Been thinking of getting a new or used car trailer to upgrade from the 24 foot one I have now. I bought it used many years ago and I know I am over the trailers tagged weight limit (3500 pound axles) with my Duster, quad, tools, and now sometimes over 55 gallons of alcohol. I found a used (2011) 28 foot Bravo Icon and its a beautiful trailer with 7000 pound axles. I tow 80% of the time with my 3/4 ton Dodge diesel and the rest with my class A 454 motorhome with a Trailer Toad dolly. I know both have the power to tow the added weight as they both do great now BUT how do legalities change. Am I now classified as a combined weight and would there be any other legal issues. One of the main reasons I am doing this is they have been targeting trailers in PA since we had several deaths from trailer (mostly landscaping) breaking away.

2.

That is a good looking trailer... I dont know the
trailer rules in your state... here in Mich the rules
are much different from what I have heard... I dont
even want to trailer in PA

Looks wider than normal? Looks good!

I found an old post on the subject. Now I just have to read and comprehend it all. Thanks Bob.

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...e=2#Post4611784

If your car is lettered or covered with stickers your racing hobby is considered a business. CDL is mandatory in addition to state and fed regs. There is little or no appeal when you receive a ticket. They are usually over $500.00.At this years SEMA show there was a seminar on towing. The rules are being enforced. State regs are usually tougher than the fed. This is a great revenue generator. Motor homes are NOT EXEMPT from these rules. PA has a motorsport caucus. One of the members, a state rep, is a drag racer out of Pittsburgh. It would be worth a petition to get some relief.

Good information. thanks. There will be no lettering on the trailer

Here's the definitive answer. ANY, yes ANY trailer that the gross weigh is over 10,001 lbs., The driver NEEDS (per DOT rules) an "A" class license PERIOD. 5th wheel or tag, there's no difference. There is a "modified A" license that allows you to tow up to 26,000 lbs. Before you all jump on me, I have been on the road for 40+ yrs. The DOT only is interested in COMMERCIAL vehicles. That's why landscapers have been singled out. The regular state police worry about the rest even though they will enforce the DOT laws. Usually they have better things to do and don't mess with private trailers. Now I'm not saying that they never mess with ya but not normally.

Here's what I've learned. States vary all over the place with regulations. Each state has there own. They're impossible to get information from anybody in the government that is 100% correct. They can and will pull people over and ticket them , the fact that you are legal makes no difference. In Michigan we can go to 26,000lbs total if we are non commercial. I called to Pennsylvania and Illinois last year numerous times, the answer, "you should be ok". I know a guy that was ticketed in lllinois with a 24' enclosed, 3/4 ton P/U, no lettering on truck, trailer or car. Unit was 100% legal. He fought it and won but was fron out of state, PAIN IN THE BUTT. That's what they're banking on. That being said I've pulled a enclosed with my 1 ton dually since the early 90's with no issues.
Doug

Hey John,
I just got another trailer and went through this same thing. I finally got a hold of a higher up in the Harrisburg PSP DOT dept. (who happened to have a max wedge car I learned through conversations with him).

The skinny he laid out for me lines up with what I read:

You need a Class A license if towing:
-GCWR is over 26k OR
-Trailer GVWR is over 10k

Class B is necessary if a single vehicle (not towing) is over 26k

So my trailer I figure will be around 11k loaded, truck is 8k, and the trailer is rated for 15k GVWR, so I need a Class A. The trailer GWVR is the trigger that throws me into Class A territory.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/driverLicensePhotoIDCenter/license_classes.shtml

You do not need a CDL to do this, just a non-commercial class A (though the test is the same). He stated if the truck and/or trailer is in a business name as opposed to your personal name arguing the non-commercial fight may be hard, but if in your personal name non-commercial is exactly what you need. Also, according to the DMV over here in June the Class A Non-comm/CDL test is going to get way more difficult, so I'd do it before then.

Hit#2 is plating your truck. It will need to be plated for the actual weight of the combined set-up. So for example in my scenario, 11k trailer +8k truck + 2k misc (people/coolers/etc) puts me at 21k combined, placing me in a Class 8 (438 bucks a year, woof).
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/mv_forms/mv-70s.pdf

Thank you very much for the info. Half the reason I am finally looking to upgrade is to become legal at least axle wise, so you might as well go the whole way. This racing gets very expensive.

Quote:

---

Hit#2 is plating your truck. It will need to be plated for the actual weight of the combined set-up. So for example in my scenario, 11k trailer +8k truck + 2k misc (people/coolers/etc) puts me at 21k combined, placing me in a Class 8 (438 bucks a year, woof).
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/mv_forms/mv-70s.pdf

---

Which means out of state (PA) truck can will not meet this requirement. In Ct truck can only registered to its max GVW, trailer pulling does not factor in.

Our state doesn't even have "class A, B etc. Either standard, chauffeur, or CDL. That''s the dumb thing. I'm legal in Michigan, anywhere else??? Michigan doesn't inspect cars like pa and some other states. I still drive my Mi. car there. This is why it's a can of worms. I'll bet no one else from other states has unlimited medical insurance required in Mi. for car insurance, they don't ticket you. It should all be standardised, it's nothing more than a money grab. Besides who's to say because something is lettered it's a "for profit" deal. Plenty of lettered up clones.
Doug

Again here are some of the issues that exist for racers. There is the Fed law and then there are the state laws. Fed laws are uniform throughout the 50 states. State laws vary according to each state. For racers the problem arises-are you racing for money doing it as a business. Other than professional teams the feds and states look for tell tale signs. First, does the car, trailer, motorhome or tow vehicle have lettering that indicates a business venture...Bob's Texaco, Silver Plating Inc., High Flying Cuda etc. If you get pulled over and they ask you to open the enclosed trailer, will they find a lettered car. The old sign"NOT FOR HIRE " is not antedote for being pulled over. The follow up is, if you are given a citation you may need to prove to the contrary. As per the IRS... 8,000.00 in car expenses and only a $50.00 check for round money makes you a business. IRS rules about auto racing are very screwy. In the state of PA only state troopers were allowed to pull over and cite trucks, truck/trailers. Now local townships can do this if there are trained. As I said before, this is a real money maker for local government. As you go through different townships on your way to race, look for police cars that are stationed near turnpikes and major roads. They are usually looking for tractor trailers, flat bed tow trucks and P.O.S. There are usually posts on line when there is a large race reminding drivers to be updated with driver regs. Does this mean that everyone will be stopped? No. But government is always hungry for $. Things have really changed. SEMA is working on this issue for motorhomes. Racers as a group in general need to work together on this issue. This is not to scare anyone. Just info that needs to be known

any type of monetary value constitutes a bussiness. mich does have class a and b licence on a cdl.

Michigan has very light laws on towing, trailering and weight restrictions...Its the biggest reason our roads are so screwed up..