Tailgate Law

[pineranch]

One of the topics of this evening's news was various traffic fine increases. One caught my eye. Apparently in California you can be fined for a lowered tailgate. Can someone confirm this as fact or were they spinning. $276 fine.
Mike

[camper4]

I just saw/heard it in the Fox evening news.
So, confirmed.

[camper4]

Well, I had a CRS moment. Sounds like we watched the same news cast...

[Ozz]

Well the Mythbusters 'Busted' the myth that it gave better gas mileage with it down. Now when I see someone with the tailgate down, I think they are foolish. Here in our area, a guy with his gate down lost a hunk of metal, it came through a lady's windshield and killed her. Good law in my opinion.
I have seen all kinds of unsecured crapolla in peoples trucks with the gate down. Even their dogs.
WAKE UP AMERICA

[Jdrobone]

Well, it costs $264.00 to get caught by one of the red-light cameras in the Polk county area south of Orlando. Doesn't matter if it's a .6sec violation.
Ask me how I know!


On edit, I know this has nothing to do with tail-gates but has lots to do with traffic fines.

[Carl n Susan]

While Answers.com (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_legal_to_drive_in_CA_with_your_truck's_tailg ate_down) says it is illegal to drive in CA (also FL and TX) with your tail gate down, I am not convinced they are correct as they do not cite a reference. If CA forbids it and has a fine for it, then it is specified in statute. I live in CA, have never heard a word about such a law (if it were a change in the past few years, the DMV would have it identified on their web site), and see a fair number of folks driving around with theirs down.

However if you are carrying a load which extends past the tailgate, it must be marked with a red flag. Why does a load have to be marked and an extended tailgate not? Beats me.

Hopefully a CA LEO will see this and contribute an answer.

[Recumbent]

The focus of the news item that high lighted the down tail gate fine was that local governments are getting more into the income producing feature of the fine verses the need to correct unsafe actions. We typically hear this called "fee grabbing".

[Art-n-Marge]

What about a bed extender? The tailgate is down, but there's something there.

I fastened some trailer tailights with blinkers to it to help illuminate when loaded up (night or day). The lighting plugs into the bumper hitch connector. I had this in place when I helped my brother move his stuff across the U.S almost two years ago. We actually noticed a couple of troopers zip around and track us, but they backed off as soon as I used the brakes and blinkers while being loaded. When we finally got to California the California Highway Patrol did nothing (there were at least two opportunities I can remember. I don't know how much this is enforced but I guess I should be good with the extender and lights.

[Lee F.]

I suppose all truck campers are now illegal in Ca. since the tailgate must be removed or in the down position.

[richfaa]

I am told that many folks do it because it looks cool. we see many with the TG down here in Florida.

[Waynem]

I don't think it is illegal in Texas. Well, let's say I never got stopped. As far as extended cargo in a pickup truck, in Texas it is a law that if it extends 2 feet past the bed of the truck it needs a red flag as a minimum. I'm not sure how wide a tailgate is but I'll bet it's 2 feet or there about.

[Art-n-Marge]

So are you saying that in addition to the tail lights I have affixed and wired to the extender, I still need to find a way to put a flag on there? If I didn't have the tail lights, I'd put a flag, but you can't see them at night so I use lights.

I mostly did this because I thought it was law that on trailers BOTH rear lights needed to be seen from an angle and from the rear. The extender by itself would block the opposite side from opposing angles.

Yup, I think it's about a two foot extension.

I guess I'm old school. I think a truck looks best with the tailgate in position and wheels that don't look like they belong on a Conestoga wagon. I prefer the larger rubber sidewall look on a tire. But that's just me, after all I also put tail lights on my truck bed extender.

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by Waynem

I don't think it is illegal in Texas. Well, let's say I never got stopped. As far as extended cargo in a pickup truck, in Texas it is a law that if it extends 2 feet past the bed of the truck it needs a ref flag as a minimum. I'm not sure how wide a tailgate is but I'll bet it's 2 feet or there about.

I've always been told a tailgate down is illegal in TX, unless it is necessary to haul something. I believe extended load is actually four feet. Here and scroll down to Sec. 547.382.

[HamRad]

I did not realize it was illegal to drive with your tailgate down. And I thought it was 4 feet that was the limit for extended loads. As far as securing a load in the bed of a pickup that ought to be automatic. I've lost two items out of the bed of the truck. One without the tailgate and one with it in the up position. I now put some sort of restraining device on any object that I think might fly out.

Thanks for info and drive safely. Dennis

[Waynem]

Will,

Thanks for the clarification. When I took my test 30 years ago it was 2 feet. It shows that laws change and it is our responsibility to keep up with them. I need to go and look at the manual again. The four foot item is in the regular Texas Drivers Manual, and the CDL manual.

As I was glancing through it I noticed some changes in following distance suggestions. it use to be that we would follow based on how many vehicle lengths. Now, a more simple rule is the "seconds" rule. One second for each 10 feet of vehicle length of your vehicle. So, with me at 40 plus towed vehcile, I need to start practicing the 6 second rule instead of the 4 second rule.

Thanks for bringing the correction.

[Trailer Trash 2]

I was aways under the impression that material extending 2 feet past the rear bumper need a red flag in daytime, and if you drive at night time it must have a red light attached to the end of the material, that is in California.
As for the tail gate down I have never heard anything about that but I will ask a CHP officer, before I make a comment on that, maybe if you have material in the bed and it's not tied doiwn with the tail gate open will cause a ticket.