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US DOT number on farm trucks

alabama

Well-known member
I spent most of the day at the Cattlemen’s association board meeting today. One of the speakers was an Alabama State trooper talking about this requirement for truck trailer combinations with GVW more that 10,000 pounds. From what I understand there is more to this than meets the eye. He said, to start his talk, that all we needed to do was apply for a number and post it on our truck and it would not cost us one dime. However, after a heated question and answer session there is more to it that that.
Let me list out what I understand will be required in this following example.

Lets take a pickup truck like a GMC 1500 with a GVW of 6200 pounds pulling a small two axial trailer rated at 3500 pounds per axial or a trailer with 7000-pound GVW. That is a total GVW of 13,200 pounds and over the 10,000 cut off. This could be a 16 foot cattle trailer or a 16 utility trailer, which we see every day.
From what I understood, the operator would need the following.

1) Us DOT number displayed on the side of the truck so that it can be read from 50 feet. Along with a Farm name also displayed.
2) A medical card just like the one required for a CDL.
3) A safety inspection for both the truck and trailer.

I think this will knock a lot of small Alabama farmers out of the business just for the trouble of havling off a few cows or calves. It is a federal law so we will need help on the national level to raise the GVW requerment.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Yep, They gonna grab all these guys with a trailer load of lawnmowers too.

Here's your Farm Exemption link but you can't go out of state or more than 150 miles from home.

http://www.dps.state.al.us/public/highwaypatrol/mc/pdf/FARMEREXEMPTIONS.pdf
 

alabama

Well-known member
Mike: From what we were told today, the farm exemption will not cover you on this one. It does not matter what the rig weighs but what the manufactures GVW rating is. Therefore, even if you are empty and well under 10,000 actual weight, you still must comply since the manufactures GVW is in excess of the 10,000 pounds. A farm tag will not get you out of this one.
 

Mike

Well-known member
alabama said:
Mike: From what we were told today, the farm exemption will not cover you on this one. It does not matter what the rig weighs but what the manufactures GVW rating is. Therefore, even if you are empty and well under 10,000 actual weight, you still must comply since the manufactures GVW is in excess of the 10,000 pounds. A farm tag will not get you out of this one.

I hope you are wrong but not entirely sure you are.

I read the same thing in the paper you are saying!

Both my pickups are over 9600 lbs. GVW, and yes, I did get a letter. :???:
 

alabama

Well-known member
We will have to be in compliance by the first of June or they may have said the first of July. Either way that is way soon.
I am sure that Dr. Powel will put somthing out in the Cattleman's mag soon.
You know this is not just Alabama.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
SO you are saying my one ton dualy with the 24 foot gooseneck is going to be a bigger pia to drive than it already is? You are saying this is federal and not a local thing? I wonder, is this going to apply to folks hauling campers, boats and... Heck, whatever else they are hauling.. Doesn't take much to go over a 10000 GVW raiting.. I think my old 1/2 ton and tow behind beat that..

:mad:
 

Mike

Well-known member
IL Rancher said:
SO you are saying my one ton dualy with the 24 foot gooseneck is going to be a bigger pia to drive than it already is? You are saying this is federal and not a local thing? I wonder, is this going to apply to folks hauling campers, boats and... Heck, whatever else they are hauling.. Doesn't take much to go over a 10000 GVW raiting.. I think my old 1/2 ton and tow behind beat that..

:mad:

Recreational vehicles are totally exempt. Yes, these are Federal rules.
 

alabama

Well-known member
Well I went to the web site to get my number and I am still confused.
As I read it, I need a hazardous materials number. I get fertilizer at the coop, which is an oxidizer. Now that I haul an oxidizer now I need $5,000,000 in liability insurance.
What is this world coming to? It ain't bad enough that I have to pay $350 a ton for fertilizer now I have to have five million in insurance to haul it. The insurance will cost more than the fertilizer.
I think it just may be cheaper to pay the fine.
 

Mike

Well-known member
alabama said:
Well I went to the web site to get my number and I am still confused.
As I read it, I need a hazardous materials number. I get fertilizer at the coop, which is an oxidizer. Now that I haul an oxidizer now I need $5,000,000 in liability insurance.
What is this world coming to? It ain't bad enough that I have to pay $350 a ton for fertilizer now I have to have five million in insurance to haul it. The insurance will cost more than the fertilizer.
I think it just may be cheaper to pay the fine.

May be that if you get a fertilizer buggy from the Co-op their insurance will cover the trip?

I ain't gonna get a dang hazardous materials number. Heck, I may not even get a DOT number. Maybe they would let me do "Community Service"?
 

katrina

Well-known member
D.O.T.s are a pain in the ass. MY husband use to run a dot number and you had to guess the number of miles you were going. He guessed to many and the state of Nebraska would not reinburse him for his milage. South Dakota did thou.
 

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