If your ever anywhere near the Midwest, this is what you'll need for your trip, just to name a few.
As has been stated, if its a LLC, nothing is personal, same goes for pulling a trailer over 10,001 gvw, the pickup alone maybe if its in your personal name, both licensed and insured, once the trailer is hooked up, sorry about the personal exemption that's gone or still there but require a cdl anyhow.
Your crossing state lines, you need a trip permit, be in IFTA with fuel tax stickers on the door, a valid class A cdl in your wallet, an up to date medical card in there as well, or else your cdl is invalid.
A registered dot number on both sides of your truck, permanently stuck on, visible to any officer or from all scale houses.
To go through all scales that are open, even empty, most require you be 6,000 lbs, know your empty weight, and just to be sure pass through the first one anyhow, they're looking for dot numbers on your side anyhow.
In order to even get a trip permit, you have to have up to date insurance, with enough liability for the state's your traveling to give you a permit, they also check your driving record, and the license on your pickup, you do have it licensed for 35,000 lbs don't you??
Did you contact your insurance company, did they give you permission to take this trip, which I'd doubt, but if you didn't, they'll find out when you apply for a trip permit, if you don't have insurance or enough insurance, and get caught in a state that doesn't care what you were told, like most don't, add those to the list of fines as well, pleading ignorance isn't an excuse, telling anyone someone told you over the phone you could without problems, isn't an excuse either.
You'll have to abide by any and all laws in the state's your traveling through, first is everything listed above, plus axle weights, tire weight ratings, a fire extinguisher, triangles, nothing on the dash of your pickup, nothing near you in the cab, everything behind the seat or as has been stated, tidy and in its place.
Tire depths must be in compliance, same for brake conditions, if its electric brakes on the trailer, it must meet each states criteria for a backup breakaway, does it have a battery with a date stamped on it, that's still within compliance?, does it work?
Do you have dot approved chains and binders, are the chains stamped with a weight rating and still visible, do you know how to use them in accordance with the dot rules in each state?
Are there any oil or heaven forbid, fuel leaks on your pickup or what your hauling?
Make sure you have proof of purchase that meets each states criteria of documentation, not just a hand written note from john doe scribbled on the back of McDonalds wrapper.
Your pickup, trailer need inspection reports done on them, they need to be current, have the forms in your pickup, same with all your paperwork, in most states that or any paperwork can only be copied once, you can't fax them multiple times or they get distorted.
You'll need a log book, current and accurate, you'd better not be speeding or try to doctor the log book in any way, most are smart enough to run a calculator, especially with as many officers and how long they're going to working on you when you get caught.
You'd better not be involved in an accident in any way, heaven forbid if your found at fault, if its involving an car, your pretty much at fault, that's a given, the courts will hash out your personal status your claiming, then they have you, your truck, trailer and load and nothing but time to hash over how many things to fine you for, and pay before your let go, most states don't take a check. If the accident is with someone within their state, no matter who, they'll even check the color of your underwear to make sure they have enough documentation for the upcoming lawsuit and their states citizens to win big time, while you claim your exempt from all the laws due to personal use, that LLC status might not be enough to prevent your house from being involved, since YOUR the operator, but the courts can decide that one too, many have tried that defense only to lose in court, remember that one about every lawyer is right, until they get to court then they have a 50/50 chance of being right.
Are there any rust holes in the frame of the truck or trailer, is everything fixed and gone over with a fine tooth comb, don't worry someone somewhere will do it for you maybe not on your behalf, but will do it just the same.
Has anyone altered the hitch on the trailer and was it approved, did you even ask or run it by your local dot office to have someone look at it, or call to have someone come out, document the whole ordeal, is the truck hitch approved, did you do the same thing with the pickup's hitch?
By chance what's the pickups manufacturers pulling gvw on the truck, is it at least 24,000lbs or more, do you have that information in your paperwork in the cab?
You have to abide by log book hours, most will ask for slips for fuel or hotels you've stayed in, depending on the officer, might want to keep them organized just in case.
No cracks, chips or knicks in the glass on the truck anywhere, as has been stated, keep it clean, mainly to view your dot numbers on the side, if not there, someone will probably stop you to ask why not.
All the lights working at all times, do the electric brakes lock up when the breakaway coupler is pulled, and stay locked when you drive ahead and pull evenly as they are locked?
