.
Thanks all
Steve
Good luck on the ignorance thing. I got a $500.00 fine and they took the tags off my truck. It took a week to get them back... Very expensive lesson.. They said and I quote "Ingorance is not a defense".
Good luck.... You'll need it.
We have a big flatbed truck - but stay at 26K GVW so to avoid the whole CDL thing. Bear in mind that if you pull a trailer then a CDL is needed if the COMBINATION of rig and trailer exceeds 26K. Also, if it is a rig for hire (you deliver goods for resale or haul loads for a fee) then you also need that DOT registration.
I'm pretty sure that is generally true for most states - I'm sure I'll be corrected if not.
What about doubles, triples, air brakes, and hazmat catagories? HazMat is not restricted to 26K GVW, I don't think.
I did not renew my CDL last year because the company said it was no longer required for my job. Fewer random drug test, and no annual physical now, not to mention the hazmat test every few years.
Dave
Yes, correct. I was answering mainly to the original poster. Airbrakes and other conditions you mentioned all require the CDL as well. We just haul our stuff from job to yard, yard to job so we deal with very few of those situations.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetyprogs/cdl.htm
Pretty straight forward description of requirements. Keep in mind that the regs are for gross vehicle weight RATING... not the actual gross weight of the rig and/or the weight of the load being hauled.
FWIW, the regs can and are skirted all of the time. HOWEVER, if you get in an accident... and kill someone in the process... it's federal charges if you are not at least making a good faith effort to comply. BIG troubles for the offender AND the company that owns the vehicle... and the officers... and the secretary who simply answers the phone... and the dog out back... you get the idea.
The FHWA can make the FBI look like polly-annas. They LIVE to make life miserable for anyone who gets into a fatal accident and isn't in compliance.
Edited 3/14/2005 6:54 pm ET by Rich from Columbus
FWIW... there are companies that offer compliance services. They range from simply consulting companies... to full blow driver management services. Contact your local chapter of the the American Trucking Association for companies in your area. Many of these firms network with the trucking associations for business.
Be sure to check references on these outfits... as some a VERY professional... and some are hacks. Cost is NOT a factor in sorting the pros from the hacks. In fact... the hacks, many times, are more expensive than the pros.
Edited 3/14/2005 7:03 pm ET by Rich from Columbus