-----Original Message-----
From: Mike & Debbie <chevys57@earthlink.net>
To: timothy.smith1@worldnet.att.net <timothy.smith1@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001 9:06 AM
Subject: Re: CDL etc etc etc.
>TJ - Very good post on the mv list about the CDl etc. At a recent mv
>show I met a guy with a 24' box van that had signs on the side stating
>'Not For Hire, Non-Commercial Vehicle, and This Vehicle is Used For my
>Military Vehicle Hobby'. He was told by an inspector in his home state
>that this would get him around the CDL and inspection issues while
>traveling across state lines. Am I correct in assuming he must still
>stop at weigh stations though?
What he has on his truck is a good idea. For us HMV drivers, the same, on a
magnetic sign, might be beneficial, but not absolutely necessary. On the
other hand, all the nice signs in the world wouldn't save your friend if an
inspector found that his 24' van was loaded with tons of stuff for sale at a
swap meet!
Stopping at weigh strips (necessarily or un-necessarily) is a good idea. At
worst, if you don't need to be there, the scale personnel are merely annoyed
and will flag you through. Not stopping (if you are not sure) is a BAD idea
and scale personnel (if they want you) WILL send out a nice Trooper to
invite you back! When in doubt.....pull in. (Do you know why they call the
women at the weight strips Mermaids? *answer below*)
>
>As one that drives across country at least once a year the subject of
>weigh stations is very confusing to me. They state 'all commercial
>vehicles and tow-bars' must comply, the tow-bars section is the
>confusing part. Just what are they referring to with this phrase? To me
>it seems they are referring to the trucks that tow other new trucks
>going from the dealer to the customer. I see motor homes and U-Haul
>trucks with cars on a tow bar behind them just breeze past these
>stations and no one cares. The same holds true for the convoys of
>Mexicans taking little trucks and cars back to Mexico with tow bars, I'm
>sure you know the ones I mean. What if I'm going across country and want
>to tow bar a jeep or have a car/truck on a car trailer with no more than
>a GVWR of 10K#? This is a non-commercial venture as they are my private
>vehicles, are the signs saying I have to stop for weigh stations?
DO NOT confuse weight enforcement with Commercial enforcement stuff. These
are differrent topics entirely. I weigh non commercial vehicles regularly
as they are subject to weight limitations as well. I am guessing on the
tow-bar issue but from my experience I believe they are looking to weigh
those vehicles on tow bars that are being used as a trailer (like the ones
going to Mexico that are loaded with everything imaginable. If I am at a
weigh strip and a tow-bar vehicle goes by that is obviously empty I am not
going to waste any effort on it, but once again, when in doubt, pull in and
say hello!
>
>Another gray area you brought up is using your truck to go to mv swap
>meets. Since you are not in the 'business' of buying and selling mv's
>(or old cars or whatnot) it is not in fact commercial, you are in
>reality using the truck to go to one of the activities of your hobby
>that you got the truck for in the first place. Yes I realize that you
>may only sell parts at the meet, but you may also just buy or swap parts
>or vehicles and all of this would be for the enjoyment of your hobby so
>where does the commercial part come in since it is not a business?
The measure of this issue is......are you engaging in a commercial
enterprise?
Yes, this could easily get into shades of gray. Strictly speaking, if you
go to sell it IS commercial but you and I realize that the occasional buying
and selling of parts is a legitimate and necessary part of the hobby. This
type of activity usually amounts to a few fenders and other odds and ends.
So, off you go with your big-assed truck and just a few fenders and other
odds and ends....certainly not enough to legitimize the trip as a true comme
rcial venture. To most experienced inspectors you would obviously be
private. But, let's say you are going for the purpose of buying and
selling......and have a big-ass truck loaded to the sky with every
imaginable part known to man. Well, you can see the difference.
(*Women with scales!*)
>Thanks, Mike.
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Mar 05 2001 - 07:58:31 PST