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Facebook man pulled and fined for length


GlennWest

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I was wondering since we are on the subject of DOT laws. If anyone has gotten a ticket for not having a bumper on the back of their truck? I was thinking about putting one on. Id like to have a receiver hitch anyway. With my bed being so high I need a step to get up there.

I know trucks don't need one but I'm not a "truck" anymore I'm a Motor home. Motor homes need a rear bumper.

Farmer, Trucker, Equipment operator, Mechanic

Quando omni flunkus moritati-When all else fails, play dead
I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess.

 

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2 hours ago, jenandjon said:

I was wondering since we are on the subject of DOT laws. If anyone has gotten a ticket for not having a bumper on the back of their truck? I was thinking about putting one on. Id like to have a receiver hitch anyway. With my bed being so high I need a step to get up there.

I know trucks don't need one but I'm not a "truck" anymore I'm a Motor home. Motor homes need a rear bumper.

Actually I have a "bumper". Formed tube steel

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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11 hours ago, Big5er said:

A state permit for an individual (or anyone else without a DOT number) requires a $10,000 bond, in Texas. I have no idea what that costs but I bet it would make that vacation trip quite expensive. 

I live in California and I got a oversize permit to pull my oversize boat.  It cost me $95.00 a year and once a week they would send me a email with all the roads that had restrictions that I would not be able to drive on.  Also I would have to put a OVERSIZE load sign on the back.  This was for CA only, if I crossed a border I would have to get one for that state.

"It is better to have more truck than you need than to need more truck than you have"

2001 Volvo 660, Cummins 400 ISX, Eaton 3 Peddle Auto Shift    
2014 Fuzion 40' Toyhauler
2015 Smart Car                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                            

 

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One more thing is don't forget that the weigh in motion does axle spacings and overall length as well as weight.  So your length is right there on the computer screen for all to see - it isn't just a visual out the window.  So somehow gotta avoid those lanes too.

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On 4/29/2018 at 11:06 AM, Big5er said:

I've been seeing a lot more over length RV's recently. I stopped a Freightliner MDT pulling a fifthwheel the other day. Total length was 81ft and the driver only had a Class C Texas drivers license. He tried every story he could imagine to explain why he didn't need a Class A DL and to explain how he could pull a trailer that long. 

I have lurked around some of those facebook HDT pages too and there seem to be a lot of RVers that just don't care. "The cops won't stop me". That attitude is gonna bite us all in the ass eventually.

So......having had ......"interactions" with Phil for a eternity it seems .... I can Gage his moodenesssss at times so his mumbling ...."That attude IS gonna BITE U S in the ASS eventually"......(gulp) ...might mean that his Crown mix ratio in his Dr Pepper might need adjustment or.....or ......perhaps he might sense that LEO'$ might see more and more targets as RV'$ "Creep-longer and longer and longer".

So..... assuming that "biting-A$$" might become the rage I "engaged" some folks in the insurance racket about a year ago when a big player bailed out of the HDT RV market and guess what they mumbled bas they went out the back door of the HDT market??? 

Well, they said that their BIG spreadsheet listing HDT claims indicated that the longer the RV the more prone they were to involved in claim($).......hummmm said so what he said next might give us something to ponder.....he said " you might not know that we also insure a lot of RV parks and L O N G RV'$ ARE THE major factor in damage to RV space damage that involve paid claims to the RV parks....gulp....

So maybe we don't have a claim on our rig when we leave but we might leave a claim behind and not even know it...

Insurance companies likely are NOT as dumb as we give them credit so.....maybe.....just maybe they can add feet and inches and determine just how many HDT RV'$ are blasting into illegal length territories.......

Maybe big5er won't be the final "a$$-biter" after all.....

Less and less insurance choices is a real .....A$$-bite......

 

Drive on......(more Dr Pepper.....less A$$-bite)

 

 

 

 

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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12 hours ago, Big5er said:

A state permit for an individual (or anyone else without a DOT number) requires a $10,000 bond, in Texas. I have no idea what that costs but I bet it would make that vacation trip quite expensive. 

Thanks Phill. I felt it would cause more problems than it was worth,(the DOT part).

 

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2 hours ago, Dollytrolley said:

So......having had ......"interactions" with Phil for a eternity it seems .... I can Gage his moodenesssss at times so his mumbling ...."That attude IS gonna BITE U S in the ASS eventually"......(gulp) ...might mean that his Crown mix ratio in his Dr Pepper might need adjustment or.....or ......perhaps he might sense that LEO'$ might see more and more targets as RV'$ "Creep-longer and longer and longer".

