TN DOT now I know

Umm you need a medical card even for your current setup.

From FMCSA:

 

How do you manage to stay under 10,000? Maybe specialize in moving Fiat's and SmartCars?

 

So you had the trailer derated and only only move tiny cars to stay under 10k with that setup? Because that's the only way it would possibly work

 

I can vouch for that first hand. A few times I've bobtailed around Virginia and Florida I've had to hit the scales. In Virginia I think they were checking calibration or something because the trooper asked me to backup to the first set, then the second then the third again(which was fine). In Florida I guess there have been a couple of cases where bobtails have been busted for drug running(the rear drive axle was a "dummy"-the internals were removed and where the differential should be was packed with drugs).

 

It's about GVW not what it weighs empty. If you are saying that your truck and trailer empty weigh 8000 lbs then you will easily be over 10,001 lbs loaded. Example....you hauled that Charger that weighs right at 4000 lbs plus your empty weight of 8000 lbs equals 12,000 lbs total. In the door jamb of your pickup it should have GVW somewhere in the sticker/tag. There should be one as well on the trailer itself. If and once you find both of those add the 2 GVW's and will tell you your total GVW. With you saying that the axles are rated at 7000 lbs on the trailer I would have to guess that is or really close to the GVW of the trailer.

 

Yup what he said. Not only are you over on gross weight while loaded, when you add the weight rating of both truck and trailer you are over there as well.