Towing Car Trailers In NC

[Jerry@CHP]

Does anyone know about towing car trailers through NC?  I got pulled over today on the way to the Charlotte race track by a state trooper.  He told me that I have to go over the scales and anything over 10K in gross vehicle weight has to do so.  I had never heard of this as I am not commercial.  No lettering on the truck or trailer.  This cop was an a- hole too.  I have to wonder if this applies to personal vehicles and was this guy just being a jerk.  Detained me for about an hour, and wrote me a warning ticket.  In the 30+ years that I've been towing car trailers, this has never happened anywhere in the country.  Ruined my day!  I would like to know what NC law states??

Jerry

[tim69camaro]

10,001 pounds is the limit. Here is the link to the section. See page 14.

http://www.ncdot.gov/doh/operations/dp_chief_eng/maintenance/permits/docs/NorthCarolinaLaws.pdf

[Sauron327]

We used to make runs from CT to Canada with a crew cab and 6 place snowmobile trailer. If the scales were open you had to stop. If the DOT was on patrol they could pull you over and use portables. Lot of guys running borderline or broken equipment force them to try to maintain safety. Stricter enforcements happen when casualties result. As they did here last year when a company's poorly maintained brakes failed and deaths were the result. Sometimes some can have an attitude but they got you and they'll park that rig right there if they want to. Years ago they would allow you to adjust your air brake cans on the side of the road if they were out. Now they can make you call a hook.

[Jerry@CHP]

Tim,

Looks like that document states commercial rigs, not personal?  Just to clear, my truck is a 2500HD shot bed crew cab Chevy truck, not even a dually.  26' tag trailer.

Does it apply to something like this?

Jerry

[lakeholme]

I've made an inquiry, but it may take a while.  On the NCDOT website they refer to a document about private trailers but there is no way to pull it up. 

If you are not exempt, that means they could have pulled anyone towing a car to Autofair last week, but I've not heard anything about that happening.

I do know they are even pulling 15 passenger church vans with or without trialers in NC that do not have DOT numbers and are from out of state...

[68Zproject]

I drive truck but only through OR and WA.  In our states you have to have a PUC to be under truck and scale rules.  No PUC, you don't stop.  I do know that some states apply the same rules to cars pulling trailers, motor homes etc. as trucks, in having to stop at scales.   I don't know if that includes NC.  I do personally know that the cops or DOT people have no sense of humor about blowing by a scale.  They get very indignant.

[eddie1951]

So what is the legal weight limit a pick up and trailer can weigh in NC and still be legal ? And what do you have to do if you exceed that weight ?

[68Zproject]

And what do you have to do if you exceed that weight ?

Bend over.   The fines are steep.

[hotrod68]

Dunno about now, but the law used to say if a truck/trailer was over 30' in length it was considered a commercial vehicle regardless of weight, and the driver had to have a CDL. Seems like the cop would have told you that, but then, NC highway patrolmen are towering prepuces of collosal proportions. They are nasty, rude, and arrogant phalluses wearing uniforms and have a God complex. Please don't cross off NC as a good place to come, Jerry! Our economy is in the toilet and I'm sure the powers that be have instructed our esteemed state troopers to write as many tickets as they can to boost revenue--and further hurt our floundering state's reputation. Don't take it personally.

[L78 steve]

Jerry,seems like you were at the wrong place at the wrong time.  I've been pulling car and horse trailers around the state of NC for 13 years and never stopped in a weigh station nor been pulled for over weight.  From what I understand as long as the truck is not over weight for what it is registered for and same on the trailer you should be O.K. That is why you got a warning not a ticket.  A warning is a cops way of admitting he mad a mistake.

[tim69camaro]

I have never been stopped in NC pulling trailers and large campers. I always was ready to beg for forgiveness if pulled.

I was with some friends several years ago going to Michigan, I beleive it was in Ohio but I was not driving, and they pulled all three rigs. All received citations for failing to stop at the weight station and for not having inspections on the trailer. I had never heard of trailer inspections at the time.

