This is directed to people with some input for those of us that live in California.

Here at work we have two water trucks that have a GVW of over 26000lbs.

That requres the operator to have a commercial class "B" or "A" with a tank endorsment. If it was under 26k# then anyone with a class "C" could drive it around. :homer:

I know you can get the commercial vehicles re-weighed at a certified scale, then take that to the DMV and you can reduce your yearly registration fees. (If its under what the DMV has on file for you truck) Been there, done that...

What Im wondering is if you can change the manufactured GVW of a vehicle and get it down below the magic 26k# mark....

Thoughts?


Chris:cool2:

good luck on that one..

How Close Are You To 26,000?

I know for a fact that the city of Phoenix has trucks that that's been done to


no idea how though

I've done that for just that purpose. For example we took a tractor with a 20k rear axle and a 12.5 front, streached it and put a 20 foot flatbed on it. We re-registered it with DMV for 26k.

It still has air brakes though, which requires an endorsement, but that's easy to get.

Trailer Guy built a trailer for Golden Gate Petroleum. He put (2) 7k axles under it, but we registered it for 9,999 lbs so drivers with class Cs can pull it with pickups.

what are you going to do about needing a tank endorsement?

I've done that for just that purpose. For example we took a tractor with a 20k rear axle and a 12.5 front, streached it and put a 20 foot flatbed on it. We re-registered it with DMV for 26k.

It still has air brakes though, which requires an endorsement, but that's easy to get.

Trailer Guy built a trailer for Golden Gate Petroleum. He put (2) 7k axles under it, but we registered it for 9,999 lbs so drivers with class Cs can pull it with pickups.

Can you elaborate a bit more on how you did this? I have always heard of people in CA getting this done but haven't heard exactly how its done. I have heard people refer to it as "downrating" a truck but am not sure if thats the right term to use at the DMV. Thanks for any input.

fill the truck up till its near the gvw of 25,999lbs

go to private CERTIFIED scales, not the one on the highway, and get a offical weight, take that to dmv and show them i and that the truck is full[ish]

pay the money and you should be good to go.

Soooo - Using this method I could potentially buy a day cab, throw a small bed on it, load it up, take it to the scales and show them that its about as full as its going to get. Then proceed to take weight sheet to DMV and register it at new "full" weight based on weight receipt?

Am I over simplifying this a bit or am I on the money?

Thanks

Soooo - Using this method I could potentially buy a day cab, throw a small bed on it, load it up, take it to the scales and show them that its about as full as its going to get. Then proceed to take weight sheet to DMV and register it at new "full" weight based on weight receipt?

Am I over simplifying this a bit or am I on the money?

Thanks

good question. i would think that this may work for registration and liscence requirements,as does converting a big truck or bus to a motor home.

however,i dont think you want to be caught hauling freight with a motor home,nor do you want to be in an accident or get pulled over with a load way exceding your GVWR,as you could face fines,and possible refusal of your insurance company to be liable.

redcheetah

Soooo - Using this method I could potentially buy a day cab, throw a small bed on it, load it up, take it to the scales and show them that its about as full as its going to get. Then proceed to take weight sheet to DMV and register it at new "full" weight based on weight receipt?

Am I over simplifying this a bit or am I on the money?

Thanks


good question. i would think that this may work for registration and liscence requirements,as does converting a big truck or bus to a motor home.

however,i dont think you want to be caught hauling freight with a motor home,nor do you want to be in an accident or get pulled over with a load way exceding your GVWR,as you could face fines,and possible refusal of your insurance company to be liable.

yes on both parts, you had better not get busted fo rany reason exceeding your weight rating whether you can physicaly hold the amount or not.

while it is significantly cheaper to insure and license a vehcile with a lighter weight rating, once youre over 10,000 you had might as well go all the way, especialy if you plan on actually using it for real word use not a fun or showoff toy.

I have been researching hdt with RV registration recently but after seeing this thread, I am considering a Day Cab with a downrating.

I do not intend to use it commercially, overweight, etc. I know the repercussions of those actions and I don't want any piece. I am interested in the rigs for recreation use only and using it around the house (I have a project house). I know these trucks are a bit overkill for my uses but I dont care.

The problem we have is driving the water trucks to the work sites... Not enough class A drivers... When the trucks are full and working its off the public road anyways so no special class is needed... When they are going to the site its empty anyways...


We run trucks from Bakersfield all the way to Oregon to jobsites...


Chris:cool2:

i think a day cab with a big pimpass 5th wheel camper would rock.

i this was in the oddball rigs thread and i would dd in an instant.

This is like the debates over the "hotshot" thing. In fact, what we're talking about here is the exact opposite move.

Registered weight rating and manufacturers maximum weight ratings have nothing to do with each other. You could register a pickup for 80,000 lbs and a Peterbilt class 8 tractor for 26,000.

As long as you never exceeded any axle or tire ratings, you could legally pull 80,000# with the pickup.

