Re: [MV] Misinformed in California

mblair1@home.net
Wed, 03 Nov 1999 08:03:31 -0800

G740@aol.com wrote:
> Folks, I just got my CDL and I can tell you that ANYONE who drives any truck
> that has a GVW of more than 26,000 pounds regardless of license plate type
> needs a CDL. If the truck has air brakes, you need a CDL.
[...]
> If you have a truck that carries over 26,000 and you want to cross
> state lines, you need a trip and fuel permit for each state you
> drive through.

OK, it sounds like my roughly 24,000# gross, air-over-hydraulic M109A3
manages to avoid the federal CDL requirements, and my need for a class
B CDL is just a Californiaism (which I plan to correct within a year
or so!). As long as I'm properly registered and licensed in whatever
state I happen to be living in at the time (CA now, AZ later), can I
safely ignore trip/fuel permits and weigh stations when I travel
interstate?

I'd also be interested in hearing if there are any annoying
CDL-related laws in AZ that might affect me after I move... I tried
doing some research on their DMV's web page, but it wasn't very
helpful.

You're right about the test not being to hard to pass. When I went in
to start registering my truck, I signed up for a class B CDL at the
same time, and I decided to just take the written test cold, including
the air brake test, since they would let me fail 3 times before
telling me to take a hike anyway. Pass! Now, I just have three
outstanding problems:

1. Fix truck (getting close).

2. Find a warm body with a class A or B CDL to sit in the right seat
while I drive the truck to the DMV to take my drive test (no
progress or leads here).

3. Move back to the US, where a class C will do (next year).

Oh, here's a good one for anybody who like slinging mud a CA, or at
bureaucracies in general: Although getting CA historic vehicle plates
will exempt me from weight fees and let me pass by scales in CA, I
still need to get a weight certificate to register the vehicle.
Arrrgh! :-)

--
Mark J. Blair, KE6MYK <mblair1@home.net>
PGP 2.6.2 public key available from http://pgp.ai.mit.edu/
Web page: http://www.qsl.net/ke6myk/
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