So..... assuming that "biting-A$$" might become the rage I "engaged" some folks in the insurance racket about a year ago when a big player bailed out of the HDT RV market and guess what they mumbled bas they went out the back door of the HDT market??? 

Well, they said that their BIG spreadsheet listing HDT claims indicated that the longer the RV the more prone they were to involved in claim($).......hummmm said so what he said next might give us something to ponder.....he said " you might not know that we also insure a lot of RV parks and L O N G RV'$ ARE THE major factor in damage to RV space damage that involve paid claims to the RV parks....gulp....

So maybe we don't have a claim on our rig when we leave but we might leave a claim behind and not even know it...

Insurance companies likely are NOT as dumb as we give them credit so.....maybe.....just maybe they can add feet and inches and determine just how many HDT RV'$ are blasting into illegal length territories.......

Maybe big5er won't be the final "a$$-biter" after all.....

Less and less insurance choices is a real .....A$$-bite......

 

Drive on......(more Dr Pepper.....less A$$-bite)

 

 

 

 

Howdy DT,

I, am much more worried about having spent a considerable amount of money building a truck that may someday be un-insurable then I am being pulled over as I am a few feet to long.  If it becomes a real problem I can always go to a shorter trailer, don't want to but its doable, if I can get insurance all the money and effort I have put into this rig is simply GONE.  That said the main reason I DIDN'T single the Pete, is because it will always be a sought after truck and when it comes time to sell it if no one in the RV world wants it there is always a commercial driver who want to drive a classic long nose Peterbilt.

Dave

2001 Peterbilt, 379, Known As "Semi-Sane II", towing a 2014 Voltage 3818, 45 foot long toy hauler crammed full of motorcycles of all types.  Visit my photo web site where you will find thousands of photos of my motorcycle wanderings and other aspects of my life, click this link. http://mr-cob.smugmug.com/

IMG_4282-600x310.jpg

 

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One of the drawbacks to living in Florida is that I may not utilize a weight bearing hitch on my HDT.

This however kept my overall length of the truck at 32 feet or so.  I pull a travel trailer at 32 feet tongue to tail, keeping the whole shebang under 65 feet.

I do hope that I can keep getting insurance, as I do believe the rig is much safer than my one ton Ram was.

2006 Volvo VNL 780, " Arvey"  Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

2010 Forest River Coachman Freedom Express 280RLS

Jackalopee

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1 hour ago, mr. cob said:

Howdy DT,

I, am much more worried about having spent a considerable amount of money building a truck that may someday be un-insurable then I am being pulled over as I am a few feet to long.  If it becomes a real problem I can always go to a shorter trailer, don't want to but its doable, if I can get insurance all the money and effort I have put into this rig is simply GONE.  That said the main reason I DIDN'T single the Pete, is because it will always be a sought after truck and when it comes time to sell it if no one in the RV world wants it there is always a commercial driver who want to drive a classic long nose Peterbilt.

Dave

 

48 minutes ago, Parrformance said:

One of the drawbacks to living in Florida is that I may not utilize a weight bearing hitch on my HDT.

This however kept my overall length of the truck at 32 feet or so.  I pull a travel trailer at 32 feet tongue to tail, keeping the whole shebang under 65 feet.

I do hope that I can keep getting insurance, as I do believe the rig is much safer than my one ton Ram was.

Hey guys,

Don't get me wrong.....I am not saying insurance will go poof.....gone.....

No what I am saying is that as HDT rigs get longer and longer and past legal limits and claims get more and more numerous insurance geeks do what they often do.......raise premiums up and up and........some too long offenders might become un-insurable.... 

I am not in charge of the future (thank god) but......but as a "special-group" HDT RV owners can adversely affect the groups "future" by fudging on various rules and regulations .........

 

In the non-RV world driving L O N G X WIDE & HEAVY rigs Legally is a PAIN-IN-THE-A$$ way of making a living but it can be done but it takes attention to a lot of rules and regulations and a fair amount of $$$$$..

