How much does your rig weigh?

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I was talking to a friend the other day and we were discussing regulations on welding rigs, and trucks etc...  He said that he had read that if a one ton truck weighs over 10,000 pounds and is used commercially that it "should" have DOT numbers.  Well neither of us have ever seen or known anyone who actually had DOT numbers on there rig, or anyone who had a problem without having them.   Also there was a question on O/A bottles.  He stated that according to OSHA that ALL bottles are supposed to be standing upright.  Well there again.  My own as well as alot of others have Oxy bottles laying down.  My truck fully loaded with me on the truck weighs 10,600 pounds.  I could easily shave that to under 10,000 without me in it, and I could stand up the bottles, but is it all really worth it?  So I just thought I would ask here and see what the general opinion is.  What are your experiences?I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:FYI, some of the stuff you are talking about is dependany upon if it is an INTERstate or INTRAstate vehicle. if the vehicle ever leaves the state for work, then it falls under FEDERAL DOT standards and regulations. if it stays within any given state, then it is up to the state and/or local DOT mandations. depending on the rig and the locale, you may also be required to have a CDL to legally operate your rig. about the only guys that i have ever known to actually care about most of this is the state patrol (specifically the commercial division) and the federal DOT patrols (rare). if you really WANT the DOT numbers, lemme know and i can get you what you need. according to the fed DOT, they need to have your DOT number visible from 50 feet in a stationary position (not moving) and be in contrasting colors to the vehicle for easy and quick ID. i have also heard that it is nice for OTR truckers to keep the last 8 digits of their VIN on the truck to keep them from getting pulled behind the weight station. once again tho, this is dependent a lot upon what exactly your truck is.Later,Andy
Reply:if i remember right air breaks is what gets DOT to look at your truckChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:I just got a new personal / work rig in PA. At the time I got the truck I was having problems with a pesky neighbor. He has been complaining to the township about my F250 with cap and my plow being "commercial". According to the dealer as long as the truck was registered under 14K, PennDOT does not consider it commercial and I do not have to pull on to scales. I do know if you go over 17K you need a fuel tax sticker in PA and an IFTA sticker if you go out of state.Most of the smaller trucks I have seen around here with posted weights or numbers seem to be from New Jersey so the law there my be different.
Reply:Well, I just looked at the Georgia DOT site, and it says basically ANY vehicle with a GVWR of 10,001 is considered a commercial vehicle.  I personally have never had any problems, but then again I don't really want any.  Also living on the state line and doing work in Georgia and Alabama i haven't thought about the federal part of the equation.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Hammack, you will want to get a DOT number being that you work also in Alabama. I know that rule to be true. I guess the best thing you can do it to check with your local driver license facility about the rules. Or ask anywhere that does truck inspections.I know with my truck I have to have a inspection every 6 months, same for my trailer. They told me if I get a DOT number then I can do it only once a year.Patriot Performance AutoLincoln Power Mig 255CLincoln AC-225 StickVictor Journeyman O/AQuincy QT-5 Compressor
Reply:my opinion would be to not lay an acetylene bottle on its side, oxygen isnt a big deal.there have been many cases of acetylene bottle going kaboom from being laid over on there side during use, leaking the acetone, seperating the mixture, and the rest is historyanyways flame on
Reply:In New York State, the bottles are supposed to be standing up, capped and "secured".  Anything over 10,000 needs DOT #s.My truck weighs 8600 with out the plow.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Opinions don't matter.You need to find out what the applicable laws and regulations are.  Because they will vary from state to state.
Reply:Moonrise, you are correct.  My only problem is that I have roamed the US DOT site and can't find a definition for just "what" a commercial vehicle is.  I know the State says anything over 10,000 is a commercial vehicle, but I can't find anything on the Federal site.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Without regard to the vehicle weight.  The fact that you use your vehicle to generate income/provide a service makes it a commercial vehicle.  Many years ago when I worked for Sherwin-Williams delivering paint and sheetrock mud in a company owned 1 ton pickup truck, I was told that I had to stop at the scales if I passed them and that truck had dot numbers on both sides.  It was just a stock single cab 1500 chevy.  Of course laws could have or even probably have changed in the last 18 years since I worked there.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 3200HD Wire Feed WelderHypertherm Powermax 30 Plasma CutterLincoln Electric Port-A-Torch
Reply:I drive a company vehicle  (Bucket Truck) in Oregon its got truck plates on it and is licensed for weight 12000 I think even though it weighs about 14000 it has no dot numbers and I don't stop at scales in oregon commercial vehicles that haul for hire need a PUC plate and you don't have to stop at scales until you weigh 26000
Reply:The company truck I use has Commercial plates, but I've never heard one way or the other about pulling into weigh stations with it. Here in NY there are some rules that seem unusual. With my previous employer, often I would have to drive a 15 foot cube van(dually pickup chassis, no air brakes, 11,000 weight according to the door sticker). It wasn't until a coworker was pulled over in NJ(and ticketed for driving out of class) that our safety guy decided to find out the rules. We found out that you can drive these without a CDL BUT, if you drive more than 100 miles from your terminal and/or cross a state line, you must posess a valid DOT physical AND have a current logbook.
