I 'm thinking of buying a bigger truck, but I don't want to get involved with weigh stations. It would be for private use only. Is there a size or weight cut off? I don't want to get chased for not stopping. Doug

We own a trucking company, and Tow our 38 ft Top Gun every , year from NJ to Fla, with our Ford F 350 Dually, we have no name on our truck, and car plates on the dually, i have never stopped at a weight station on Rt. 95 or any other Highway we have been on.

I have friend that has F-650, Topkicks, etc. You don't have to stop with them either.. I am not sure but I would think it would be if it required a CDL and was used for business.

I know a guy who has one of those Buses, SWEET ride, and has a 24' trailer to tow his street rod and bikes to Fl every year.. Didn't need a CDL or does he stop at the weigh station.. Also the The big Motor Homes don't need to stop...

I don't have the answer but from experience this is what they have and don't stop!

Hope that helped a little!!

A F 350 or GMC 3500 with normal tags will not attract attention. Anything over that and you may get an eye from Johnny law, Not saying you would be breaking the law, but a reason to stop you.

My 650 has towed my 35' nordic cross country and back twice, into canada twice, and down thru Ca. once. Never had to stop at any weigh stations. Never any problems with the cops. It has commercial plates because of the weight, but is considered a private not for lease vehicle.

The commercial haulers could best answer this question. I can only relay my personal experience towing my boat and trailer that weights 17000 lbs and is 44 feet long. I tow with a 2004 Chevy Kodiak 5500 series Monroe pickup. I was ticketed for not having a CDL and not having a wide load permit. I was told that when you get over a 1 ton truck you fall into the world of big trucks, hence weight stations and log books, everything that goes with being a real life trucker. What a kick in the balls that was. I now have a CDL and an annual wide load permit for California, I purchase a temperary permit for any other states that I might travel through. I carry the wide load signs in my truck but seldom display them and do not stop at weight stations. I have all the correct and required stuff, the troopers can ticket me for not stopping at the scales or displaying the wide load signs but without the permits and CDL, they can park you until the permits are acquired and you hire a commercial driver. Check your state laws. You may find that truck weight and trailer length regulate whether or not a CDL is required. Oh yeah, the other negative with a CDL is your alchohol limit is 1/2 of a regular driver license, all the time, kind of limits your drinking. Now I can only drink one beer rather than two and drive anything, anytime. Hell, I pretty much now never drink anything if I'm driving anything, anywhere. I understand that California is the land of laws but with every state in financial trouble look for trucking laws to be enforced even closer. I don't fear the regular CHP but do hold my breath when I see a Commercial Highway Patrol Truck. The big haulers look cool and pull nice but if your boat and trailers fall into the capacity of a one ton dually, stay in that world. The big truck world gets pretty costly, I wince everytime I think of the B.S. that I go through just to pull a boat. Good luck, and hope this helps. Doug

Rule of thump if truck,trailer and boat are owned by YOU recreational use, your good to go. but when total combination weight gets above 26,000 you are moving into the gray area.
If truck is registered to a business and GVWR of truck is over 10,000 lbs you are subject to Transportation Law Regulations.
Now if you are driving your dually and it registered to a business and the trailer has a federal tag with GVWR of 10,001 lbs or more now you need a minimum CDL Class A drivers license that is restricted to truck- trailer.
Another gray area is lets say you are towing your race boat and everything is registered to you but the boat has sponsors names on the sides, You are being paid to advertise. Being used in commerce ???
You know what your driving. So if you pass and they come out to get you , you may land up impounded. We are all big boys and girls and should know better.

In the bigger trucks(f650's m2's) the key is to have it registered in your personal name, not your business. The reason dot pulls the larger trucks over for not stopping at weigh stations is because they look like they are hauling comercialy. Dot will run your tags to find out who the vehicle is registered to. Don't put joe blow construction or any company name on the truck. Check local laws on over length too. Lots of people being pulled over in Florida for being to long. It's a $300 annual permit, but it beats a $1500 ticket.

The only state law that I am familar with is California, at least up close and personally, and it does not matter if it is unlettered or not. The sign, NOT FOR HIRE or PRIVATE COACH does not apply unless you have sleeping style provision with a bathroom in the rig. That classifies as a motor home and has different laws and guidelines. I would not buy a "big truck" over 1 ton unless I needed it to tow the load. Doug

Based on me looking to buy a 5500 with a 30,000 GVW to pull my 442, this is the response from the State of Florida...

This is the information I was given that was provided by Tallahassee.

If you have further questions you may call 850 617 2000



Based on the information provided the driver would need a Class A license with a 5 restriction (no tractor trailers). Since the towed unit is over 10,001 pounds the truck and trailer (combined) are more than 26,001 pounds it is considered a combination vehicle or Class A vehicle.


Sure has me wondering how so many are getting away with it in Florida. Nobody I know is running with a CDL.