For a while I had a pair of the rigs in the link below and they were ONLY 87 ft LONG and 10 ft 2 inches WIDE and pretty heavy 186K so just to pull out of the yard it took a lot of planning and attention to detail (permits & flag cars)........all this fuss payed off......never had a insurance claim on my watch. 

file:///home/cwest/Downloads/GMK7550-Product-Guide-Imperial%20(1).pdf

 

HDT RV's have a stunning set of exemptions ........hope we don't get too lazy and screw things up.......bite in the A$$ is painful.......BIG BITE in the insurance policy can be fatal.........

 

Drive on.........(Don't do things that involve the........bite)

 

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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I think Mike "Dolly Driver" is right.

The original idea of using a Semi tractor to tow a large RV with plenty of safety margins has morphed into a completely different concept.     Jack Mayer for example had a near ideal early set up with his short Volvo and while the bigger sleeper trucks are longer, the body constraints themselves are not really a major factor.     The real change has been the addition of large multipurpose beds.   

 

The 65' length is quoted here often as a reasonable length target for many states.    I myself use this figure as a benchmark.  Simply having a long trailer does not prevent an HDT RV from being legal.     My truck and trailer is 61.5' towing a 41' Teton trailer.     My 48' project is right at 65' nose to tail, it IS possible to tow a long trailer and stay at 65'    It does preclude a car or drom box behind the cab.     Using under deck storage can recoup some space a drom affords.    Carrying a car or bike is out of the question.      That said, towing a shorter trailer opens up many options, for a Smart car the actual drop dead distance from the forward bulkhead whatever that may be cab, drom etc.  is about 10' 6" or 126"     That number is based on a RV with the pin at the  front of the gooseneck.        So a 38' trailer with a smart car on deck could have a truck with a 16+' bumper to back of sleeper dimension.     That is within the range of many of the trucks here.

 

This isn't advance physics it is simple math.     Learn the lengths of the parts and pieces and work backwards.   

 

Steve  

2005 Peterbilt 387-112 Baby Cat 9 speed U-shift

1996/2016 remod Teton Royal Atlanta

1996 Kentucky 48 single drop stacker garage project

 catdiesellogo.jpg.e96e571c41096ef39b447f78b9c2027c.jpg Pulls like a train, sounds like a plane....faster than a Cheetah sniffin cocaine.   

 

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16 minutes ago, Steve from SoCal said:

I think Mike "Dolly Driver" is right.

The original idea of using a Semi tractor to tow a large RV with plenty of safety margins has morphed into a completely different concept.     Jack Mayer for example had a near ideal early set up with his short Volvo and while the bigger sleeper trucks are longer, the body constraints themselves are not really a major factor.     The real change has been the addition of large multipurpose beds.   

 

The 65' length is quoted here often as a reasonable length target for many states.    I myself use this figure as a benchmark.  Simply having a long trailer does not prevent an HDT RV from being legal.     My truck and trailer is 61.5' towing a 41' Teton trailer.     My 48' project is right at 65' nose to tail, it IS possible to tow a long trailer and stay at 65'    It does preclude a car or drom box behind the cab.     Using under deck storage can recoup some space a drom affords.    Carrying a car or bike is out of the question.      That said, towing a shorter trailer opens up many options, for a Smart car the actual drop dead distance from the forward bulkhead whatever that may be cab, drom etc.  is about 10' 6" or 126"     That number is based on a RV with the pin at the  front of the gooseneck.        So a 38' trailer with a smart car on deck could have a truck with a 16+' bumper to back of sleeper dimension.     That is within the range of many of the trucks here.

 

This isn't advance physics it is simple math.     Learn the lengths of the parts and pieces and work backwards.   

 

Steve  

You don't carry a Smart so your Pete is your commute vehicle?

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Just now, GlennWest said:

You don't carry a Smart so your Pete is your commute vehicle?

No,

 

With the 48' trailer it will be a Mercedes coupe "full size" or station wagon

 

Steve

2005 Peterbilt 387-112 Baby Cat 9 speed U-shift

1996/2016 remod Teton Royal Atlanta

1996 Kentucky 48 single drop stacker garage project

 catdiesellogo.jpg.e96e571c41096ef39b447f78b9c2027c.jpg Pulls like a train, sounds like a plane....faster than a Cheetah sniffin cocaine.   

 

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10 minutes ago, Steve from SoCal said:

No,

 

With the 48' trailer it will be a Mercedes coupe "full size" or station wagon

 

Steve

Oh, so now you are trash talking some of us because we have a Mercedes coupe "miniature size"??:P

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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11 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Toy hauler?

