[Fot] towing and DOT

[Rocky Entriken]

The first thing the trooper is going to do is eyeball what it APPEARS you 
are doing, and if it APPEARS commercial he may stop and check you out.

Hauling a Spitfire on an open single-axle trailer behind an automobile 
(originally; behind a van* the past many years) I never created that image, 
although I did get stopped once in connection with a curious Kansas law --  
trailers under 2000 lbs loaded weight are not required to have tags. But 
mine looked as if it might be over 2M.
Trooper (very politely): "You know you're required to have a tag on that 
trailer."
Myself (very innocently): "But officer, the car only weights 1405 lbs, I can 
show you in the rulebook, and the trailer's only 500."
Trooper (very gently): "Well, I guess you know what you're talking about." 
And he went back to his car and drove off.

We won't get into how much overweight my car is.  :-)  But soon after I went 
to a local TV shop and bought one of those tags that say "KANSAS - Under 
2M." Never had a problem since. Not even in other states.

* Another Kansas quirk -- a van used as personal transportation is a car and 
carries car tags; a van used commercially is a truck and wears truck tags. 
Mine has car tags, of course.

--Rocky Entriken

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Babcock" <Billb at bnj.com>
To: <fpspitfire at comcast.net>
Cc: <Fot at autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Fot] towing and DOT


>I only wish the regulations were consistently enforced and perhaps a  bit 
>more rational. The idea that someone can go to an RV store and buy  a rig 
>that weighs more than 20,000 pounds and drive off without  special training 
>is disconcerting. For that matter the idea that I  don't need any special 
>training or licensing to hook a 34 foot  airstream up to my F350 and drive 
>all over the country seems absurd.  I'm pretty sure everyone that tows 
>their car to the track has had one  of those moments when you realize that 
>you're driving a very  compromised vehicle.
>
> On Apr 22, 2009, at 7:47 AM, fpspitfire at comcast.net wrote:
>
>> A couple years ago the MazdaTrix guys were headed to runoffs and had 
>> their
>> Toterhome/trailer impounded at a DOT inspection station in Arizona  for 
>> not
>> complying with the regs.B  The rig wasn't released until a licensed 
>> commercial
>> driver showed up to take it away.
>>
>>
>>
>> There is a big gray area with racers tow vehicles and the  requirements.B
>> Certainly in the SCCA world because of contingencies it is considered
>> commercial.
>>
>>
>>
>> I think someone else was hit for violating the per axle weight on a 
>> toter on
>> the Pennsylvania turnpike.
>>
>>
>>
>> The regs are too confusing for me.B  I'll keep the 16' trailer and 
>> explorer to
>> tow with
>>
>>
>>
>> aaron johnson
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