Trailering Laws For Drag Racers
If your travel to drag races with a motorhome or pull a trailer 28’ or longer, or the trailer weighs more than 10,000 pounds, or the trailer or the car has lettering on it that could have you considered commercial, or you exceed the weight you paid for in your registration – you need to be concerned with the new laws targeting racers.
States are having a hard time with raising revenue, and $1000 tickets to out of state racers for bypassing weigh stations, not having a CDL, or oversize vehicles is a gold mine. It costs too much to return to the state at least twice to try and fight the ticket – so racers generally pay it for the nuisance value – and the states know it.
In the Motorhome/Toter home forums at OldHippie.com, I’m gathering facts on a state by state basis and posting it with reference citations, and other useful links. Stop depending on the opinions of friends who claim to know – as they’re mostly wrong. Don’t get caught up with thinking that because you might be legal in your state – you’re automatically legal in all states. You are not.
Racers driving in Florida are getting $1000 tickets and having to pay for their trailer to be driven across the line before they are able to rehook, if their trailer is over 28’ long and they don’t have an oversize permit. You have to apply for the permit weeks in advance as there is no Port Authority at the state line. Texas will ticket you if you’re overall length is more than 65’. As an example, my rig is about 80’ and I think Doug Duell says he’s 72’. Speaking of Doug – he was ticketed in his Dodge truck and trailer while in PA for not having a CDL for pulling a trailer over 28’. I believe he says it has also affected his auto insurance when Indiana caught wind of it.
Speaking of Indiana, they have an overall limit of 60’; and North Carolina and Illinois are among the state who require a “Non-Commercial Class A” license if the Gross weight of a private rig is over 26000 (easy for a dually crewcab pulling a non-aluminum trailer with car, generator, and parts), or a trailer over 10,000 pounds.
I’m going to create threads at www.OldHippie.com/forums for each state – so racers can check the facts, have links to get legal, and share their experiences thus far. Please check, and add what you have facts for.