More like a garage RV, the bedroom is partially over the garage

 

Steve

2005 Peterbilt 387-112 Baby Cat 9 speed U-shift

1996/2016 remod Teton Royal Atlanta

1996 Kentucky 48 single drop stacker garage project

 catdiesellogo.jpg.e96e571c41096ef39b447f78b9c2027c.jpg Pulls like a train, sounds like a plane....faster than a Cheetah sniffin cocaine.   

 

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Howdy All,

I want to thank the LEO's for participating in this thread, you have made some good points especially about NOT looking like a commercial truck and TO look like an RV.  When I bought the Pete, it didn't have any company lettering on it, didn't have any DOT numbers on it but it did have some Minnesota and Wisconsin DMV stickers for some kind of permits, what they were go for I have no idea but before driving the truck home I did take them off.  

The only other thing that may have had some reference to being commercial was the VIN number was on the  little access doors to the under bunk storage area on both sides of the truck.  After reading this thread I decided that those numbers were coming off so I just returned from dodging rain drops to use the heat gun and some paint thiner to remove those numbers and all the sticky goop from the storage doors.

Which brings me to this question, I already know Phil's, opinion as he has expressed it many times and I give that opinion a lot of credit, here's the question.  Should I bother to have something like "Registered RV, not for hire" put on the side or just leave the truck totally blank?  Phil, says there is no need for the disclaimer, that it only causes confusion, I am interested to know how the other LEO's  AND fellow RV'ers feel about this.  Thanks for you opinion.

Dave

2001 Peterbilt, 379, Known As "Semi-Sane II", towing a 2014 Voltage 3818, 45 foot long toy hauler crammed full of motorcycles of all types.  Visit my photo web site where you will find thousands of photos of my motorcycle wanderings and other aspects of my life, click this link. http://mr-cob.smugmug.com/

IMG_4282-600x310.jpg

 

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19 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Mr Cob. Remember the Leo's here are fellow rvers too. I'd bet non rvers might look at this different.

Howdy Glenn,

That is why I am soliciting opinions, I didn't mean only those of the LEO's sorry if I wasn't clear.  I just edited my post asking this question to include asking for the opinion of fellow RV'ers.

Dave

2001 Peterbilt, 379, Known As "Semi-Sane II", towing a 2014 Voltage 3818, 45 foot long toy hauler crammed full of motorcycles of all types.  Visit my photo web site where you will find thousands of photos of my motorcycle wanderings and other aspects of my life, click this link. http://mr-cob.smugmug.com/

IMG_4282-600x310.jpg

 

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47 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Mr Cob. Remember the Leo's here are fellow rvers too. I'd bet non rvers might look at this different.

I've been a cop longer than an RVer, Glenn. And the opinion I gave is my legal opinion, based on what that signage actually means (not a dang thing). Others here swear the signage has kept them from being stopped. To each their own. Everyone has an opinion and is entitled to it. My truck will never have anything written in the doors or the sleeper, unlike the truck in the pictures....the truck that caused this thread.

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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"Not For Hire" is a specific phrase with a specific legal meaning in the trucking industry.  It declares that you ARE commercial, but that you only haul goods that you (or your company) actually own.  As Phil has noted in the past, Pepsico's trucks are marked "Not For Hire".  That phrase is NOT interchangeable with "non commercial".  When I was using my truck and trailer for my business (complete with dot numbers, cdl, and all the miserable accompanying paperwork) I was "not for hire".  Now that I only use the rig for travel and not for the business, it is registered as a non-commercial truck (Ohio language) and has not one sticker on it.  In my opinion putting anything like "registered rv" or "not for hire" on your legitimate motorhome is akin to walking down the street wearing a Tshirt that says "No officer, I'm not doing anything wrong right now.  Really.  Honest.  Trust me."  It begs the LEO to wonder why exactly you feel the need to advertise that.

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My viewpoint is consistent with Big5er and Hotrod.

Words do mean something and “Not for Hire” was a specific requirement set forth by the original federal agency that issued hauling authority to commercial carriers.  As Hotrod said, it was a term that licensed private carriers used to declare to the world that they were a private carrier.

Some folks feel a peace of mind from having something like Registered RV, etc.

Personally, I think that is a placebo effect.  

 

John

Southern Nevada

2008 Volvo 780, D13, I-Shift

2017 Keystone Fuzion 420 Toyhauler 

2017 Can-Am Maverick X3-RS

 

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