Curious about some numbers and what are actually enforceable. Is GCWR a number enforced by cops or is it just the GVWR of the of the tow vehicle and trailer separately that mater. There is nothing posted on my truck about any weight ratings other than GVWR and GAWR.

If those numbers are within specs does it mater how much the trailer weighs if it is also under its GVWR is my question. And no I'm not going to try and pull some 30k piece of equipment. Just wondering about recreational towing laws.

Thanks for the info.

 

While this is the subject of great discussion, I have yet to ever find 1 person who has ever gotten cited for being overweight in a Super Duty, unless driven on a road with severe weight restrictions (like 2 tons).

 

Thats what I'm saying. I keep hearing all these horror stories about being stopped for weight violations and have yet to talk to anyone who has actually had it happen to them.

 

You hit the nail on the head with what's on the stickers and what's not.


GCVWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating)-how much your truck can tow- is not on the sticker and for good reason, the numbers on ford's web site are of no concern to the weight cops, only to ford. They are recommendations only, although they may impact warranty coverage. The only time you will get a ticket for exceeding GCVWR is if you exceed your registered weight. It's a tax issue plain and simple!

 

Law enforcement is only concerned with your REGISTERED weight rating. The one that you bought and paid license fees for. Ford may have put a 10,000 lb Gross Vehicle Weight Rating on your truck. You can register/license your truck for more (some states for less). As long as you have the tires (proper weight rated) and licensed weight limit, to support the load, your golden.

Gross Combined Weight Rating is, your truck and passengers, your load, and trailer weight and it's load. The exception here, is that RV trailers don't count. All other trailers count against your licensed Gross Weight, that you purchased, when you licensed your truck.

There have been horror stories, threats of law suits, dropped insurance coverage, and other urban legends of dire and doom, if you exceeded your factory weight ratings and were legally licensed for the weight. With over thirty years in law enforcement, investigating hundreds of accidents, and testifying in a multitude of court cases (criminal and civil), I have never seen or heard (from a reliable source) any evidence of the urban legend law suits.

You will have problems (criminal and civil) if your licensed for say 10,000 GVW and you are involved in an accident and your truck and load(including trailer) scale at 20,000 GVW. But if your legally licensed for 20k, you will be fine (unless your actions caused the accident, then you can be cited for those actions).

Good luck

 

I just sat through a D.O.T. Seminar. It dosent go by what you register it goes by sticker on door no matter what. New 2010 rules that are harldy heard of yet unless you violate. If your truck is 10k and trailer is 10k your good. Just dont exceed 26k or you need a C.D.L.

If your truck says 10 dont go over 10, if your trailer says 10 dont go over 10. You can combine upto 29,999 STICKER weight.

You can be 10 in your truck. and haul a 20K tailer empy and its C.D.L. it dosent matter it ifs loaded or empty. So if your looking to buy a trailer or whatever and your going to be around 26, your best bet is to get as close as you can to 26 if you need it. Other then that in a superduty you can do whatever.

 

over 26,000# you need a class A license... not a CDL.

 

Correct, to a point. 26,000lbs is the barrier between regular drivers license and CDL requirements (regardless of class). Having a trailer vs. straight truck is the difference between class A and B. Busses for example (two axle) are class B with passenger endorsment.

Although, to be 100% honest, anyone pulling a trailer should have some endorsment for being competent pulling that trailer, regardless of weight. I drove commercially (under 26k) and even though I wasn't required to have a CDL I still had to obide by the same commercial regulations. Regardless, any Joe Blow off the street with a license can go out and buy a trailer, or even worse... rent one (UHaul crowd), with absolutely no working knowledge of a trailer. Idiots.

I could go on and on about this... Like those dumb ***** that cut off semi trucks at a red light just to get in front of them when it turns green... the morons don't realize they just chopped that loaded truck's stopping distance. I think the punishment for getting caught doing that is to make them drive that semi truck and have the truck driver cut them off. Maybe some people would have a better understanding of the laws of physics. Or, just make it a part of every drivers ed course that you have to have some behind-the-wheel time in a heavy vehicle, if nothing more than to "feel" it and understand what those big vehicles on the road can do.

 

C.F. Moore is right.

Thus the great debate continues:

First thing is there are federal, state, county, city, and individual road regs to contend with. Also there is commercial and private use. The federal laws are pretty clear on what is commercial and what isn't but some states are getting blurry on the distinction. If you are making money hauling, even if you don't have a business some states will impose the commercial rules on you. You will then have registration, licensing, health and logging requirements you'll have to follow. A lot of folks who put weight info out here are hauling commercially and have decided that those same rules apply across the board, they don't.

Always be SAFE! Exceeding your equipments capabilities put not only you at risk but everyone else! The information bellow is for PRIVATE vehicles only.
<O</O
Tire load and axle load will get you tickets. They apply to both truck and trailer individually. Tire load rating goes beyond the number on the sidewall, that is the tire manufacturer's maximum rating, which should never be exceeded but the legal weight can be less. The limits vary widely from state to state and sometimes county to county, also seasonally. They are calculated in pounds per inch of tire width and I've seen from 450 to 700. But in light duty trucks it's rarely and issue, go by the manufacturer's rating and you'll be fine.
GVWR MAY get you a ticket. Depends on where you are, though it is covered under the federal laws, it is only mentioned as it applies to registered weight. As C.F. Moore said , In many states you can register your truck for a weight different than the manufacturers rating. Case in point: My F250 has a sticker GVWR of 8800lbs, yet I have it registered in VA for 10,000lbs. As long as my truck, including people, cargo, and pin weight of the trailer don't exceed my tire or axle rating, or put me over 10K on the truck I'm perfectly legal! The trailer weight is it's own issue, only the pin or tounge weight impact the truck rating. With a 10K truck pulling a 10k trailer the truck needs to be registered at 10k or greater and the trailer needs to be registered 10k or greater. The truck DOES NOT need to be registered at 20K!

