California Semi Truck & CDL Question

I am looking at buying a Older keworth semi truck to pull my race trailer with! It would be for personal use and not for hire- non profit! Does anyone know if the new smog requirments that will soon be in affect in california prevent semi's registered out of california, from hauling there race trailers into the state? Also do not for hire rigs have to stop at california scales?
Or, who should i contact to find out for sure before pirchasing an older truck?

 

Truck & cdl

Also, any fuel & oil must be carried in 8 gal. containers or less, & labeled with
contense's specs.
Most people don't get caught, if the wrong DOT officer pulls you over
you could be sitting a long time, plus fines.
Log books are very important, And fuel in each state, And miles in each state recorded.
We were lucky we had Interstate registration service help us with permits & fuel loging.
We were audited by IRS Fuel Agent, & she could find nothing wrong, going thru 2 yrs.
of reports.
Parkertech Racing LLC
Dan Parker
Any Questions feel free to call, love to talk to Racers.
480-220-8954

 

My truck & trailer weigh just over 20,000 lbs. so I thought I was exempt from the CDL....wrong....if the truck & trailer CGVW is over 26,000 then ya need a CDL....my dually pickup was 11,400 GVWR and the trailer was 19,000 GVWR (gross vehicle weight RATING) for a total of 30,400 CGVW (combined gross vehicle weight).....so I got my CDL last fall....that's another long story for another thread!

I called the Iowa DOT and the guy said it does not matter what the combined vehicles actually weigh - they could be empty or grossly overloaded - the weight tags on the truck and trailer is what they reference for the CDL requirement....

The DOT guy said that log books were not very important if you were traveling within your state....and few hour trip log would not be required....

On the weigh stations he mentioned that with a pickup and gooseneck trailer they would most likely wave you through the bypass lane....but it would be OK to enter the weight station and have them signal you to bypass (green light I think)....

I have seen several weigh station signs that state "NO PICKUP TRUCKS"

Hope this helps....

 

We were flagged for inspection about a month ago going through the scales in California with our Kenworth. We have a not for hire on the side of our truck and also have a DOT number and he questioned why we had both and went through the headache of the DOT number. Arizona requires it no matter what so that is why we got it. I kind of got the idea that the DOT number in California is a grey area and he would of not cared if we had that or not. He was more concerned about log books, cdl, medical cards and verified we had current permits. We went through the inspection with no issues except I did not put off duty for the 7 days prior and he just told me to put it in the notes the next time and did not give me any other problems about it. He did tell us that there is no difference between most of the toter homes going down the road and our semi and that they are going to start cracking down on them for weight, permits and cdl's. It doesn't cost us that much more to do it all legit and it was well worth it when they pulled us in for inspection and got to go on down the road with no issues.

No matter what the combo is if you are over 26,000lbs total you better be declared and registered for it and have the license to back it up. I know in Nevada that nothing non commercial registered can be a total of greater then 26,000lbs and its a $1 a pound fine if your caught over your registered and/or vehicle ratings. That adds up real quick.

 

Here is some interesting reading on this subject

https://www.ncdps.gov/index2.cfm?a=000003,000014,000740,001823

Some other states have similar laws

 

In California there is a Non Commercial Drivers license that you can get for special applications. I don't know if this license would be good for a race-car or not.

On another note I have a FL 60 that has a gross vehicle weight of 25,500 and is registered as a Motor-home in California as it meets all the requirements with a 13 foot living quarters. It has air brakes and I was told I needed an endorsement on my license to be able to drive it with just a class C license. I went to the local CHP office and explained what I have and the guy at the desk could not answer my question, so he called and found the field officer had not left the office yet. He came up to the counter and I explained again what I had and I asked if I needed an endorsement on my license for Air Brakes. He said NO. I said thanks and left. Take that for what it is worth.

The following is from the DMV CA website. Again take it for what it is worth.

How to apply for a noncommercial driver license

A noncommercial driver license is issued in the following two classes:

Noncommercial Class A
Noncommercial Class B

A Noncommercial Class A license is required if you tow:

a travel trailer weighing over 10,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) which is not used for hire.
a fifth–wheel travel trailer weighting over 15,000 lbs. GVWR which is not used for hire.
a livestock trailer that is not for hire, weight over 10,000 lbs. GVWR but not over 15,000 lbs. GVWR, and is operated within 150 miles of the farm by a farmer to transport livestock.

