Ever been stopped to weigh your rig? - Montana Owners Club

RMccord · 10-23-2007, 03:37 PM

Have any of you been stopped in any state during your towing career to be weighed? If so where and why?

Thanks

DHenry · 10-23-2007, 03:58 PM

No, I have not been stopped to be weighed.

snfexpress · 10-23-2007, 04:04 PM

Nope.

dsprik · 10-23-2007, 04:28 PM

Bob, I don't believe there is much of a chance of a recreational vehicle being randomly stopped for a weight check (in the US anyway - all bets are off in British Columbia and maybe one or two other provinces).

The problems from being overweight (not you - your truck's GVWRs) are twofold. 1. If there is a traffic incident in which you are involved, there are WAY too many starving attorneys out there to let you off the hook; and 2. running over any of your GVWs will ultimately wear out and/or break down components in your tv much faster than normal.

Either way it's costly.

The key to keeping the wallet safe here (and maybe more than that), is to educate oneself as much as possible on weights and read as many of the topics here on the MOC on this volatile, but critical, subject. Admittedly, some of the more "passionate threads" have now been locked down by the admins. Still, one needs to hear both sides and make their own informed decisions. That way if something happens, at least they won't say, "Well, I didn't know...".

JMHO.

Montana Sky · 10-23-2007, 08:42 PM

Nope, but I have run across the Weigh Station when the state troopers were actually working. At that time, I was almost 600 lbs over gross on my truck. I have since moved some weight around in the coach and unloaded other items I have not used in some time. Neither of the two troopers working said a thing to me other than, "here's your scale print out, have a nice day". I am now within the limits of of my 9,200 lbs rating.(barley).

richfaa · 10-24-2007, 12:11 AM

No never, since we are not commercial vehicles there is no requirement or law that requires rv'ers to meet or be within any weight requirements.This is not a good thing and I would hope that it changes in the near future.

ole dude · 10-24-2007, 01:02 AM

In one trip I met the nice troopers in South Dakota, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. Was not given a ticket, but was told not to be back with my rig. Too much trailer for the truck. Something to do with the National Hiway Safety Institute. At the time I was pulling a 40ft 5th wheel toy hauler with a 1ton Dodge dually. No ticket was issued. I mentioned to them I had not been stopped in Texas, they proceeded to tell me its flat in Texas.

cmp-shooter · 10-24-2007, 07:50 AM

Never..."CHICKEN HOUSE" sign says "TRUCKS AND BUSSES" ...You can pull in but you'll get a ticket...

Capt Kidd · 10-24-2007, 01:28 PM

We stopped into a weight station in Utah because i wanted to know what we weighed. Dodge 3500 mega cab 4x4 and 3075 rl monty. total weight was 18,500. Truck weighs about 8,000 so the weight of the Monty was right what it says on the door.

ols1932 · 10-24-2007, 01:35 PM

Never have been stopped. Weight restrictions are primarily for commercial vehicles.

Orv

HamRad · 10-24-2007, 05:22 PM

Bob,

I doubt if anyone will ever be stopped just for weigh checking. Rather you will get pulled over for some other infraction and part of the process will be discovering whether you have the right class of license. That is what was happening with the folks in the Sacramento area. Good luck whatever you end up doing.

Dennis

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-25-2007, 12:00 AM

Never worry about class of license as in Florida all you need is a standard driver's license to pull any RV.

Delaine and Lindy · 10-25-2007, 02:52 AM

As long as your not pulling commerical you want have anything to worry about. For sometime I though the States would begin to have RVer's have some type of indorsement on their Lic to get more MONEY to waste on unneeded projects. But with the high price on Diesel fuel the Rving industry is slowing down.... I have a Commerical Lic (CDL) and will probably renew it one more time in 2011. GBY....

