hauling my own stuff for my own business across state lines ?

interstate commerce

n. commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the federal government according to powers spelled out in Article I of the Constitution. The federal government can also regulate commerce within a state when it may impact interstate movement of goods and services, and may strike down state actions which are barriers to such movement under Chief Justice John Marshall's decision in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). Theoretically commerce is regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission (I.C.C.) under authority granted by the Interstate Commerce Act, first enacted by Congress in 1887. This authority has been diffused among various federal agencies, and the I.C.C. may soon be history.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/interstate+commerce

 

It is my understanding you can haul your own stuff wherever you want without being "commercial"; just be sure to have the receipts of sale or some proof it's your own if it appears to be commercial. Of course you still need a CDL to drive a CDL truck.

 

Since you stated that you have a business restoring cars, then the movement of the cars and associated parts would be commerce, so you would be no different than any private fleet, meaning you would need to comply with all the same DOT rules as everyone else. If you were moving these cars for your own personal use, meaning this was a hobby, then it would not be interstate commerce and no regulations would apply.

 

Yes, it is no different than the WalMart private fleet, they haul product they own to their own stores and have a DOT number. Same for the business I am in, local car dealers with their own tow truck to move cars from the auction to their lots and back all have DOT, medical card, etc. The only thing they don't need is a MC number since they are not for hire they do not need operating authority. However, if they move a car for a repair or customer then they would be for hire and need operating authority as well, except in certain states where disabled vehicle for repair are an exempt commodity. Even local plumbers, landscapers, etc are DOT regulated if they operate a truck over 10,001 GVWR and cross state lines, hell sometimes your truck doesn't even have to leave the state, just the freight you are hauling has to originate or terminate out of state, even if you only move it locally, i.e., package deliveries, they are interstate commerce and need to comply with all the rules.

 

You don't need a cdl, it is under 26k.