AL USDOT Number revisited

[Mallen23]

I applied for the number..still not sure if I needed it..but it didn't cost anything but my time to get it.

I was required for complete a safety form..not sure if any of it applied to a farmer hauling his own cattle.

I have not been able to determine if I am required to keep any sort or records or record books or if I am required to have any special safety equipment.

Has anyone else figured it out????

 

[Bama]

As far as the dot # I don't think farmers have to have it. The weight restrictions with a weighted tag is where I have questions.

1/2 ton truck pulling a 16 foot bumper trailer ?
3/4 ton pulling a 16' bumper ?
1 ton pulling a 24 foot gooseneck ?
any truck pulling a fertilizer buggie ?
etc...?

Where is the line drawn or is there even a line for farmers. I can't get any answers from the state. They refer me to the dot site that don't really say much about the weighted tags.

 

[denoginnizer]

It is mass confusion. They told me I could hall my equipment 150 miles or less with my current farm tag. After 150 miles I needed a cdl or I could be subject to be tickedteded . :shock:
I am wanting to buy whatever tag I need to do my farming legally. The people in power are making it very difficult.

 

[MikeC]

As far as the dot # I don't think farmers have to have it. The weight restrictions with a weighted tag is where I have questions.

1/2 ton truck pulling a 16 foot bumper trailer ?
3/4 ton pulling a 16' bumper ?
1 ton pulling a 24 foot gooseneck ?
any truck pulling a fertilizer buggie ?
etc...?

Where is the line drawn or is there even a line for farmers. I can't get any answers from the state. They refer me to the dot site that don't really say much about the weighted tags.

The GROSS COMBINED VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING limit is 10,000 lbs. Any truck hauling over that amount (truck, trailer and cargo combined) is subject to get a DOT number. Recreational vehicles not included.

There is a farm exemption within a 150 mile radius of home. When hauling property or goods for farm use only. Hauling goods outside that area or out of state will get you ticketed.

 

[Bama]

That would imply a 1/2 ton truck pulling a 16' bumper pull would need dot numbers. Or at least a weighted tag. I think a regular tag is only good for 8000 pounds, then there are the f, p, p1, and p2 tags. Then there are the tr, or ut tags for the trailer. Folks at the court house couldn't tell me what tag I needed. I have a couple of months left before I have to buy tags I'm hopeing things are clearer by then.

 

[TheLazyM]

mikec hit the nail right on the head on what we're being told around here. Any truck thats hauling anything other than recreational equiment grossing over 10,000lbs has to have a dot # after july 1. it dont matter if its a ford ranger pulling three calves if the truck grosses over 10,000lbs.
As far as a F1 tag goes your suppose to be able to haul anything in the state of alabama with that tag. that came from the state trooper office monday.

 

[somn]

I'm unclear on something is this a US dot number or a Alabama dot number. All this talk of farmers exemptions and tags and cdls are confusing me a US dot number has no exemptions for farmers. The US dot number is a number used to identify and track companies, people and their vehicles involved in intrastate and interstate commerce. Regardless if you own what you are hauling or not when you cross a state line with a vehicle with a gross weight of 10,000 lbs or more (RVs are excluded) you need a US dot number. Thats not a unique law to Alabama it is nationwide. Many bordering states have reciprocity agreements between each other that allow travel within their state without permits but you will still need the US dot number when crossing the state line. The 150 mile radius is the threshold when a drivers responsibilties change such as keeping a daily log book, requiring a commercial drivers license, hours of service. having a current medical card. Most if not all of these requirments after 150 miles are for saftey reasons your saftey as the driver and the saftey of the other motorists on the road. They are not rules put in place to make hauling your six calves in your 16 foot bumper hitch trailer difficult as some of the people on this board think. IT IS FOR SAFTEY. All of these rules can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Saftey Administration Handbook. So they must be talking about a Alabama dot number. Has anyone actually got a number yet and if so was it a MCS-150 form that you had to fill out. That is the federal form for a US dot number. If that is the form I have no idea what Alabama is doing. Maybe just using a US dot number to make their paperwork more simple. I believe these numbers are a good thing. After stopping a less than safe vehicle the state patrol can track the vehicle with the US dot number and the next time the vehicle is stopped they can just look the number up on a computer see that the vehicle or driver has had a history of saftey violations and put the vehicle and or driver out of service.

 

[sillco]

I'm unclear on something is this a US dot number or a Alabama dot number. All this talk of farmers exemptions and tags and cdls are confusing me a US dot number has no exemptions for farmers. The US dot number is a number used to identify and track companies, people and their vehicles involved in intrastate and interstate commerce. Regardless if you own what you are hauling or not when you cross a state line with a vehicle with a gross weight of 10,000 lbs or more (RVs are excluded) you need a US dot number. Thats not a unique law to Alabama it is nationwide. Many bordering states have reciprocity agreements between each other that allow travel within their state without permits but you will still need the US dot number when crossing the state line. The 150 mile radius is the threshold when a drivers responsibilties change such as keeping a daily log book, requiring a commercial drivers license, hours of service. having a current medical card. Most if not all of these requirments after 150 miles are for saftey reasons your saftey as the driver and the saftey of the other motorists on the road. They are not rules put in place to make hauling your six calves in your 16 foot bumper hitch trailer difficult as some of the people on this board think. IT IS FOR SAFTEY. All of these rules can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Saftey Administration Handbook. So they must be talking about a Alabama dot number. Has anyone actually got a number yet and if so was it a MCS-150 form that you had to fill out. That is the federal form for a US dot number. If that is the form I have no idea what Alabama is doing. Maybe just using a US dot number to make their paperwork more simple. I believe these numbers are a good thing. After stopping a less than safe vehicle the state patrol can track the vehicle with the US dot number and the next time the vehicle is stopped they can just look the number up on a computer see that the vehicle or driver has had a history of saftey violations and put the vehicle and or driver out of service.

