Owning a truck for personal use?

You can buy anything you wish to buy, and the state will be more than happy to take your money registering it. There are still rules and regulations you'll have to follow, though....fuel taxes which must be paid, etc. A lot of guys in the hobby/antique truck circles have dealt with many of the same issues...most of them tag their rigs with "historical" tags which exempts them from a lot of the regulatory bull which you'd otherwise face....but that comes with its own set of rules & regulations pertaining to what sort of trailers you can pull and what you can haul on the trailer.

One thing to remember, though, is that if you ever use the truck to tow your jeeps out to participate in some sort of competition, you are a commercial motor vehicle....requiring USDOT#, MC authority, and a CDL...and they can be real strict about that, too. Horse trailers w/ living quarters plated as RV trailers cannot be used to transport horses to shows, rodeos, or other competitions either or they'll nab you for improperly registering the trailer.

...and "Not for Hire" on the side of the truck really doesn't mean squat. People put it on there thinking the cops won't bother them, but they are still subject to all of the rules and regulations they would have been required to follow if they DIDN'T have that on the side of their truck...and the cops will still pull them over to ensure they are following the rules.

 

As long as the truck isn't making you money you are not engaged in commerce than no you don't have to register with the FMCSA. You treat it like any non-commercial class A RV. You need to check with your state DMV. Some states have non-commercial class A's, some don't. What state do you live in?

Not for Hire simply means you have your own thing going on. An example would be someone that hauls horses exclusively. If you are headed to sell them or headed to a race where you win money, then you fall under the regulations. Though commercial you are not for hire to haul freight other than your own. If you are rich and moving the horses from one of your farms to another than it is personal, no money involved, you don't fall under the regulations.

It could be commercial or it can not be. It depends on the size of the vehicle and making $$$ whether you fall under the regulations.

 

i have a question.

i work for a woman who owns a farm that has show horses. she has folks who board and train with her. she has a non-cdl straight truck ( under weight at capacity ) that she uses to transport her pupils' horses to shows or vet hospital. she would incorporate that charge into her board bill. she has the truck registetred as a farm vehicle; she rarely travels outside the 100 mile limit.

therefore, would she still need to register as a motor carrrier?

 

It won't hurt to have it inspected every year, medical card with cdl and use it for personal use. Just would cover you on all ends


if hauling jeeps just buy a goose and a dodge cummins and be done. Possibly a retired ambulance without the back so you can install a goose.

 

No she is not required. There are many exceptions for agriculture commodities which livestock falls under. NJ is a state where she doesn't need a USDOT#. Though if she crosses state lines she needs to check the other states laws on agriculture. If you can list the states I can tell you if there are any restrictions. I have to leave now but I'll be back later tonight. Now if the horse shows pay cash prizes that is a different story.

 

It all depends on the truck, your willingness to do some fancy changes to it, if you are using it for more than hobby stuff and where you live.

A lot of people buy class 8 trucks for toters and convert them so to register them as RVs - hauling those huge fifth wheels around. You can check with your DMV what it takes but I think you need to first install a toilet (portable is acceptable) and a sink with a water source and drain. It has to function.

Once you get it to an RV status, then a lot of issues go away.

 

Age of the truck doesnt matter for Primary Liability.

Your age, driving record and credit score and then your location, will be the biggest determiners in your insurance costs.

Progressive has some options for the type of thing your trying (probably one of the only companies that can) and they can also do a very small radius which will help in keeping some costs inline. They also offer monthly terms and take credit cards - but if you pay in full they have a serious discount (20% ?) I cant recall what it cost, but perhaps 2x what my typical car cost me - but I had comp/coll too, to protect my investment.

When I bought my rig, I already had a USDOT number but no MC and as such I was setup for "NOT FOR HIRE" just so I could rebuild this rig, drive it around and get it ready for operation. I worked that way for about 6months I think.

 

If you cross a state line you fall into interstate commerce despite any reciprocity agreements between the two states, there is no ag exemption to this. I can haul my own cattle in a farm tabbed truck, but when I cross a state line I have to have DOT#, medical card, drug consortium, etc. It isn't the states that require it, it's the USDOT, but the state DOT cops enforce it. Of course once you get a new DOT#, you get the new entrant audit, where I learned all these gems. I always caution commercial haulers not to whine about ag exemptions because once the private ag haulers have to jump through all the same hoops as a commercial hauler all they need to do is buy the insurance/tabs and they are a commercial hauler too, with time on their hands to run down rates.