Pretty much National with a CDL license Randy. They want to see it before you even take the CDL test.

Wayne

Is a drug test required to get a CDL license?

No, not in Virginia at any rate. That would be a company requirement, which varies, unless it's a trucking company or bus company. Federal law requires all of those drivers to be tested.

Wayne

I knew interstate drivers were tested but I didn't know if it was a requirement to just get a CDL. Thanx.......Bob

Not to change the subject, but I often see signs on major h/ways that say red detore or maby green detore. Anyone know what these are for?I suspect for army convoys,but dont know>

Do you mean Detour?

I dont get 16 letters,

marked detours to use during road construction

I've been calling the KY DOT this morning and getting the same kind of ambiguous answers to towing questions that many of you who posted here have reported. The question is simple, why is the answer so elusive. I will tow my own enclosed trailer (6500# empty), containing my own car (~3500#), with my own 1-ton pickup truck to car shows within 500 mi. of my home. It's just a hobby. Should the license plate on my tow vehicle be weight rated? Do I need to stop at weigh stations? If so, what kind of papers do I need? etc, etc, etc... In the absence of clear answers from the DOT, I'll just hook up and go, the same as if I was pulling the boat to the lake. Will that work??? Doran

Yeah I didn't mess with the state I made the inquiry through the USDOT. Of course if you are pulling the trailer across state lines, I was told that we had to adhere to intrastate guidelines. As for the weigh stations, I've never messed with them, but I'll find out when I go to the AGNM in March.

Many of the local DOT guys assigned to the New York State Police have told me that if they see the numbers on the truck, they won't mess with 'em.

My brother in-law on the other hand told me that they had a DOT person come in and make a presentation at one of their draft horse club meetings to go over the regulations, and they were told to get DOT numbers, so they did.

Maybe the best bet is to get a local rep from DOT in to one of your region meetings to discuss it. With that in mind, at least it'll give you a guideline as to what the locals expect from you.

Ask two experts and you will probably get three answers. There are also a lot of different state laws. In NC, if you are hauling property (i.e. your own car in your own trailer) you have to get weighted tags on your tow vehicle for the loaded weight of your vehicle, trailer, and contents.

Interesting that you mentioned Draft Horses.

In NC, the price for weighted tags to haul agricultural products and animals is about 1/2 the price of the weighted tags for non-agricultural uses, so the Draft Horse would cost less to transport than a car of equal weight.

In NC, you would need a CDL if you hauled a car owned by somebody else, but not if you were hauling your car.

In NC a total weight of 10,001 lbs or more, technically requires stopping at a weigh station. If you had DOT numbers, I think they would run you down and stop you if you passed a weigh station without pulling in. I do not know of any antique hauler without DOT numbers who stops in weigh stations in NC and I have never met one who got stopped for passing a weigh station.

So, what the law requires and what happens in real life do not always agree.

Among the units that I command, is our police department's traffic unit. I know that many of my senior traffic officers are unclear on the statutes in my state concerning this issue and I suspect that is not too different in other states as well.

I licensed my tow vehicle for more weight than I ever intend to haul. I only haul my own property, so I do not have DOT numbers or a CDL. From Wilmington NC to Hershey PA and from Wilmington NC to Kalamazoo MI, I never stopped at any weigh stations and I never got stopped.

You're right Matt. I don't plan on stopping at any weight stations. If I get pulled over, I've got the DOT numbers, the truck is compliant, the trailer is legal, I've got my log book, fire extinguisher, flares, inspection forms, etc. as well as a CDL license. If they drop the tailgate on the trailer, they'll be able to run the plate on the car inside and it'll come back to us, so I don't see a problem. It's all privately owned, we're hauling our own stuff, and I had my CDL long before I ever owned a pick-up. If I get stopped, I'll explain the situation, and if I'm told to stop at the weigh stations, I'll stop.

Right now what they're telling me is that I can pull a camping trailer with no problems, but as soon as I hook up a trailer and my GVW exceeds 10,000 lbs, I'm required to have a DOT number. If I've got the fire truck loaded, I'm just a touch over 20,000 pounds with a ton left to spare.

In either case, I highly doubt there's too many outlaws out there running around with AACA decals on their car trailers. The only thing that could jam me up would be the Maine plates on the trailer, but for me I only have to cross one county before I'm in Pennsylvania.

Since I started showing in more AACA shows in 2004, I have yet to stop at a weigh station with my trailer. I'm pulling a 24' tag with an F350 dually and I don't have any USDOT numbers on my truck or a CDL. I passed many weigh stations and haven't been pulled over for not stopping.

My understanding is that the CDL is for commercial purposes. The horse trailers and tow vehicles are likely required to have the USDOT numbers and such because the horses are routinely sold, showing that the farm is a business.

I've talked to the folks at USDOT, and despite spending better than two hours of arguing with these people (more than one), I'm not arguing with them anymore. I'm not taking the chance of having my truck, trailer and show vehicle impounded as well as getting a fistfull of tickets if someone wants to enforce it. We've got too much money invested in everything where I'm not about to risk losing it all over a set of numbers on the door that didn't cost me anything to do.

The people that I have talked to from the USDOT tell me that the DOT numbers are not required for commercial purposes, they are required for safety. If your GVW is 10,000 pounds or more, you're supposed to have it, and if you're crossing state lines, you're considered an interstate transporter even if it's your own trailer hauling your own stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning anyone for doing it and/or not doing it. At any rate, I've raised the issue, and the choice is up to everyone who wishes to follow and/or ignore it.

I do have a CDL, but I've had a CDL long before I ever had a pickup, let alone a car trailer of any type. Even though we sometimes exceed New York's 18,000lb limit on a regular license, I'm still covered.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't agree with you on your feelings on this, but I'm not arguing with these people any more. If you can get me something from USDOT on a letter head with their name and contact information telling me that I don't need the numbers, let me know.