Devin, DOT compliance means you have to carry wheel chocks (2 of them, IIRC), warning triangles, and a fire extinguisher. At least that was the requirement when my old F-350 required DOT inspection.

 

I use Liberty Mutual and they have no problem - they understand the commercial registration. They ask questions about if we are using the truck for a business or not.


Just looked to updates - the following were all scheduled for hearing on 7/15/2015 (not sure of the results)


H3101 - Filed by William Straus and Steven Howitt
S1825 - Filed by Ryan Fattman
H3010 - Filled by Paul Heroux


??? Hoping this will come to something!

 

Interesting updates. I'll email Sen Fattman as see what happened...

 

From Senator Fattman...

 

Hi Guys,

Glad to see there is still traffic in this thread. I wish I had some progress to report but so far nothing really new. We do have companion bills filed in the MA house and senate as reported by Karl4Cat. I was not able to attend the hearings and did not hear anything from Sen Fattman's office so probably nothing even came up for discussion.

S1825 - Filed by Ryan Fattman
H3010 - Filled by Paul Heroux

If you've been following this thread from the start you know the effort to get this law changed goes back a number of years. Each session this or a similar bill gets filed but then they get held up in one or another committee until the session expires with no action. The Transportation committee usually recommends this to pass but then Ways and Means has sat on it most recently.

Behind the scenes I don't think there is much love for this so we just need to keep pushing our elected representatives to see the mercy in this one and come to our defense. I will note that in 6 years no one from the RMV has had the courtesy to return even a single phone call or email to me about this. But we keep paying our outrageous registration and inspection fees each year just so we can pull our campers around.

Keep those cards and letters coming folks and maybe some day we'll catch a break.

Thanks
Steve

 

When it hits the ways and means again, I'll send emails to my reps again Steve. They both supported it last time around.

 

Steve,

Just wondering if we have heard anything else since July. I had heard a rumor that they were actually going to pass it this time.


Personally, I still know of at least 4 people who have DRWs registered as passenger.. Mostly because they have truck campers in the bed. Just curious if we think there might be anything additional we can do to help this along?


I am getting real tired of seeing F150s with landscape trailers behind them and lettering on the side with passenger tags. Especially when I have to grab my ankles each year.



G

 

I emailed Sen. Fattman over a week ago and no response. The webpage for his bill has been dead since July. I'm thinking yet another failed attempt.

 

A little update on this. Today I spoke with Keith Christenson in Senator Fattman's office. Bill S.1825 is still very much alive. The bill is still accompanied by house bill H.3010 from Rep. Paul Heroux. It just passed favorably through the joint committee on transportation and is now headed to the Ways and Means committee. So, while things are moving at a snails pace, they are still moving. I'm going to write my senator (Don Humason) who happens to be on the Ways and Means committee. He previously told me he supports this or any similar legislation so hopefully he can lobby to get this moving. Anyone else interested in getting this done should write their reps and senators as well.

 

Can we create a change.org or https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/ petition so we can track this and make it easier for people to get involved.

Devin

 

Well looks like we are stuck in the House Ways and Means again....

 

I just emailed all sponsoring senators and reps last week. I got this from Sen. Fattman's office:

Good afternoon Rodney,

Thank you for contacting our office about S1825, An Act relative to the definition of commercial motor vehicles. The Senate version (S1825) was accompanied by the House version (H3101) and reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Transportation and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on October 15, 2015. This action indicates there is a chance that it could be taken up by the House this session; it is certainly not dead in the water. I am also waiting to hear back from Representative Straus’ office – the House sponsor of the bill and House Chair of the Transportation Committee – to see if they have any additional information on the status of the bill. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best regards,

Keath Christensen
Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director
Office of Senator Ryan C. Fattman
State House, Room 213-A
Boston, MA 01233








I also got this from Rep. Howett:



Dear Rodney,
We are doing our best to move this through the legislative process. It failed in the last session; we reintroduced it this session and moved it out of committee. Please suggest to your RV organizations to contact their reps and their senators to support this important piece of legislation.
Thank you.
Steven

 

I've been following this thread, and the bills, for years.

I just checked, and it looks like this has been reintroduced again, this time as S.1916.

 

Looks like it was scheduled for a hearing last Tuesday... ???

 

Been following this for a while . Sick of the extra cost to tow my trailer