Reply:Commercial or not isn't the big question or issue here.Heck, a little sub-compact 3 cylinder Geo Metro could be a commercial vehicle!  If the company/owner chooses to register it that way.Air brakes means CDL needed.OK, you made me look some stuff up.  Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and even if I was I'm not your lawyer and this is not legal advise, etc, etc.Jackson, you have to get a DOT number if your truck is registered as a commercial vehicle.  Per the FMCSA, they reference that Georgia requires a federal DOT number for all commercial vehicles as part of their commercial vehicle registration regulations.  Even though you might not have needed a federal DOT number per the Fed's classifications, Georgia says you have to jump through those hoops to even get the commercial vehicle registration.http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registratio...tion-USDOT.htmIf your rig has a weight or weight rating (GVW, GVWR, GCW, or GCWR) of 10,001 pounds or more, the Feds define that as a commercial vehicle. Part 350.105  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regul...ection=350.105Per the Feds, regardless of weight a commercial vehicle also triggers for 16 or more passengers including driver, or if Haz-Mat is transported and required to be placarded.If your rig weighs 10,600, it better have a GVWR of greater than 10,600 pounds or you could (and should) get ticketed for an overloaded vehicle.It sounds like your rig is a commercial vehicle based on the weight, per both GA and the Feds.  Because it is a commercial vehicle, Georgia says you have to have a Fed DOT number and all that hoopla.I'll leave it up to you to figure out all the hoopla, like driver logs, company record keeping requirements, vehicle inspections, etc, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseOK, you made me look some stuff up.  Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and even if I was I'm not your lawyer and this is not legal advise, etc, etc.
Reply:Moonrise,With respect to the air brakes...In PA, the commercial drivers liscence is required based only on the weight of the vehicle being in exess of 26,000# . I don't know if this is similar on the federal level or not. It is probably a moot point for the most part, but there are trucks under 26,000# with air brakes and no CDL needed. The company I work for has a broom/sweeper truck that fits the bill. It's interesting that you found the 10,000# federal def. of commercial vehicle.  Just one more way to get some taxes associated with it methinks.
Reply:On a lighter side.....I used to drive a truck with a 1000 gallon tank that weighs 79,000#, with air brakes.  It had no DOT numbers and never has to stop at the scales and I did not need a CDL to drive it.Who can tell me what this truck is?If you want a hint, read through my profile.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 3200HD Wire Feed WelderHypertherm Powermax 30 Plasma CutterLincoln Electric Port-A-Torch
Reply:I dunno, but it begins with an F and ends with UCK.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by David RI dunno, but it begins with an F and ends with UCK.  David
Reply:Originally Posted by daddyMoonrise,With respect to the air brakes...In PA, the commercial drivers liscence is required based only on the weight of the vehicle being in exess of 26,000# . I don't know if this is similar on the federal level or not. It is probably a moot point for the most part, but there are trucks under 26,000# with air brakes and no CDL needed. The company I work for has a broom/sweeper truck that fits the bill. It's interesting that you found the 10,000# federal def. of commercial vehicle.  Just one more way to get some taxes associated with it methinks.
Reply:In New York State, you can drive as big a motor home as they make on a passenger drivers license.  It also gets a passenger inspection.   Go figure.I am a new York state motor vehicle inspector.  I can inspect cars and trucks any size.  The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) has totally different rules that have nothing to do with safety inspections.  go figure again.ANYTHING over 26,000 lbs GVW (except motor homes) needs a CDL in this state.  Who the hell would drive a truck that big with out air brakes?  The line is a little more blurry from 18,000 to 26,000 lbs.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:DSW,Yes, I believe our sweeper truck is registered as "special mobile".I have a current PA class A CDL, and the only endorsement I have is N (Tanker). I am curious enough to do some looking...The 10,000#-26,000# area seems to raise alot of questions.
Reply:As far as I can tell there is no air brake endorsement. PA defines the class of vehicle based only on weight, (or motocycle). This includes motorhomes over 26K needing class A lic.Http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/driverLic..._classes.shtmlStill looking for the commercial distinction. Notice in the link they seperate commercial and non in the classes.
Reply:None of the one ton welding rigs I ran in New Mexico had DOT numbers and we frequently crossed into Texas. Right by the port of entry in fact. I'm in Louisiana now and all I have to have is a chauffeur's license. I work out of a 3/4 ton extended cab Chevy diesel with a Ranger/Trailblazer size machine in the back, and carry my bottles laying down and capped. DOT comes through frequently due to all the salvage yards in the area and they have never said anything to me.I used to have a class a cdl and air brakes were an endorsement on it. If I remember correctly the classes were weight based, but it has been awhile so things may have changed.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:It seems to be 26K in PA for commercialhttp://www.dot3.state.pa.us/pdotform...ets/fs-cdl.pdfI did notice some mention of air brake restrictions on licenses. Maybe that is automatic when you have class C, but you could have the restriction removed by testing? I do know that the air brake test is a seperate section now.Jackson, I hope you are at least finding some of this interesting... It's a bit away from your original question.Originally Posted by daddyIt seems to be 26K in PA for commercialhttp://www.dot3.state.pa.us/pdotform...ets/fs-cdl.pdfI did notice some mention of air brake restrictions on licenses. Maybe that is automatic when you have class C, but you could have the restriction removed by testing? I do know that the air brake test is a seperate section now.Jackson, I hope you are at least finding some of this interesting... It's a bit away from your original question.
Reply:I live in Kalifornia.  Here, any pickup, regardless of size, including mini trucks, as well as all cargo (panel) vans, are automatically registered as commercial vehicles, are issued commercial license plates, and pay commercial vehicle weight fees at registration.  I paid an extra $150, IIRC, for the weight fee for my F350 this year.   I pay a weight for the little mini truck I drive too, even though it is a personal vehicle.   You don't get a choice here.  If it can carry cargo, it's commercial, regardless of how or where it's used, what kind of cargo it carries (if any), how much it weighs or who's on the registration.  It has nothing to do with work or safety, it's simply the state's way of maximizing revenues.My truck weighs about 10,000 lbs on the scale at the dump and has a GVWR of 9200 lbs and has no special placarding on it.  The truck stays within the state unless I visit relatives in AZ.  So far, no problems....MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op