richfaa · 10-25-2007, 05:19 AM

"The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 was signed into law on October 27, 1986. The goal of the Act is to improve highway safety by ensuring that drivers of large trucks and buses are qualified to operate those vehicles and to remove unsafe and unqualified drivers from the highways. The Act retained the State's right to issue a driver's license, but established minimum national standards which States must meet when licensing CMV drivers"

here in Ohio and most other states all I need is a Ohio Drivers license to drive my over 22K of truck and camper. No testing required, I need show no skills, I am subject to no rules or regulations concerning weight. I may have never driven anything larger than a Honda Civic but can jump into the largest Camper or motor home load it up and hit the interstate without a minute of training. I do hold a CDL and the skills and knowledges required to get it have made me a far more KNOWLEDGEABLE and therefore safer driver. I believe Rv drivers should be held to the same skills knowledges, safety and weight requirements as the CDL holder.

skypilot · 10-25-2007, 06:14 AM

Two points -- I was stopped once in Colorado -- I went by a scales setup and they thought I was commercial; however the reason they stopped me was because I did not have the required tail lights on my truck (had had it rhino-lined and the dealer hadn't hooked them back up. Took care of that one on the side of the road (with the troopers assistance once he found out I was not commercial) and told to enjoy my stay in their state (which I did -- Colorado is a great place to camp!!!)

The 2nd issue -- I was looking (no intention to buy) at some long Class A's with the Tag wheel. The dealer sales droid told me that I would have to get a CDL with airbrake endorsement before I could drive the one we were currently in. Must have been my puzzled look because he added that if I got a smaller one that wouldn't be required. (New Mexico by the way). I asked how I could get a CDL with airbrake endorsement if I didn't already own such a vehicle (drivers test you know) and he said that they would 'deliver' the coach to the drivers station for me so that I could test in it. In any case, this wasn't part of the question for this thread but thought it insiteful given Rich's comment above. I think some states are looking at CDLs for some of the RV community.

sreigle · 10-25-2007, 07:37 AM

Dsprik, I understand your comment about attorneys not letting one off the hook but don't forget that first they'd have to show that the accident was because of being over the ratings. Then they could go after you. More likely they'd go after something like going too fast for conditions (longer braking times for trailer/tv combos) or inattentive driving or something like that. And they'll do that whether you're over ratings or not.

To answer your question, no we've never been stopped and weighed. I have had it weighed at commercial scales at truck stops but that was voluntary.

South Dakota does not require anything other than a standard automotive drivers license for towing our rig. I agree with others that there should be some driver testing involved.

ols1932 · 10-25-2007, 08:46 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Delaine and Lindy

As long as your not pulling commerical you want have anything to worry about. For sometime I though the States would begin to have RVer's have some type of indorsement on their Lic to get more MONEY to waste on unneeded projects. But with the high price on Diesel fuel the Rving industry is slowing down.... I have a Commerical Lic (CDL) and will probably renew it one more time in 2011. GBY....

I'm 75+ and I keep my CDL renewed all the time and will keep on until they tell me I can't. The difference in cost is negligible (unless you really have to count pennies).

Orv

dsprik · 10-26-2007, 10:26 AM

Steve, I agree with your clarification on that. I also agree that some sort of special, or additional training should be a requirement for pulling/driving an RV - National.

Driftwoodgal · 10-26-2007, 01:53 PM

I asked this question to two states.Can I be stopped for being over weight in your state or required to be weighed? The first question was to a person at the DOT in Texas, who also has her own RV, and the answer is NO. The second question was to a CHIPS supervisor in California and the answer, who owns a RV, and the answer was NO.

Both said you could be stopped if you posed a threat to traffic safety. Both states do not require or ticket you unless you showed signs of being a threat to others on the road.

Colleen

tcorbitt · 10-28-2007, 12:15 PM

Never been stopped for weight check. I do have a CDL as many others here.

Not sure how the surveys are set up on MOC, but it would be very interesting to survery members to see how people felt about adding a rider to drivers licenses for large RVs (say over 10K Gross).

For those who hold a current CDL?
Do you think extra testing/certifications should be required for RVs over 10K lbs gross?
(Y or N)

Same question for those who do not hold a CDL?

Tim

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