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BrianJasper co. Ia 03-04-2012 10:52:39 67.142.130.12 Report to Moderator

Bumper hitch or gooseneck makes NO difference in determining private or commercial in Iowa. Unhooking the trailer from the bed and putting it on the bumper? Is that even possible? I highly doubt a bumper hitch is going to take the load of a fully loaded gooseneck. I call BS on that part of the story. The wife being allowed to drive with no CDL logbook med card after the man was put out of service? I call BS on that one too. Iowa uses federal regs for in state regs. If the guy bought the tractor to take back to Ne to farm with, commercial regs apply. Having specifically asked and been shown what the regs are for commercial, it's not too tough to figure it out. If you have a trailer hooked to your truck, and you're over 10K, the following applies: If you're hauling the tractor to do work for pay or the furtherance of a commercial operation (farm), commercial regs apply. If you're hauling a tractor to a show or contest where you will be competing for prize money, or have a sponsor paying part or all costs involved, you're commercial. If you're hauling your tractor to a show, you won't be winning any sort of compensation, you have no sponsor helping pay for anything, you aren't showcasing your restoration abilities for hire, not advertising you and your tractor for hire, you're private and commercial regs do not apply. You still must comply with safety regulations. The power unit (truck) must be registered for the weight of the truck and however much weight that the loaded trailer adds to the truck, NOT the total weight of the complete vehicle. You cannot excede the gross combined weight for the vehicle as stated on the vehicle specification plate. Trailers over 10K capacity must pass a yearly inspection. A quick call to Motor Carrier Enforcement is all you need to do to find out what you need to be legal. [Reply]   [No Email]