A Noncommercial Class B license and endorsement is required if you operate:

A housecar over 40 feet but not over 45 feet.

Exemptions: Holders of a commercial Class A or B license, a noncommercial Class A license, and all fire fighter license classes.

Here is the definition of a travel trailer according to CA.

California Vehicle Code Section 324:

324. A "fifth-wheel travel trailer" is a vehicle designed for
recreational purposes to carry persons or property on its own
structure and so constructed as to be drawn by a motor vehicle by
means of a kingpin connecting device.

 

Thanks Mike,

I guess I am OK then since I don't have any sponsors, and don't race for prize money. I get a trophy if I am lucky. LOL. So I would be considered doing it for recreation or fun.

Now I just have to convince the CHP. LOL.

Tom

 

Also In California and other states,. If you are a Toter Home, Motor Home, or a diesel truck registered as a Motor Home, your total combined length truck and trailer cannot be more than 63 feet as a registered Motor Home, There is no permit for over length Motorhomes,.. Yes I know there are hundreds of toters that are 70 plus feet long.. Have you ever exiedt Infenion Drag strip after the Nationals and get told by the CHP your over length and not to come back to California..lmao Those cones are placed at ten foot intervals to measure you when leaving.

Im just saying....Good times

 

Thanks for all the information guys! It is good to hear about the real world experiance we are all facing out there!

 

Will:

If you are running your toterhome registered as an RV for "personal use" you are not required to comply with the CARB (California Air Resources Board) engine requirement. When the nice lady at CARB told me that I asked her to email me the information. She did, and I printed it out and carry it in my truck.

Also, the DOT number is not assigned to the truck, but rather the owner of the truck. You could put a DOT number on your Prius if you want to.

I was pulled over a few years ago on interstate 10 out in the desert because the CHP officer thought my rig looked a little long. Because I operate my registered motorhome toter plus trailer as commercial with DOT numbers I was given a pass. California has the motorsports exemption for length. My truck/trailer combo is 81 feet as measured by the CHP officer. Because I had a CDL, medical card, completed log book, MSDS, stated quantities of fuel and oil, and emergency contact information on hand I was told to "have a nice day" by CHP officer who said he pulls rigs like mine over for a living. He told me he had to hurry up and radio dispatch to tell them to cancel the flatbed he had on the way to take my trailer.

I pulled in to the Arizona port of entry a couple years ago. They asked me for my license, registration and insurance information. I was a little heavy on the rear axle of my truck when I went through the scales. I had to dump some water out of the trailer water tank to make weight. After I dumped some water I came back around to go through the scales again and the officer asked me why I pulled into the port of entry in the first place. "Just trying to do the right thing," I said. He told me to drive around it next time, and advisd me to peel off the DOT numbers so I wouldn't be harrassed going through the state. I peeled them off, stuck them in a plastic cup and put them in the cupboard of my toterhome for future reference before leaving the port of entry. If I get pulled over again and they ask me where my DOT numbers are I am going to hand them the cup and let them know that the cops in Arizona told me to take them off. Of course I have another set of DOT numbers printed and ready to put on in case the officer doesn't have a sense of humor.

 

Randy,

I have a couple questions for you because I have a pre 1994 Toterhome and am having to deal with this over the next year. I have read the new CARB 55 plus page diesel regulation backwards and forwards trying to figure out how to deal with it.

The regulation exempts "Motorhomes for non-commercial private use". The regulaion defines non-commercial as "Any use or activity where a fee is not charged and the purpose is not the sale of a good or service, and the use or activity is not intended to produce a profit". Even though there is prize money involved with sportsman racing, there is no possible way to "intend to produce a profit" if it is self funded. Using this definition I agree that a toterhome used for part time, sportsman racing should be exempt. The standard RV restrictions are 65' and 26,000 lbs. The motor sports exemption gives you a pass on length, does it give you a pass on weight also?

From other things you have written in the past, and I appreciate everything you have written, I think you have said that if you are registered as an RV pulling a race acr trailer you are looking for trouble. Did I misunderstand you? Maybe it was the "not for hire" sticker I am thinking of.

When you say you operate your "personal use" transporter as commercial are you saying that by having a CDL and doing everything else like it was a commercial vehicle it gives you a pass with the Highway Patrol and does not create a conflict of interest in how your truck and trailer are registered?

