Towing Permits for a 3600 Cat...
 

I will be towing my 3600 Cat from Wisconsin to Florida at the end of the month. Should I get wide load permits for every state I go through or just chance it? Anybody have experience with this?

How wide are you? Just run over night and you should be fine.. highway patrol doesnt usually mess with wideload boats and DOT only works 8-5 in most states. Your call.

The boat is just shy of 11' at 10'9".

You have 5-6 states to drive through. That's taking too big a chance IMO. You might want to talk to some of these people and get some quotes;

http://www.google.com/search?q=wide+...ient=firefox-a

Just recently pulled wideload permits through comdata.com at 800-233-7066. I was at 11'10" and left in MD and went to FL. Cost was just shy of $500. They do everything. However, since my combined weight was north of 26,000# it put me into a class a cdl license class. Below that I think I could have gotten away without it. Also need to make sure your tow vehicle is registered for the combined weight. GA wants to be added to your insurance policy certificate and requires a cdl. I just hired a person to drive the rig down. I think if you do get nailed the penalties can get pretty crazy.

Just read the other day that Boat Us is working with a company that will pull the permits for $10 - $15 / state. If you're a member it's worth lookng into.

I got nailed by Florida DOT 1.3 miles from Nor-tech shop after driving 1200 miles. First ticket towing wideload in 4+ years. It was a doozy $500.00. The cert for each state should be $20.00 or less--it just takes a lot of time to figure out what each state requires. If Boat U. S does this it might be worth the fee. Florida is tougher than most states! Every states opinion on what type of lights and signs are different--it is confusing to say the least--go to DOT for each state on the internet for a shortcut--good luck!

Here's the info:

Mercury Permits
http://www.mercurypermits.net/boatus-members
888-239-7773
I was wrong on the cost though....$17.50 fee/state:lolhit:



Mercury Permit Services is proud to be partnering with Boat U.S. to help it's Trailering Club Members with moving their oversized boats. Not only can Mercury Permit Services help you figure out how to get your boat from one state to the next, but we will also be offering the Boat U.S. Trailering Club Members 30% off our already low service fees.

What can Mercury Permit Services do for you?

If your boat is more than 8' 6" wide, then we can help you navigate your way through each states complicated oversize application process. Our knowledgable staff will help you figure out which states you'll need specific insurance for, which states require you to have a U.S. DOT #, where you'll need a pilot car, which states won't allow you to travel on the weekends and which states you'll even be considered legal in. Our staff has the knowledge and experience to get you where you need to go in the best possible way!

What information will our staff need from you?

Here are some of the things we'll need to get you the permits you'll need.

First we'll need your Boat U.S. Trailering Club membership number so that we can be sure to give you that 30% discount on our service fees!

We'll also need the following information:

•Your Information
◦Your Name
◦Address
◦Phone Number
◦Fax number or email address depending on how you want the permits sent to you
◦SSN# (some states require a SS# or FID# for businesses to get the permits all information is kept private and only used for permit purposes! Your privacy and security is of utmost importance to us and it will never be used for anything else!)
◦Driver's Licence (some states need just the number other states will require a copy of the ID, we'll tell you when we need it)
◦Insurance (some states will just need the information such as policy number and limits of liability, other states will need a copy of your insurance card, there are also some states that will need specific insurance forms filed. Our staff will be able to give you an idea what each state needs that you'll be going through.)
•Truck & Trailer information - The information below is needed for both the truck and the boat trailer
◦Year & Make
◦License Plate
◦Full VIN #
◦Length
◦# of Axles
•Boat Information
◦Make
◦Model
◦Hull #
◦Width
◦Height
◦Length
•Loaded Dimensions - These are the dimensions of the load on the boat trailer and the overall dimensions
◦Height (if the boat is over 13'6" heigh on the trailer it will be considered over legal height)
◦Width (this should be the same as the width of the boat itself)
◦Length (measured from front bumper of truck to rear of boat/trailer)
◦Axle spacings (some states require this information even if you are not over weight, if you don't have this information we'll let you know if it is neccessary. To get the axle spacing measurements you'll need to measure from the center of the first axle on the truck to the center of the 2nd axle on the truck. Then from the 2nd axle on the truck to the 1st axle on the trailer, from the 1st axle on the trailer to the 2nd, from the 2nd trailer axle to the 3rd trailer axle. If you need help, please let our staff know)
•Route
◦Origin Address (a full address is preferable, but we can use a jct.)
◦Destination Address (same as above)
◦Preferred Route if any (if you have a specific route that you'd like to take, please let us know. If you'd just like to avoid certain types of roads we can help you with that as well. Whatever your prefrences, we can help you get as close as possible to it. Of course the states all have final say on the route, but we will do our best to get you the route you want.)
Where other permit services might not want to take the time to help the individual to go through this difficult and confusing process, here at Mercury Permit Services we pride ourselves on treating all of our customers with the same respect, no matter how big or small. Whether you are a large corporation in the business for many years, or an individual hauling their oversize boat for the first time, we'll take the time to get you where you want to go, safely and quickly!

That is a killer deal!

First trip to the lake ( 20 miles from my garage) right after buying my boat I not only got tickets for not having permit, signs etc.. but they also impounded it. That was on Friday and it sat in an old junk yard with security being a 6 ft chain link fence. I had to wait till Monday to get it out. Now I get permits if I hook up just to move it in my garage, LOL. It's a pain the first time after that it's no big deal.