But if you went over the scales at 26,001 in the Pete you'd better have the right license and you would get an overweight ticket. You would hardly notice the load behind you, but you'd be illegal.

It's all about the $.

De-rating your rig so you can drive it with a class C is no more difficult than going to the DMV and reregistering it. They ask you on the form what weight you want to register for, the clerk types it in and you're done. Pay your fees and go. I suggest that you go to a DMV that deals with commercial vehicles on a regular basis.

The problem we have is driving the water trucks to the work sites... Not enough class A drivers... When the trucks are full and working its off the public road anyways so no special class is needed... When they are going to the site its empty anyways...


We run trucks from Bakersfield all the way to Oregon to jobsites...


Chris:cool2:

That's why you see so many of the big companies trailering their water trucks. That and they run red-dye fuel in them.

thanks to you assholes and your wealth of information, I will be balls deep in the new issue of "Big Truck and Equipment Trader" looking for a nice day cab. Thanks a lot!:flipoff2:

oh and thats a bad ass rid trkklr. looks mean

i would nut if it was mine.


i would build one but i cant afford the insurance or licensing, yet.

If it is just for hauling your own junk then run an old truck and reigister it historical vehicle. That's what I do with military 6x6's. Never been stopped to have anyone ask what I'm moving and why....

what do you pay out to the dmv and insurance?

any specail cluases like limited milage per year?

what are the specifics for registering it as a historical vehicle? Does it have to be made after a certain year, certain models, etc? and what trkklr said as well.

Thanks

Chris,

This depends on how the vehicle was first registered when purchased. Seeing as they are water trucks they could have potentially been registered as "final manufactured vehicles". If they were registered before any of the work such as a 5th wheel application you have some room to basically reregister w/ a different gvwr, but there is a lot of paperwork as i understand as this was considered a loophole for some time.

I know a lot of trucks have their gvwr certified from the factory these days as we don't have to get a weight cert for registration for those customers. It would help to see the registration.

PM me if you wish, i can pass this on to our weight cert/reg expert.

Thanks for the info Keven... Ill try to touch bases with you tomorrow or something on this...

The company is only going to get bigger at this point so it looks like we are just going to hire a couple more drivers for those...

Eventually the guys that dont want to step up and get a commercial lic will be out of a job anyways... :( Its becoming a requirement at this point to have them to work for us...


Thanks for all the responses guys :beer:


Chris:cool2:

Not sure about CA but as mentioned by ibrocun; all you have to do is register the truck for a specific amount (whatever you want) as long as you don't exceed the manufacture's weight limit. I was a transportation manager for a few years in NE and we had a few straight trucks that we registered for 25,999 lbs for this exact reason.

EDIT: On a side note: in order to get the CDL you will probably still need to take the general test and the air brakes to be certified; you just won't have to take the combination test.

The problem we have is driving the water trucks to the work sites... Not enough class A drivers... When the trucks are full and working its off the public road anyways so no special class is needed... When they are going to the site its empty anyways...
We run trucks from Bakersfield all the way to Oregon to jobsites...
Chris:cool2:

That's fine till the operator has to drive down the road to fill his tank and a DOT cop see's the DMV weight tag on the door and does a little math vs. the size of the tank and how much that water weighs. And you don't need a Class A for a single vehicle, a Class B would do. Are you talking about a 2 axle with a 2K gallon tank or a 3 axle w/4k tank?

Not sure about CA but as mentioned by ibrocun; all you have to do is register the truck for a specific amount (whatever you want) as long as you don't exceed the manufacture's weight limit. I was a transportation manager for a few years in NE and we had a few straight trucks that we registered for 25,999 lbs for this exact reason.

EDIT: On a side note: in order to get the CDL you will probably still need to take the general test and the air brakes to be certified; you just won't have to take the combination test.

You can even exceed the manufacturer's rating if you want. Just read all the hotshotters posts here that defend pulling 40K with pickups just because the State gave them a tag with whatever weight tag they put on the form. Just don't go over the weight rating of any one axle or tire.

That's fine till the operator has to drive down the road to fill his tank and a DOT cop see's the DMV weight tag on the door and does a little math vs. the size of the tank and how much that water weighs. And you don't need a Class A for a single vehicle, a Class B would do. Are you talking about a 2 axle with a 2K gallon tank or a 3 axle w/4k tank?


Trucks in question are 2000 GMC 7500 series, 2-axle trucks

Manufacturers gvw is 13000#

Water truck mfg post-conversion sticker puts them at 30000#

Both have 2000 gal tanks on them.


Chris:cool2:

Trucks in question are 2000 GMC 7500 series, 2-axle trucks

Manufacturers gvw is 13000#

Water truck mfg post-conversion sticker puts them at 30000#

Both have 2000 gal tanks on them.


Chris:cool2:

To be legal I'd think you'd need to get a new sticker from them, then go to DMV and change them there.