New CARB regulations for heavy duty diesel trucks

If it's a motorhome (not toterhome) and tag stacker over 65' you are in trouble. The law says the truck must be designed to carry a load, and everyone I've talked to about it says that means is must have a 5th wheel bed on back, not a master bedroom with a slide-out and the trailer must be a 5th wheel.

The CHP that pulled me over even went so far as to say if the 5th wheel hitch is a ball type rather than pin it would not be in compliance. If mine had a ball in the bed of the truck and that became the topic of conversation I would have asked him to point to the sentence in the CA DOT Motorsports Exemption sheet I just handed him that speciically specifies what type of hitch must be used to keep the trailer hooked to the truck. It ain't there. Sometimes watching too much Law and Order and Judge Judy can really pay off when you get in these conversations on the side of the road. Be nice, and hand them the paperwork to make your case.

These guys take their morning DOT refresher course and then come looking for you. Chances are, with a little research, you will know more than they do and can actually give them an education.

Works for me.

RG

Where did he get the ticket?

.

 

Randy,

Did he initially get stopped because they were checking on his license situation, or did he have some other issue (burned out tail light, tinted windows, speed, etc.) that caused the stop?

 

Randy, you're right about standing your ground. The other key is listening to what the officer has to say and let him dig his own hole. Years ago when I was driving a truck for a living, I was in Northern California when I made a wrong turn onto a road that restricted semis. As soon as I left that road onto a main street, I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop. When he came up to the truck he asked if I knew what I was pulled over for. I played dumb (not hard in my case) and said no. He then went on to try and tell me that my overall length was too long and he was going to write me up. I was able to convince him with the use of the "rule book" that I was legal and he eventually let me go without even saying anything about the valid ticket he could have written for being on the wrong road. Just shows you it sometimes pays to keep quiet.

 

I think he got stopped because his track and trailer are both matching white paint. The LEO just wanted to see his license. He broke no laws and was only cited for no CDL. When he went in to fight the ticket the officer was a no-show on court day so it was tossed.

In the very early AM Dennis Taylor was pulled over by Placentia's finest in his Kodiak and 46 ft T&E fifth wheel a year or so ago. Same offense...white truck and matching white trailer. They gave him the full cavity search looking for CDL, etc.

Brea and Placentia are cities I stay out of. I stopped taking my rig to my house the night before I leave because Fullerton has at least one guy who actually claims to have written the CDL requirements following a dream he had a few years ago.

My shop is adjacent to Anaheim's Angel Stadium so I just pop on the 57 FWY and head on out...at midnight. Why? Because my Freightliner and trailer are also painted matching white.

RG

 

Last year when John Lombardo, Jr was driving my car we went to Barona one Saturday just to do some burnouts and launches to get him used to staging the car.

If you've ever been there you know the roads in and out have sharp curves and up to 10% grades. There is a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. The intersection is very narrow and not condusive to an 81 foot long rig making a right turn. John Lombardo drove ahead in order to clear the intersection for me. He ran into the local CHP on the way and talked them into closing the intersection so we could swing it wide and use all the lanes. It's actually a pretty busy intersection.

Anyway, I swing all the way over to the far left shoulder, stop, swing it as wide as I can around the corner as I turned right, just missed taking out the stop sign with my trailer on the right by inches, straightened it out and took off. Just as the trailer tucked in behind my truck I see this sign coming up "NO TRUCKS OVER 6,000 POUNDS".

I wondered how it would play out if I got an overweight ticket when the fact was the officers closed the intersection and directed me to make the turn?

It's a lot funnier to look back on it then it was at the time. I only watched the rear view mirrors for a couple miles to see if they chased me down.

RG

 

I live in Oregon and talked to a California racer that said the toters was the problem with the CHP and not pick-ups with a goose neck trailer. He told me (and I later saw it) there are signs at California weigh stations that say "no pick ups" which in bolded me to go down there and race. We did and didn't have a problem although a bead of sweat came off my forehead any time I saw a CHP or a weigh station. So i guess it depends on being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

There are a handful of weigh stations that say that but most don't. The scales at the top of the Conejo grade (101 south of Camarillo) says even rental and local delivery trucks (bobtails) are to to exit.

 

I am looking at being stationed in San Diego again with the Navy. I am a little confused as to whether or not these laws apply to a 1 ton dually with a gooseneck trailer or not. I am at 67 feet long and have the print out of the motorsports exemption in my truck. I do have a non-commercial class a license, but do I need anything else for driving to a race in California?

 

You mean besides lots of money?

As I understand it, a pick-up is not considered a commercial vehicle unless the body has been modified to carry freight or it has commercial plates. I may be wrong, but you can check the DMV website.

 

Barry:

All pick ups in CA have commercial plates...One number, one letter and the rest numbers on the plates.

In most all cases that I've heard about if you get pulled over and are asked for a license you better have a class A CDL and a current medical card. As I stated before, I got a class A CDL back in the 1980's with a dually and 42' Chaparrall. I was never pulled over back then, but they are checking now for some reason. CDL's are not that much of a pain to get, and once you have one you'll sleep better at night (hopefully not while driving).

RG

 

The print-out specifically states "commercial." Just to ruin anyone's day for trying to ruin yours I would do what I needed to do to convert my license from a noncommercial to a commercial and then keep a log book. That's what stopped the CHP in his tracks when I was stopped although I wasn't in a dually. I don't think they would let you go for claiming a commercial motorsports exemption for length without complying with proper license requirements.

They can't have it both ways, ie popping dually/gooseneck drivers for not having a commercial license and then not allowing them to be included in the overlength provision. I would make that argument on the side of the road, but you better have your ducks in a row (proof of proper insurance limits, CDL, medical card, log book, MSDS, emergency contact info and quantity sheet). The more ammo you have in your truck the less grief you'll get in return. How can they go around popping dually/gooseneck for CDL's, and then not allow the exemption.

But your argument will be a mute point if you are not on the approved highway network routes that are stated in the exemption.

RG

 

Thanks for the info Randy. Guess I better spend a little more money if the Navy sends me out west.

 

Boy, between the tree hugging northwest, and the over-lawed Calif. The south is sounding better all the time. Plus we have about a hundred tracks in SC, NC and GA. Plus during the summer, in the evening, we have mosquitoes so big that they can stand flat- footed and make love to a turkey dog fashion.

 

Your military ID will go quite a ways..., usually. I've used it a few times especially since I have a California drivers license with a Mississippi address on it, F-350 with Washington plates and now live in Nevada. There's a rule about 3 things matching, but I've never had a problem.

Thanks for all the info posted on here. We have to get our stuff straightened out as well since we have a 50' trailer pulled by an F-350 that weighs 26K plus.

 

Important tire info

I have owned my 36' goose for a few years now and even though the tire's sidewalls show no sign of cracking, I started doing a little research on when they should be changed.

I came across this video on youtube and thought it might be helpful info to pretty much everyone here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgSk5xWkrI

I'm having new, larger ones, mounted tomorrow.