D O T numbers

Does somebody know of a website that will fill me in on the DOT requirements for a pickup pulling a trailer with over 10,000 pounds GVW without having to search all over the site? There was a short article in the Farmers Advance last week that gave some "saftysys" site or something,but it was just some private search site and got me nowhere. I still don't know what this whole thing is about. You'd think the Secretary of State's office of Farm Bureau or somebody would have filled me in. The cops haven't bothered me with the stock trailer,but it would be nice to know what all the hub bub is about.

Yep thats typical, They want you to have it , but you cant find out any info about it. I also need to get a usdot# for my truck.

go to www.fmcsa.dot.gov that"s where I got mine.

That info is out there on the 'net somewhere. I found it several years ago but I no longer have the website saved. If you go to your states government website, I think you will find what you need to know, but if your states website is anything like Iowas', you will spend a bit of time trying to wade your way through it and find what you need.

Im glad to hear its not just my states website., It does take some time to wade threw it all.

in Indiana the info is on the states web site

Well....that was clear as mud! I went to the fmcsa.dot.gov site and went through the online help registry. Michigan was the only state not listed in green on the map. That,along with honest answers to all the questions said that I don't need to register my truck and trailer.

If I get pulled over,I hope the cop has gone through the questionaire.

I don't know why so many trucks and trailers at the stockyards have them?

A big part of the problem is that each state can make its own exceptions for people operating within that state. Farm permits and the like are purely a state matter, the Feds do not recognize them at all so you will not find that information from the DOT/FMCSA.

From the Fed perspective, over 10k you need a DOT number if you are "in commerce" with the vehicle. It all depends on the trooper and the judge, but that covers anything that earns money. I know troopers who have ticketed kids pulling a horse trailer to the local rodeo because there was a cash prize.

Your state may have some exceptions for farm, pulling your own product, or during harvest season. But that would be a state rule only, and you can't go by what people in other states can do.

If you go to the FMSCA website, there is a tool to help you determine if you need a number. The safest is to get one.

BUT, you are not just getting a number. There are regular inspections and a 2-4hr process for the "introductory" inspection and a whole bunch of other BS that is explained in the letter that comes after you get a number. So, do what you are doing and look before you leap.

As I understand it (for what that is worth??), a farmer/rancher does not need DOT registration for his own vehicles doing work/hauling of his own farm crop. But if you are hauling for others, then you need DOT registration and all the proper CDL licensing, medical card, etc.

My brother was a small time septic system contractor (one man operation) and he had to have DOT registration for his vehicles and trailers. Some DOT twit called and wanted to inspect his compliance records at 7 a.m. and got into some hassle about him not having on file the results of drug testing and DWI state history for his drivers. He had explained that he was the only driver and had NEVER had a DWI or drug citation. That wasn't good enough for her. He needed to have evidence from the state records that he had checked the records and put them on file that he didn't have any citations. What a pain in the posterior!

The moral of this story is do not get DOT registration if you are not required to have it. Our state of Minnesota DOT people (at Farmfest)have advised me that I do not need DOT if I am not crossing state lines or hauling grain to one of the big river front terminals. And if you are doing those things, then more study is needed to really determine your requirements.

Of course the rules can change.

Paul in MN

Ohio will be enforcing the 10001-26001 rules starting 1/1/11. They're not telling anyone unless you happen to browse the PUCO web page on a regular basis. I found out through a trade association.

New Rules

http://www.puco.ohio.gov/PUCO/Consumer/Information.cfm?id=10148

If you watch the webcast about this, beware the PUCO officials made lots of mistakes.

Webcast -

http://www.puco.ohio.gov/apps/Webcast/viewer.cfm?recordID=44

Its my understanding that they are required in Mi. if your gross veh. wt is over 10,000# including truck and trailer. The D.O.T. will pull you over if they think your close to that wt. if they are having a slow day and they don't have bigger fish to fry. I pull a little over that now and again with my 3/4 ton and flat bed and livestock trailer but they have never bothered me. My son has the numbers on his 3/4 ton truck he uses in his landscaping bussiness and said they are not that big of a deal to get them. I'm just hauling my own farm products so I'm hoping I can just play stupid if I get pulled over. I do beleive you are excempt of the rule when pulling a recreational unit over 10,000 which I also do. I went to State Police Post in Bridgeport and they told me they didn't bother recreational veh. as I was concerned about pulling my fifthwheel camper with another trailer behind it and being over the 65' limit.

Well...I'm not going to have to play stupid. It's no act. Guess all I can do if I get pulled over is tell them the truth. That I went to the DOT website,went through the online help to sign up and it told me I didn't need one. And that's the truth.

I just called my son and he said he got the numbers on the US DOT. GOV web site. He was on a job so he did not have access to the exact address. He said he filled out a one page form and they sent him the numbers at no cost. Now its got me thinking I should check into it. Although I run a Farm Plate on my truck and I don't want them thinking I'm using my truck for commerical use. Hope this helps.