As far as combination weight, Actual weight is what gets you a ticket, not registered weight as some will say - If you have a trailer that is rated and registered at 14K but weighs 4400 empty, you could legally pull that empty trailer with your F150 - all you're hauling is a 4400 lb load which is well within the legal and performance capabilities of the truck. Now if you load that trailer with enough weight to exceed the tire or axle rating of the truck, which that trailer is easily capable of, you are in violation (and unsafe!) Until your actual weight reaches that point, you've broken no law.

For private individuals here is what it boils down to:

Don't exceed your tire limit - the lesser of the weight printed on the tire or the per inch rating.

Don't exceed your Axle limit - as stated on your door sticker.

Don't exceed the GVWR of your registration - truck or trailer , individually.

Don't have malfunctioning equipment - defective/inoperable trailer brakes are the biggest one.

If you are hauling for money or make any type of profit from WHAT you haul, get a DOT number and the proper insurance, license, and registration.

The only "private individuals" I've see get weight tickets are guys hauling 3 and 4 car wedge trailers to and from auto auctions and landscapers with tri-axle trailers that had a billboard on the side of the trailer and had no DOT number . When those guys get pulled over and try to play the private individual card, they get hit with tickets, and they should, they're commercial!

When I hear the urban legends about the private folks getting weight tickets I ask to see a ticket, and no one has been able to show me one yet.

 

Yeh, I wish.. reading the regs in Texas, your facts are not true.

Add the actual stickers together and thats the facts.

proving you are an individual when towing non-RV would be fun. I want to pull a 48ft gooseneck car trailer to car shows, my hobby.
In the near term I am an individual. Later, this would carry vehicles that would represent my advertising. I would never haul other peoples goods for fee. I might pickup or return a customers vehicle to them as a side effect of some show in the customers area.

its not an RV.

So, what am I? private or commercial. My Dually GWVR is 13000, the lowest trailer is 12500 (and would be RIGHT at the limit with 2 vehicles.. I really don't like that).. next higher is 14500. now I am over 26001, and the towed vehicle is >10,000. (3-7k axles would make the trailer 21k by itself).

the text from the Texas drivers Handbook

Different Classes of Commercial Driver Licenses
There are three (3) basic types or classes of Commercial
Driver Licenses. They are described below. For further information,
refer to the diagram on page ix. This diagram helps
a person determine which class of license he/she needs and
which section(s) of the handbook to study.

CLASS A: Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more,
provided the gross vehicle weight rating of the
vehicle or vehicles towed exceeds 10,000
pounds;
CLASS B: Any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight
rating of 26,001 pounds or more, any one of
those vehicles towing a vehicle that does not
exceed 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating,
and any vehicle designed to transport 24
passengers or more, including the driver; and a
Class B license will be restricted to operating
busses under 26,001 pounds GVWR if the skills
test is taken in a bus with a GVWR of less than
26,001 pounds; and
CLASS C: Any single vehicle or combination of vehicles
that is not a Class A or Class B if the vehicle is:
1) designed to transport 16 to 23 passengers
including the driver; or
2) used in the transportation of hazardous materials
that require the vehicle to be placarded
under 49 CFR, Part 172, Subpart F.

Who is exempt from a CDL? (Certification form CDL-2
required)
Persons operating the following vehicles are exempt from a
Commercial Driver License:
1. A vehicle that is controlled and operated by a farmer;
and used to transport agricultural products, farm machinery,
or farm supplies to or from a farm; and not used in
the operations of a common or contract motor carrier; and
used within 150 air miles of the person’s farm.
2. A fire-fighting or emergency vehicle necessary to the
preservation of life or property or the execution of emergency
governmental functions, whether operated by an
employee of a political subdivision or by a volunteer fire
fighter (this includes operators of industrial emergency
vehicles);
3. A military vehicle, when operated for military purposes
by military personnel, members of the Reserves and
National Guard on active duty, including personnel on
full-time National Guard duty, personnel on part-time
training, and National Guard military technicians; or
4. A recreational vehicle that is driven for personal use.

 

just got done with renewing my reg this morning and i asked them about that.in ny it is what is on the reg for weight i have mine at 3,000 over.so i can put 3,000 in the bed with out a prob if the dot yanks me over which they have before for hauling a ton of pellets in a 3/4 ton and i got a ticket for a 1/4 ton over so i rasied the weight a couple of years ago. the dmv showed me the paper that states in ny the cops & dot have to go by what is on the reg for weight not what is on the door tag for gvw.

 

There are non-CDL class A licenses, btw.

Class A and CDL often get confused.

 

subscribing, always an interesting debate....guess i am over...or not.

 

you are not.. RV is exempt. so it doesn't matter.

Sam

 

RVs are exempt from the 26,000# limit, but are still bound by GVWR.