Do I need to follow hourly restrictions if non commercial?

Please don't take my comments the bad way. You would do better to address these kind of questions to your local FMCSA local office. This way you have a written signed letter to show an enforcement officer if needed. I could be in error but I do not believe the HOS apply.

 

Its not 11 hours driving in a 24 hr period. Its a 11/14/10 thing. You have 14 hrs,once you start you clock, to drive 11 hours. Then you have to take a 10 hour break befor driving again. And you have to take a 30 minute break before 8 hours are up. Imo and i'm not law enforcement, if you gonna run a log book you bettèr know the rules and follow it. I'll come out on a limb and say you have to follow the rules since you have a cdl. Or i sure hope you do.

 

Actually needing a CDL or not matters. I know PA was weird in registering the truck. Did you have to get a CDL? If not it's very clear you should not be logging as per 395.1
As per http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&ty=HTML&h=L&mc=true&=PART&n=pt49.5.395
"(2) Operators of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles not requiring a commercial driver's license. Except as provided in this paragraph, a driver is exempt from the requirements of §§395.3(a)(2), 395.8, and 395.11 and ineligible to use the provisions of §395.1(e)(1), (g), and (o) if:"
So actually logging could be worse than not logging.

 

There is a FMCSA regulation that speaks to his situation and right now I am just too lazy to search for it. Basically it means if the vehicle no matter the GVRW is not used as a commercial vehicle it is exempt from most of the rules. It is much like an RV. This is why my advice was to contact the FMCSA and get their guidance. I am not a big fan of said rule because it allows drivers with little or no experience to drive vehicles that are very large and/or heavy. It is just how I am.

 

Simple answer is no. You are in a non commercial vehicle. That is what you may need to prove, but the FMCSA is a branch of the Federal Govt set up to regulate the Commercial Motor Carriers.

The key word is commercial. Article III Section 8 I believe it is, of the Constitution gives Congress the right to regulate Commerce between the States. CMV's by their very definition are engaged and thus subject to Regulation.

Private vehicles are personal property and covered by the 4th Amendment which provides us the right to be secure in our Persons, Houses, Papers and Effects.

That's the legal end of it, that said, you probably should carry whatever documentation you have from PA showing it is a non commercial vehicle.

 

100 % correct. And they also regulate what is and what is not a CMV.

 

Short answer Joe, no. It doesn't matter what your truck started life as it is not a commercial vehicle at this point so it is not regulated as such.
PS, Still waiting on the official word from the tax office we spoke about two weeks ago, I will let you know when it comes in.