I am probably in the same situation as many others where I have an older diesel powered toterhome that I will use less than 3000-4000 miles per year and don't really want to spend 10-15K to repower it or 50K plus to replace it. The regulation has a low mileage exemption but it is only 1000 miles per year.

My truck and trailer have no signage or lettering.

I appreciate your input.

Thanks

Greg

 

In order to survive, you need to eliminate every reason the CHP can keep you from driving on your way if you get pulled over. They may decide you need a driver with a valid commercial license and medical card to continue down the road. If you have those, then the next reason they can park you is for not having an up to date log book properly filled out, also stating your truck driving history for the last week (if none, you must state that properly on the previous page in your log book because they need to see the last few days to make sure you haven't exceeded 24 hour limits). The next thing is proper insurance limits in your policy, then have in your folder your MSDS sheets for racing fuel (available at VP's web site) MSDS for oil (at their web sites), maximum quantities of fuel and oil stated on a sheet (never carry more than you are claiming), and a sheet with your name and cell phone as the person to contact in an emergency. It seems complicated but it's a no brainer to have all this. Just keep all this in a folder in the cab of your truck. I also have maintenance records just in case, and always allow 30 minutes as stated in my log book for pre-trip inspections to prove I checked out my rig before starting the day.

I explained to the officer that because the truck was originally purchased by the original buyer as a motorhome, California will not let me change the registration over to commercial. The reason stated to me by the DMV was that at the time of sale when it was new, FET taxes were not paid on the tractor. A 10% FET tax is always added to new commercial trucks. Because FET was not paid, it can never be registered as a commercial truck.

I run no signage and have it registered in my name and my wife's.

In order to educate the LEO's on the side of the road who typically don't have a clue (and who typically are NOT inclined to just take your word for it), everything I am claiming to be true is printed out from CARB and the CA-DOT websites and placed in my folder in the truck so I can hold DOT 101 on the side of the road with them. When the officer asked me what I was claiming just before we measured the length, I handed him an up to date driver's log book. At that point I asked him if he would like to see my commercial vehicle driver's license and medical card and he said "no, I've seen enough." That's how important a properly filled out and up to date log book is. It will also protect you in case you have an accident. And, as I said in my earlier post, the CHP officer had no clue there was such a thing as a motorsports exemption for length until I handed him the print out out of my folder.

The new CARB rules could get interesting. I call my toter my personal use only vehicle and I carry the email I got from the lady at CARB stating I don't need to change engines because my rig is registered motorhome for personal use. Yet I claim the California DOT motorsports exemption for length which states there is no length limit for my rig operating as a commercial vehicle, and I back it up by the fact that I have a commercial driver's license, medical card, log book, insurance and paperwork. In my mind, it is my personal truck. But to operate it in CA someone decided because of the weight and length I need to comply with the commercial requirements as a driver...so I feel I meet that requirement in my licensing, etc.

My theory is, if I get pulled over in CA it's because they see my 81' long rig in a state where 65' is max in their minds and they are licking their chops. I can guarantee you 99.9% of the CHP/LEO's don't know about CA-DOT motorsports exemption for length, and that's why I carry a printed copy (which, as you read in my earlier post, saved my rig from going to impound). After letting them choose their fight (them saying I have a truck and not a motorhome as registered...so I am too long because 65' is the limit) I counter their claim by agreeing it is commercial, then I produce the proper license and paperwork. Then I produce the motorsports length exemption (which they knew nothing about until I showed it to them), which stops them in their tracks. I doubt by then the CARB complaince issue would come up. When they punched up the license number on my truck (registered motorhome) they said it didn't need to comply with CARB's commercial engine mandate.

For now, I have the best of both worlds.

FYI, I had an officer tell me one time "When I see a truck with REGISTERED MOTORHOME-NOT FOR HIRE on it, that really means "PULL ME OVER-I AM IMPROPERLY REGISTERED."

The CHP officer who pulled me over said that with all the DOT print-outs and paperwork I produced, if he wrote me a ticket and I showed up in court with what I showed him the judge would laugh him out of the courtroom.


.

 

Randy,

Thanks for all the information. Looks like having complete documentation readily available and being organized is the best approach to dealing with the CHP.

Greg