It depends on the state, but most don't consider anything that digs dirt to be personal, most will fine you and you get to argue it in court later on, my state won't even entertain the idea of dirt equipment being personal, but we do have to only register the empty weight of the truck and trailer, not gvw as long as we don't cross state lines, but they upped our permits so its a wash in the end anyhow and if you cross state lines, none of it apply.
I'm sure I'm missing a couple hundred things, but its a start, also if an officer in another state doesn't buy the personal exemption thing, this list applies before you move anything, are you prepared to get it all in compliance along the side of the road, I think on some of them, you have 15 minutes to get it up to date, but maybe that's just to provide proof of insurance and update the log book, while the officer does the walk around of your truck and trailer.
I've been told by enough barney fife's over the years what I was legal to do, only to argue and royally tick off an officer and lose in the end anyhow, now I ask my insurance company if I can do what whatever it is I'm thinking, call each state and ask, contact my own dot office within state, figure 90 percent are lying or don't know, hope for the best and plan for the worst and use the worst case scenario imaginable, and when I get pulled over, toss everything out and sit and wait it out, not argue with an officer, get my ticket and hope to not be red tagged and call my attorney afterwards to have him do his homework to see if I can argue it in court, or just shut up and pay it, if its not a moving violation, I just pay it, I've never yet won one in court, doubt I ever will, if its a moving violation, I also get to pay an attorney who at best has a 50 percent chance of winning, if with just a judge, maybe its lowered to under 10 percent chance of winning but worth trying all the same if its in question, but then again I lost faith in the system many thousands of dollars ago, all paid in fines.
90 percent of the time you'll luck out and not have issues, but if you do have issues, you have been warned by many here already, just be prepared, my statement of hiring it hauled still stands, same for driving the pickup only out to look at the machine, but then I'm not lucky, I've never won the lotto, and have paid my share of fines after being told by many I was legal and up to date, only once in all the years of driving have I ever been pulled over and not fined, he just couldn't find anything wrong, but before I made it home, another older officer got me just the same for a block sticking out of my lowboy sump, over 50 percent of the way, and not chained down, that of course was a judgment call on the officers behalf, imagine that, he determined 51 percent of the block stuck out rather than only 50 percent, and you want to argue personal exemption from all rules??
As has been stated, if its a LLC, nothing is personal, same goes for pulling a trailer over 10,001 gvw, the pickup alone maybe if its in your personal name, both licensed and insured, once the trailer is hooked up, sorry about the personal exemption that's gone or still there but require a cdl anyhow.
Your crossing state lines, you need a trip permit, be in IFTA with fuel tax stickers on the door, a valid class A cdl in your wallet, an up to date medical card in there as well, or else your cdl is invalid.
A registered dot number on both sides of your truck, permanently stuck on, visible to any officer or from all scale houses.
To go through all scales that are open, even empty, most require you be 6,000 lbs, know your empty weight, and just to be sure pass through the first one anyhow, they're looking for dot numbers on your side anyhow.
In order to even get a trip permit, you have to have up to date insurance, with enough liability for the state's your traveling to give you a permit, they also check your driving record, and the license on your pickup, you do have it licensed for 35,000 lbs don't you??
Did you contact your insurance company, did they give you permission to take this trip, which I'd doubt, but if you didn't, they'll find out when you apply for a trip permit, if you don't have insurance or enough insurance, and get caught in a state that doesn't care what you were told, like most don't, add those to the list of fines as well, pleading ignorance isn't an excuse, telling anyone someone told you over the phone you could without problems, isn't an excuse either.
You'll have to abide by any and all laws in the state's your traveling through, first is everything listed above, plus axle weights, tire weight ratings, a fire extinguisher, triangles, nothing on the dash of your pickup, nothing near you in the cab, everything behind the seat or as has been stated, tidy and in its place.
Tire depths must be in compliance, same for brake conditions, if its electric brakes on the trailer, it must meet each states criteria for a backup breakaway, does it have a battery with a date stamped on it, that's still within compliance?, does it work?
Do you have dot approved chains and binders, are the chains stamped with a weight rating and still visible, do you know how to use them in accordance with the dot rules in each state?
Are there any oil or heaven forbid, fuel leaks on your pickup or what your hauling?
Make sure you have proof of purchase that meets each states criteria of documentation, not just a hand written note from john doe scribbled on the back of McDonalds wrapper.