Many trailer vendors promote trailers with weight stickers less than 10,000 pounds, say 9,999, so they get around the rules. I think many east coast states have similar rules. Georgia has several enclosed trailer manufacturing facilities that market 9,999 pound trailers as an example.

While stickly hearsay, I believe in NC the rules for commercial apply if over 10,000 pounds regardless if indiviually owned. I think you need to buy commercial or weighted tags if the trailer is rated over 10,000 pounds. We always purchased those tags for our tow trucks.

But I really don't know for certain. Let's see what the response is from the person that called NCDMV.

[tim69camaro]

I had to look in NC general statutes to find the definition of a commercial vehicle. It appear the weight limit would bne below 26000 pound for your set up. I am still looking.

(3d)     Commercial Motor Vehicle. – Any of the following motor vehicles that are designed or used to transport passengers or property:

a.         A Class A motor vehicle that has a combined GVWR of at least 26,001 pounds and includes as part of the combination a towed unit that has a GVWR of at least 10,001 pounds.

b.         A Class B motor vehicle.

c.         A Class C motor vehicle that meets either of the following descriptions:

1.         Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver.

2.         Is transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 172, Subpart F.

d.         Repealed by Session Laws 1999, c. 330, s. 9, effective December 1, 1999.

[tim69camaro]

I think I found the statute NCGS 20.118.1. If a vehicle weights over 10,001 pounds it must enter a weight station. This was not under the commercial vehicle section and is not just the trailer. Since this is the combined weight of truck and trailer gross vehicle weight rating most trucks and car trailers would be over the limit. Since the door rating for a truck plus trailer trailer tag is over regardless of the loading it appears you must enter the weigh station. It appears you are lucky to get the warning, I have never received a warning from a NC Highway Patrol. I am still interested the DMV response.

In another part of the statutes there is an exemption for campers. Add windows, stripes and a Winnobago sticker and breeze right by. Sorry Jerry, I did not find an exemption for 1st generation Camaro owners, but there should be such a law. That would have helped me and my freinds over the years with many citations: speeding, prearranged racing, flagging a prearranged race, eluding police, etc. By the way the friend that received the ticket for flagging the race was thrown out of court because one of the cars was a Pinto. Since the judge's daughter had a Pinto he could not believe the Pinto was in a race.  His nickname is still flagman. The Pinto had a 302 v-8 Ford.

Here it is.

Any person operating a vehicle or a combination of vehicles having a GVWR of
10,001 pounds or more or any vehicle transporting hazardous materials that is required
to be placarded under 49 C.F.R. § 171-180 must enter a permanent weigh station or
temporary inspection or weigh site as directed by duly erected signs or an electronic
transponder for the purpose of being electronically screened for compliance, or
weighed, or inspected.
If the vehicle's weight

[Jerry@CHP]

I think I know the answer, just stop and there will be no issues.  I talked with many of the racers at the track and everyone including the locals and all have different answers.  I do have small 2" writing on the door side of the trailer, CHP and maybe that is why I was stopped.  I didn't even think to ask this cop if I was being flagged as commercial.  He was just a jerk.........my gross weight was 18,000 lbs with truck and trailer and I was told that I was okay.

I will still file a complaint against this a-hole  Barney Fife.

The good news is the new Charlotte race track is probably the best in the country and even in the 2100 corrected altitude, I still managed to pull off 10.70's ET's......and won class for D/Stock, another Wally.  Car pulled huge wheel stand on the first run.  Higher than the photo I posted here a few weeks back.  Had to change underware when I got back to the trailer.  The eliminator starts tomorrow morning at 8:30 weather permitting.

Today, I went to Shelby, NC to inspect a car.  Came back and spent the afternoon in one of the suites in the tower.  One of my customers, Charlie Lingenfelter has a suite there and his brother was very well known for racing and the work that he did with Corvettes.  John Lingenfelter.  Was amazed to see how the upper crust of the sport spend their time at the track!

Jerry 

[PURESS]

Jerry...Is your truck registered as CHP or do you have it registered in Just your name?