Anyone ever run into unexpected legal issues while towing their rv? I've never been stopped by the law but occasionally you hear about strange rules/laws across the U.S. Here's an example: I pulled into a campground in Kentucky and the campground owner noticed the cap was missing on my waste drain. He said the highway patrol stops people for that. Luckily I had a new spare cap and just slapped it on. So my question: Anyone been pulled over for unexpected rules? or Checked for weight ratings? Exterior lighting? Anything? We've had a fiver for 10 years now and traveled to many states. I'm not purposely braking rules, I just don't want to be surprised.

 

I have heard the waste cap thing for decades, but never known a person to be stopped for it. I suspect it is an urban legend like most of what we are told about RVs. Run a search of the Internet and see what you find in terms of documented cases. I bet darn few. Bet your campground owner can not cite a single documented case!

For a time I researched this kind of stuff to death, but got tired of dead-ends and quit.

Where I am camped now there is a sign like there is in many campgrounds saying state law requires a "donut" on the hose into the sewer dump. Anyone ever seen the state in the campground enforcing this law?

Steve

 

Here in the UK we have a government agency that regulate & enforce mainly commercial vehicles, because of our licensing laws & the combined weight of the truck & 5th wheel they can stop & check us. I don't actually know of anyone who has been checked though & I had an infomative chat with the local officer about making sure I am legal. We have to have EU approved lighting & a mechanical park brake, he kind of said that they look for random things that might indicate a lack of maintenance, like hoses or cables hanging, then you would likely be stopped & checked, probably weighed, brakes & lights visually checked, then if good, on your way or depending on the infringement served with a penalty or prohibition notice where the vehicle is not allowed on the road until the fault is rectified.

 

I towed a 28 foot enclosed car hauler between So. Indiana and No. Wisconsin every weekend for a few months (household move). The trailer had no plates, registration or temporary tag. No one said a thing about it.

 

LOL...guess you just didn't look suspicious. Then there's my dad who has been pulled over more than once near his house. He keeps it around 50mph in his beat up F150. I told him they probably think something's wrong...nobody drives that slow on a state highway.


BTW, thanks for the responses so far. Interesting to hear about rv life "across the pond". Also nice to know the waste drain cap is likely an urban legend.

 

never seen or have been stopped in the many years I have dragged stuff across the US.

 

I have had several police officers as friends...


IF someone is stopped for odd/strange/questionable issues..
must be a slow day.. town has a quota ... or similar things.


or You or your equipment is "LOOKING" not legal for something.


my opinion. and I had a CDL for 25 years.

 

I went to a DOT seminar at a trailer dealer a few years back. Some states RV's are specifically exempt from weight related DOT rules. In PA they are not, BUT the officer did say that they generally leave RV's alone, unless like posted above something looks unsafe.


Cargo trailers are a whole new world. No tag in PA you're going to get popped. Or no inspection. They love the landscapers around here, not for weight, but because they never tie anything down. Easy money.

 

Just a note, here in CT I never see RV's pulled over by our men in blue. I do see them on side of the road with flat tires.


One of my sons moved out to Tucson, Arizona 5 months ago and my other son has a 40' + RV bus. He stated to me that we had to get some type of paperwork to drive in Arizona because of the length or maybe the weight. I looked up Arizona DMV and found that all RV's are exempt there. I think this is how things get started. Sprinkled with a little fairy dust.

 

I pulled this get-up about 1500 miles through AZ, NV, UT, ID, MT and ND!!!!
80 feet long, no plate on the back trailer! Was passed by several LEO's, and did not get a second look! But, I did have a sign on the back trailer stating "IN TRANSIT"

 

25 year LE & prior owner operator of a class 8 after I retired. Unless you in a serious AA chances are you will never be weighed. I have stopped RV's as a motor officer for equipment & licensing violations. Equipment was normal lights out on the RV or tow vehicle. I have checked weight ratings on hitch equipment if the vehicles was in an AA that led me to think there was a hitch issue, those we RV that had come loose. Sewage cap off is likely a violation in every state as a health hazard. AZ required a donut on the hose to ground and back flow valves on fresh water.

I have been run across a scale don't recall what state, it was the rolling scale on the highway and I was flagged in, F350 SRW hauling a 36ft 5W, mine.
Might have been to see if I was a commercial hauler, not sure what triggered that.

 

In Washington State, they cannot chase you, so you just keep driving. They will eventually stop chasing you. If it works for all the car jacking, robberies, drug running, etc, it should work for RV's. We had one instance the driver called 911 and told them the police were chasing him and that was illegal.
https://www.police1.com/suspect-purs...nDZEnCK1hOkt3/

No, I have not tested the theory.

 

Yes on the cap. As pointed out above its a health hazard to have the stinky pipe open to the world. If the LEO happens to notice it and is paying attention, he might pull you over and give a warning to get it capped, might. More often though a LEO will be looking at your hitch when towing conventional, especially if you are lighting the way for comets. They look for attached chains, and other signs of properly being hitched, and usually move on unless there is something glaringly wrong. The only time weight might factor in is if the tow vehicle is squatting something fierce and they see a WDH, or no WDH on, then they may pull you over as a safety risk. Otherwise they tend to leave RV's alone.

However, there is One state I do know that you need to be careful of and that is Nebraska. They LOVE, I mean L.O.V.E weight violations!! They have weigh in motion on the Interstates, and cameras and people watching said cameras and some of them are very knowledgeable on pickups. All pickups towing a trailer, EXCEPT RV's must exit and go through the scales. This is clearly posted on the Interstate ahead of the weigh stations. Back in 2016 on our way home from Utah, we had just came out of Colorado and heading east there is a weigh station. All trucks, including pickups must be in the right lane, again, clearly stated by signage. I had just passed a GM 2500 hauling a rather large, tall long 5th wheel. There are letter boards just before the entrance telling trucks if they can pass or have to enter. The pickup with 5th that I passed and was behind me got flagged to pull it in. For what, don't know, but it was NOT a commercial rig, it was a family of at least 3 that I saw. I said to myself, I wonder what he did wrong. When I got home I did some looking up and found Nebraska is notorious for this kind of stuff. They do not like truckers who go around scales on back roads either. They do get nabbed too.

 

several states I run though will flag me whether loaded or unloaded due to the F450.

 

could have been Nebraska I was flagged in on the commercial scale. No idea why, spot check?