(quoted from post at 10:37:10 10/27/10) I just called my son and he said he got the numbers on the US DOT. GOV web site. He was on a job so he did not have access to the exact address. He said he filled out a one page form and they sent him the numbers at no cost. Now its got me thinking I should check into it. Although I run a Farm Plate on my truck and I don't want them thinking I'm using my truck for commerical use. Hope this helps.

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When I looked into it, they would not grant the D.O.T. numbers without proof of commercial insurance, and the commercial insurance writer would not sell the insurance without proof of the D.O.T. numbers, so that made up my mind for me. Anything I haul in or on my truck belongs to me.

I just got done talking to a trucker that I rent some land from. He told me I don't need it and NOT to sign up for it. Said if I do,they'll never take me off their mailing list.

If you have a truck with a GCWR of 10,000 lbs and this truck is used in a business you need a DOT #. This business can be lawn care; farmer; private carrier; and for hire carriers; just to name a few.

The only exemptions are for personal use only such as RV's "OR" if you never cross a state line and live in one of 20 states that do not require DOT #'s for intrastate movement.

Go to the web site below and answer the questions and it will tell you what you need.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/gettingstarted/guide0.10.htm

Listen to John guys, he's up on this stuff. I'll add my 2 cents too. I spent the last 6 years of my career as a DOT cop. Being a farmer doesn't mean you aren't commercial, it just means you get an exemption from SOME of the rules. Better check your state regs 'cuz some, like NY, adopted the FMCSA rules enmass. Those clowns in Albany had NO CLUE what they got themselves into! Anyway, either get with a local association that can help you or hit the diner for breakfast with the DOT cops and start asking questions.

I"m in my 34th year of trucking. Make no mistake, I dont say that to claim expertise on the subject. If your interpretation led you to believe that you dont need one, then by all means print off what you read you if stopped, you can show the officer that you made a good faith attempt at it. I know there are all kinds of horror stories out there, but my experience is that the officers are for the most part fair.

Alright this kind of stuff seems to come up quite a bit,and there is a lot of confusion about it.There is a Owner/Operator,Independent Driver Association called OOIDA.They can probably tell you what you need to know about most anything to do with trucking in the USA.From a cell phone call 816-229-5791.From a landline call 1-800-444-5791 or go to http://www.landlinemag.com/ and if you can somehow get into the archives its probably in there.They are nice folks however and are knowledgeable about trucking issues.

If you ask a cop in one state the next state will be different.I spent 15 years as a OTR truck driver and I know.So be sure and ask what your state says about it and what the law actually says about trucking issues.

Things have gotten more standardized over the years,but there is still some stuff thats different.Plus some of the people that run the association are farmers so they probably know if they use a truck like that.

Just a DOT number basically is about Insurance and other issues and the Federal Government has everybody using them now.Basically the DOT number is used for the same kind of purpose as the old ICC number was.I forget what the difference is now but they added more stuff on it.It has to do with how your trucking is classified.There is a record someplace that will say that you are a farmer,whether or not you haul for other people,what insurance you have,what states you operate in,plus they have some federal road use tax on what you do probably,so you want to ask a lot of questions if you get somebody who knows about this stuff.Maybe you ought to write down all of the questions you can think of before you call.Also you can probably call the Highway patrol in your state to get information on the stuff you dont get an answer for.If not the highway patrol then a scale house or DOT somewhere in your state.

I go all over the country picking up MY tractors. I have a pickup licensed at 12,000lbs and a trailer at 21,000lbs so I am over the magic 26,000lb mark. Per code 390.3f3 in the FMCSA rules I am legal. Hell i dont even stop at the scales. I carry the most recent copy of this logbook with me at all times. Here is the rule:

(f)Exceptions. Unless otherwise specifically provided, the rules in this subchapter do not apply to—

(f)(3) The occasional transportation of personal property by individuals not for compensation nor in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise;


http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=r49CFR390.3-f

Farmers dont ever get bothered.

I have my truck reg at 13000 and combinationed at 33000 per the Maryland and Pa DOT officer that I called. I don't need a DOT number or fuel sticker but was told I needed to stop at scales. I haven't stopped at any yet but I'm sure that I'll get pulled in one day. I have Class A CDL's and health card. If your not commerical you only need an A licence not a CDL but you need a health card. I want to comment on the farm trucks. In maryland you don't need a DOT if your hauling from the field to the farm. Where they get into trouble is when the go to sell at the grain bins. A lot of times the DOT will pull them over there because the are selling for profit. Whatever you read on the web doesn't matter when and if you get pulled over because if you ask 10 different DOT officers you will get 10 different answers. If you don't beleive me call different scales in your area and see all the different answers you get. One last thing I want to comment on is the Minn. rule that anything over 10001 has to have a DOT. I haven't checked with them but isn't that on state roads. I thought that federal hwy was above state law. That would be something to check on. Word to the wise If your going out of state with a personal truck I would check with the different states to make sure they will accept your state rules and try and have them email or fax you a letter saying your ok. I'v travel out of state and haven't had a problem but you never know what officer your going to run into.

You might want to read.....

§383.3(b) The exceptions contained in §390.3(f) of this subchapter do not apply to this part. The employers and drivers identified in §390.3(f) must comply with the requirements of this part, unless otherwise provided in this section.