Your pickup, trailer need inspection reports done on them, they need to be current, have the forms in your pickup, same with all your paperwork, in most states that or any paperwork can only be copied once, you can't fax them multiple times or they get distorted.
You'll need a log book, current and accurate, you'd better not be speeding or try to doctor the log book in any way, most are smart enough to run a calculator, especially with as many officers and how long they're going to working on you when you get caught.
You'd better not be involved in an accident in any way, heaven forbid if your found at fault, if its involving an car, your pretty much at fault, that's a given, the courts will hash out your personal status your claiming, then they have you, your truck, trailer and load and nothing but time to hash over how many things to fine you for, and pay before your let go, most states don't take a check. If the accident is with someone within their state, no matter who, they'll even check the color of your underwear to make sure they have enough documentation for the upcoming lawsuit and their states citizens to win big time, while you claim your exempt from all the laws due to personal use, that LLC status might not be enough to prevent your house from being involved, since YOUR the operator, but the courts can decide that one too, many have tried that defense only to lose in court, remember that one about every lawyer is right, until they get to court then they have a 50/50 chance of being right.
Are there any rust holes in the frame of the truck or trailer, is everything fixed and gone over with a fine tooth comb, don't worry someone somewhere will do it for you maybe not on your behalf, but will do it just the same.
Has anyone altered the hitch on the trailer and was it approved, did you even ask or run it by your local dot office to have someone look at it, or call to have someone come out, document the whole ordeal, is the truck hitch approved, did you do the same thing with the pickup's hitch?
By chance what's the pickups manufacturers pulling gvw on the truck, is it at least 24,000lbs or more, do you have that information in your paperwork in the cab?
You have to abide by log book hours, most will ask for slips for fuel or hotels you've stayed in, depending on the officer, might want to keep them organized just in case.
No cracks, chips or knicks in the glass on the truck anywhere, as has been stated, keep it clean, mainly to view your dot numbers on the side, if not there, someone will probably stop you to ask why not.
All the lights working at all times, do the electric brakes lock up when the breakaway coupler is pulled, and stay locked when you drive ahead and pull evenly as they are locked?
It depends on the state, but most don't consider anything that digs dirt to be personal, most will fine you and you get to argue it in court later on, my state won't even entertain the idea of dirt equipment being personal, but we do have to only register the empty weight of the truck and trailer, not gvw as long as we don't cross state lines, but they upped our permits so its a wash in the end anyhow and if you cross state lines, none of it apply.
I'm sure I'm missing a couple hundred things, but its a start, also if an officer in another state doesn't buy the personal exemption thing, this list applies before you move anything, are you prepared to get it all in compliance along the side of the road, I think on some of them, you have 15 minutes to get it up to date, but maybe that's just to provide proof of insurance and update the log book, while the officer does the walk around of your truck and trailer.
I've been told by enough barney fife's over the years what I was legal to do, only to argue and royally tick off an officer and lose in the end anyhow, now I ask my insurance company if I can do what whatever it is I'm thinking, call each state and ask, contact my own dot office within state, figure 90 percent are lying or don't know, hope for the best and plan for the worst and use the worst case scenario imaginable, and when I get pulled over, toss everything out and sit and wait it out, not argue with an officer, get my ticket and hope to not be red tagged and call my attorney afterwards to have him do his homework to see if I can argue it in court, or just shut up and pay it, if its not a moving violation, I just pay it, I've never yet won one in court, doubt I ever will, if its a moving violation, I also get to pay an attorney who at best has a 50 percent chance of winning, if with just a judge, maybe its lowered to under 10 percent chance of winning but worth trying all the same if its in question, but then again I lost faith in the system many thousands of dollars ago, all paid in fines.
90 percent of the time you'll luck out and not have issues, but if you do have issues, you have been warned by many here already, just be prepared, my statement of hiring it hauled still stands, same for driving the pickup only out to look at the machine, but then I'm not lucky, I've never won the lotto, and have paid my share of fines after being told by many I was legal and up to date, only once in all the years of driving have I ever been pulled over and not fined, he just couldn't find anything wrong, but before I made it home, another older officer got me just the same for a block sticking out of my lowboy sump, over 50 percent of the way, and not chained down, that of course was a judgment call on the officers behalf, imagine that, he determined 51 percent of the block stuck out rather than only 50 percent, and you want to argue personal exemption from all rules??