Interstate DOT Question

I have a 26,000# dump truck that has an intrastate DOT#. Can I drive from CT to PA and bring back my own coal legally or am I violating some Homeland Security Act or something by doing so? I want the good coal cheap but would hate to be burned at the stake for it.

If it is your truck, hauling your coal, your clean.
You may still get a DOT stop and inspection, but not
if you go on a Saturday morning.

I don't have much experience with out of state trucking, as I spent most of my time bouncing off morons in the city .... but from what I understand, as long as your not "for hire" .. or getting paid to make a run, the whole game changes.

Just look at high end motorhomes -- they have air brakes, are 50 feet long, yet no CDL is required. I think you'll be all set, especially if your license matches the reg.

I have to agree with everyone else. As long as your truck meets DOT regulations and you are carrying your cargo for your personal use there shouldn't be a problem. If you do like Tom said and go on a Saturday Morning and don't obviously overload you should be fine. Lisa

I don't believe you will in violation of any laws as long as your load is within the registration GVW and properly covered.
Evaluate your saving, factoring the cost of fuel, tolls and subtracting the labor for a 10 hr round trip.....Remember most of the places are open Sat AM, so you could plan an overnight if you prefer. You are 'not for hire', so you won't be bothered by the Feds, or states. Key work here is weekend.....and night travel is preferred if you are worried.

We all enjoy an adventure, by if you have the coal delivered by one of the many excellent PA truckers, your aggravation is ZERO.
Having said that, if the trip is the fun part for you, enjoy!

Interesting - never thought of this.

So, my neighbor owns a trucking company and just bought a shiny new tractor/trailer dump. If I borrow it from him for the price of filling it up when I'm finished, can I legally drive it downstate and pick up a load of coal? I always thought that anything over 26,000# GVW required air brakes AND a CDL, and that was the hangar - air brakes = CDL, otherwise I'd be fine.

But the point of those huge McMotorhomes that are built on commercial motorcoach chassis having air brakes and such, yet not requiring CDLs is a good one.

I'll have to check our local DOT laws and see what is legal or not.

Chris

It never made sense to me but thats the way the Pa. law is, same way for those big fire trucks with air brakes, those pumpers fully equipped & loaded might just be over loaded in the driveway.
The big motor homes don`t have to have the passengers seated with belts on either.

Chris, DON'T jump into your friends truck thinking it is easy to save some money by driving to PA and back yourself.
You MUST have a license for whatever you are driving, eg: a CDL A for TT, air brake endorsement and know the laws for each state you intend to operate. You will be in the 5 MPG club if all goes well, insurance, bad luck factor, Murphy's Law recipient,
.........R U sure you know more than the guys who do this every day, for a living.
This certainly isn't a challenge to your ability, just an observation after 37 years of deliveries with ZERO hassles from the PA truckers I've used. Over 90 TT loads, not one issue for the trucker or their cargo. I like those odds, too.

whistlenut wrote:Chris, DON'T jump into your friends truck thinking it is easy to save some money by driving to PA and back yourself.
You MUST have a license for whatever you are driving, eg: a CDL A for TT, air brake endorsement and know the laws for each state you intend to operate. You will be in the 5 MPG club if all goes well, insurance, bad luck factor, Murphy's Law recipient,
.........R U sure you know more than the guys who do this every day, for a living.
This certainly isn't a challenge to your ability, just an observation after 37 years of deliveries with ZERO hassles from the PA truckers I've used. Over 90 TT loads, not one issue for the trucker or their cargo. I like those odds, too.

I agree - I really don't plan to do it - just wondering what the actual requirements are for driving over 26,000# gross and/or air brakes in Illinois. I wouldn't leave the state, either - I'm talkin' Southern Illinois bituminous for my Iron Fireman.

Actually, I plan to rent a single axle dump (Penske, I believe) for the day, and that will get 4 to 5 tons easy, which is about what I think I'll burn. I've got no place to put a 20 ton semi load unless it's in the middle of my yard, and I doubt the neighbors will find it decorative.

Chris

If the truck you rent is over 26K, and it would be, you most likely would need a CDL B and air brake endorcement. Perhaps the most important card you would need is a current Medical Certificate. I forgot to mention it, and that was a blunder on my part. They are good for 2 years and must be redone, and kept current. Log books may or may not apply in your situation.
I think tomorrow you will need to make a DOT call and a Ryder/Penske....etc. They will be very helpful, and you will be sleeping safely every night. Understanding your situation now, you just might find a landscape or paving guy with a six wheeler who loves a road trip. ....getting there is half the fun....most of the time.

Bit...hmmm.

Yeah I think it goes by the GVWR .... over a certain amount, you need a CDL. Motorhomes aren't designed to carry 20 tons of cargo, therefore they are exempt.

Don't try running a TT unit without a CDL - DOT will have a field day with your wallet!

Thanks for the additional info SMITTY and Whistlenut. I've been thinking about the best way to do this for a while now. Indeed, I'm sure I could just hire my neighbor with his shiny new truck and have him get a load for me, or also go the landscaper/contractor route.

I could also just rent a trailer and tow it with the Liberty CRD, but without trailer brakes I really don't want to go that route. It also is only rated for 5,000 pounds, which makes the trip hardly worthwhile.

As far as the road trip part goes, Mr. Nut, you've not experienced the boredom (or maybe you have) of driving down the length of this Land of Lincoln. It is flat and an endless sea of corn and soybean fields. Down at the bottom, it starts to get more interesting with a few hills, but man, it's B-O-R-I-N-G, and 5 to 6 hours each way. Hmm, makes a 20 ton load look good - then I'll only have to do it every 4 to 5 years!

Since this thread has attracted some that might be able to answer my pickup and trailer towing question. I've got a dual axle 5 ton dump trailer. I tow it with my new Silverado 3/4 ton diesel pick up. The trailer is registered for 9,999 lbs. Plain Jane happy homeower drivers license. Now the question. If I fill the trailer to volume capacity it will exceed the 9,999 lbs. But since I have a load transfer hitch some of the trailer weight is transferred to the pickup. So if I manage to adjust the weight transfer levers so that I'm within limits on the trailer am I legal?

BTY the Silverado has the factory brake controller. Real nice. Much better control of the trailer than with my earlier pickup with the aftermarket controller.

Yanche, my opinion is that if the right man catches you with the trailer weighing more than 10,000 pounds you would not have the proper license to drive that combination. Since you only have the trailer registered for 9,999 are you just overloaded or would a cop be compelled to issue you another ticket because you exceeded the 10,000 pound limit for a class C license? That’s an interesting question and it may come down to the discretion of the cop. I heard from a PA motor carrier enforcement cop that one of the things they were busting guys on was driving dump trucks pulling a trailer carrying a backhoe. Many of these drivers only had class B license and the trailer with backhoe weighed more than 10,000 pounds so they legally needed to have a class A license to drive that combination.

I would advise keep legal on the truck weight and don’t let the trailer axles weigh more than 9,999 and you will be fine. If you do push the limits don’t draw attention to yourself like having a trailer hitch dragging on the ground and a pickup that looks as though it is aiming for the moon.

I'm buying a dump trailer also, for PA anything over the 9,999 weight limit you need a class A license, and when your figuring out the total weight rember to subtract the trailer weight from the total load your hauling, example the trailer I'm getting weights about 2,000 lb so 2,000 - 9,999 =7,999 total load i can haul with that trailer, also watch the total weight your truck can tow legally,

Jeff