I guess the trip from Texas to Wisconsin with my 16' trailer and three heifers just took on a new twist.

 

[TheLazyM]

I'm unclear on something is this a US dot number or a Alabama dot number. All this talk of farmers exemptions and tags and cdls are confusing me a US dot number has no exemptions for farmers. The US dot number is a number used to identify and track companies, people and their vehicles involved in intrastate and interstate commerce. Regardless if you own what you are hauling or not when you cross a state line with a vehicle with a gross weight of 10,000 lbs or more (RVs are excluded) you need a US dot number. Thats not a unique law to Alabama it is nationwide. Many bordering states have reciprocity agreements between each other that allow travel within their state without permits but you will still need the US dot number when crossing the state line. The 150 mile radius is the threshold when a drivers responsibilties change such as keeping a daily log book, requiring a commercial drivers license, hours of service. having a current medical card. Most if not all of these requirments after 150 miles are for saftey reasons your saftey as the driver and the saftey of the other motorists on the road. They are not rules put in place to make hauling your six calves in your 16 foot bumper hitch trailer difficult as some of the people on this board think. IT IS FOR SAFTEY. All of these rules can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Saftey Administration Handbook. So they must be talking about a Alabama dot number. Has anyone actually got a number yet and if so was it a MCS-150 form that you had to fill out. That is the federal form for a US dot number. If that is the form I have no idea what Alabama is doing. Maybe just using a US dot number to make their paperwork more simple. I believe these numbers are a good thing. After stopping a less than safe vehicle the state patrol can track the vehicle with the US dot number and the next time the vehicle is stopped they can just look the number up on a computer see that the vehicle or driver has had a history of saftey violations and put the vehicle and or driver out of service.

This is federal DOT number. what our complaits are is....my truck is used to haul my cattle a couple times a year. other times it haul feed and what nots. this is a personaul vechicaul as well. i really dont want to put my name and a number on the side of my truck that can be seen 50' away, when a state dot inspector can see it clear as day at the driver's window when he has it pulled over. but then again you could hand him a DOT number card he could call it in. they can track a drivers record with out a dot number. all they have to do is check your record its there for 7 years anyway.

 

[somn]

I will agree with you somewhat the Dot number might work if you just have a card to hand the officer stopping you. But you need to remember the reason for the name and number to be readable from 50 feet is to make passing thru a port of entry and scale stations faster they can read number as you approach the scale. They check your Dot numbers for current operating authority, IFTA and many other things without you ever having to stop. What used to take 20 minutes at a port of entry now takes only as much time as a drive thru.
Here however is what I disagree with you about a drivers record has never and I doubt that it will ever show any information about unsafe equipment. It is called a drivers record for that reason it describes a persons driving history it is not a vehicle record. The US dot number you are required to get is because of the gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. So it would be my guess from reading your last post you would only need to display US dot number when you are hauling cattle in your trailer. It has been some time since I bought a new pickup but the last time I bought one the manufactures gross vehicle weight was still below 10,000# even on a 3/4 ton. They make some neat little magnetic signs for like 20 dollars you can slap them on when you are pulling the trailer take them off when your not.

 

[TheLazyM]

I will agree with you somewhat the Dot number might work if you just have a card to hand the officer stopping you. But you need to remember the reason for the name and number to be readable from 50 feet is to make passing thru a port of entry and scale stations faster they can read number as you approach the scale. They check your Dot numbers for current operating authority, IFTA and many other things without you ever having to stop. What used to take 20 minutes at a port of entry now takes only as much time as a drive thru.
Here however is what I disagree with you about a drivers record has never and I doubt that it will ever show any information about unsafe equipment. It is called a drivers record for that reason it describes a persons driving history it is not a vehicle record. The US dot number you are required to get is because of the gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. So it would be my guess from reading your last post you would only need to display US dot number when you are hauling cattle in your trailer. It has been some time since I bought a new pickup but the last time I bought one the manufactures gross vehicle weight was still below 10,000# even on a 3/4 ton. They make some neat little magnetic signs for like 20 dollars you can slap them on when you are pulling the trailer take them off when your not.

but see thats the thing, alabama doesnt have scales. dot guys troopers and dot has to rely on portable scales so there is no reason on numbers being seen.
as far as where we disagree we really dont. i say this because alabama right now is saying they wont inspect our trucks. we just got to get the dot numbers just to "look good" a a matter of speaking. i understand that the feds. and the state wants to keep the roads as safe as possible, and if they where going to inspect truck and trailers and condium the unsafe trucks and trailers from on state roads i'd see where this is going. my 05 fx4 scab 4x4 f150 weight 6000lbs with a 1/4 tank of gas. my cattle trailer weight right at 3000lbs. that puts my truck and trail right under the 10,001. it would be very easy for me to tobble over the gross weight.
its as if alabama is saying here you need this its been a law for like 12 years{not sure right here} its just a formality it dont mean nothing. but then 5 years down the road they popup "we got to have all your trucks up here to inspect and a inspection sticker going to cost you $1000." if its something to sucker us with why not just go ahead and hit us with it.