[Fot] towing and DOT

Rocky Entriken rocky at spitfire4.com
Wed Apr 22 15:07:55 MDT 2009


The first thing the trooper is going to do is eyeball what it APPEARS you 
are doing, and if it APPEARS commercial he may stop and check you out.

Hauling a Spitfire on an open single-axle trailer behind an automobile 
(originally; behind a van* the past many years) I never created that image, 
although I did get stopped once in connection with a curious Kansas law --  
trailers under 2000 lbs loaded weight are not required to have tags. But 
mine looked as if it might be over 2M.
Trooper (very politely): "You know you're required to have a tag on that 
trailer."
Myself (very innocently): "But officer, the car only weights 1405 lbs, I can 
show you in the rulebook, and the trailer's only 500."
Trooper (very gently): "Well, I guess you know what you're talking about." 
And he went back to his car and drove off.

We won't get into how much overweight my car is.  :-)  But soon after I went 
to a local TV shop and bought one of those tags that say "KANSAS - Under 
2M." Never had a problem since. Not even in other states.

* Another Kansas quirk -- a van used as personal transportation is a car and 
carries car tags; a van used commercially is a truck and wears truck tags. 
Mine has car tags, of course.

--Rocky Entriken

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Babcock" <Billb at bnj.com>
To: <fpspitfire at comcast.net>
Cc: <Fot at autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Fot] towing and DOT


>I only wish the regulations were consistently enforced and perhaps a  bit 
>more rational. The idea that someone can go to an RV store and buy  a rig 
>that weighs more than 20,000 pounds and drive off without  special training 
>is disconcerting. For that matter the idea that I  don't need any special 
>training or licensing to hook a 34 foot  airstream up to my F350 and drive 
>all over the country seems absurd.  I'm pretty sure everyone that tows 
>their car to the track has had one  of those moments when you realize that 
>you're driving a very  compromised vehicle.
>
> On Apr 22, 2009, at 7:47 AM, fpspitfire at comcast.net wrote:
>
>> A couple years ago the MazdaTrix guys were headed to runoffs and had 
>> their
>> Toterhome/trailer impounded at a DOT inspection station in Arizona  for 
>> not
>> complying with the regs.B  The rig wasn't released until a licensed 
>> commercial
>> driver showed up to take it away.
>>
>>
>>
>> There is a big gray area with racers tow vehicles and the  requirements.B
>> Certainly in the SCCA world because of contingencies it is considered
>> commercial.
>>
>>
>>
>> I think someone else was hit for violating the per axle weight on a 
>> toter on
>> the Pennsylvania turnpike.
>>
>>
>>
>> The regs are too confusing for me.B  I'll keep the 16' trailer and 
>> explorer to
>> tow with
>>
>>
>>
>> aaron johnson
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