Any NYers to help out with some state specific questions on personal use dumptruck...

[Orgnoi1]

Hey all!

I have been tossing around the idea of picking up a 1-ton dump to replace our current F250 plow truck and to allow us to pick up material for our home and a RC track we also have on our property... I feel like someones virtually fighting me on this so I need some help...

I am hearing a lot of issues with DOT inspections, Insurance, Loan applications, and personal usages... The first being that my credit union wouldnt give me a loan for something that they think is for "business only" because who in their right mind would have a dump body truck for personal use... the next thing is I need some guidance on "personal use" in NY... people are telling me I just put "Not for Hire" on the sides of the truck and that should be enough to bypass DOT bs... is that true? last but certainly not least has anyone set up a personal insurance plan on a F450/550 or has it always fallen under business applications...

Thanks all in advance... this is all new to me...

[Orgnoi1]

Yup... thanks for all the insight...

[Raildudes dad]

I'm not from NY but I believe the issues are the same everywhere. Home owner / personal insurance carriers don't want to insure "commercial" trucks even for personal use. I bought "Toymans" 1987 Ford LTL9000 w/ 25 ton lowboy trailer on this forum because I own a couple pieces of antique construction equipment. Every thing is pure hobby, no commercial use. My insurance agent could not get me a policy for the truck w/o me having a commercial business account. He had a buddy that would insure me, only for liability, but looking at the policy it was listed as a "construction business". That made me uncomfortable. My solution was Gulfway out of Florida as an antique collector truck but that's exactly what it is for me.

Motor carrier regs are another story. I have to run commercial plates because MI doesn't recognize antique big trucks until they are 27 years old (got 2 more years to go). That runs $100 / month for 54,000 lbs. Fortunately I can buy 3 month plates and not plate it during the winter. I have a CDL / medical card thru my employer so that's not an issue. Motor carrier enforcement advised me to put my name on the truck, get a DOT number and "Not For Hire" on the side. His other advice was "keep it shiny and they will give you the green light at the weigh station". So far I've been thru weigh stations in MI WI and MN and have gotten the green light every time

Best advice on the Motor carrier regs I can give is make an appointment with an enforcement supervisor before you buy anything and certainly before you get pulled over. Ask for documentation is writing for the answers you get.

[Orgnoi1]

I appreciate the response... I decided on a 350/3500 class truck as they can hopefully be insured a little easier than dealing with a 450/550 class truck... and since this is for our home I definately dont need a LTL

[hvy 1ton]

Staying away from the 4/5 class trucks is a solid plan. Until they derated the F450 pickup even it had to be insured on a commercial account. If you can qualify for farm tags, register it as a farm truck and letter the truck up with the farm name. That'll will probably still work even if you can't qualify for farm plates. That's working on the assumption that your local LEO's leave the farm stuff alone like they do here.

[Dualie]

id buy a dump trailer personally. save the hassle and have a 1 ton pickup that you could use for other things.

[tuney443]

Regarding DOT compliance I would not try the ''not for hire'' routine.It might work sometimes but eventually you will be admonished.Just do it--not a big deal at all and all it's going to cost you is for the signage on your truck.

[Orgnoi1]

Even though this ISNT going to be for any sort of work? This is going to be for my home and no other reason... I am not sure if I grasp you "It may work sometimes" comment?

[tuney443]

Even though this ISNT going to be for any sort of work? This is going to be for my home and no other reason... I am not sure if I grasp you "It may work sometimes" comment?

The interpretation factor.EVERY DOT officer is programmed differently AND the mood he is in that minute,hour,or day might determine how your situation goes down.

[cetane]

Lol. Do you really want the truth? I guarantee you WILL hate it.

First I have dealt with the bureau of compliance, they are the ones that issue you the "DOT" numbers.

Any vehicle in NY state that has a GVWR, CGVWR of 10001 and over has to have DOT numbers. Period! I have the fines to prove it dont bother to argue. Does not matter if personal or not.
Now there are a few small ways around that.
1) Farm or Agricultural plates up to 26000 lbs.
2) Personal use only, as in I get in to truck and drive it to my office job, then drive it home. Not buying anything and then putting it in the bed to bring home. I was there arguing with the idiots in there office on wolf road, no way around this. As I said I have a 2005 ford F350 crew single wheel that has a GVWR of 11500. There response was "No one buys a truck that big for personal use". I dont own any cars, never have.
Now the next great part.
You are now under the same rules and regulations (laws) as a company that has 150+ tractor trailers running cross county.
11 hours only max driving per day.
Driver qualification file, driver DMV abstract, job application (but its my own truck? "Doesnt matter, its in the law book", yes thats what he said) copy of current DOT physical, current drug test program (if you have any vehicles over 26000)
Daily inspection reports, drivers daily log, receipts of every repair done to vehicle (whether you do it yourself or not)

Now this all came from the "random" audit that they came to do on me. They have a lottery system that spits out numbers to be randomly audited.

I went the agricultural way with the little truck I have now so I dont have to deal with these turds.

Yes if you get caught it is a real pain in the ass. Not saying you will, just telling you all of the crap you are supposed to do. My suggestion is not get the dot numbers and pay the fine every time you get a ticket for not having them. Most of the time "they" wont bother you in a small truck, but when they dooooooooo. This is what can happen.

Now the background, I have had tri-axles and tractor trailer dumps and log trucks for 20 years and this is not my first rodeo. If you would like to argue, go to the DOT building on wolf road in Albany, sign in at the security desk and ask for the bureau of compliance on the 6th floor. Remember they get payed every two weeks whether you can drive your truck or not.

[Orgnoi1]

LOL nothing wrong with some truth... I dont mind...

I am surprised about the personal use deal though... says right on their page you can not get DOT numbers if its for personal use... I DO understand the whole "who in their right mind would have a dump for personal use" as thats what my credit union said when I discussed a loan... even though they did a bobcat as a recreational loan...