GVW, Logging and Deer

[greg334]

No this is not a logging question I already know I have to log but I had a conversation with another expediter today and brought up the point that someone in congress wanted to redefine what a truck is to help farmers avoid the DOT registration.

This led to me asking if they would raise the GVW for logging from a class 3 (10,001 - 14,000) to a class 6 (19,501 - 26,000), would this actually be beneficial to the country or actually cause more accidents and problems?

See to me a E450 with a unicell on the back and a 14,500 lbs GVW would make a good truck but logging would slow everything down where we need to speed things up.

Your thoughts?

By the way Deer had nothing to do with it other than the one crossing the street as I was typing this.

 

[arkjarhead]

I don't see how this would effect farmers. I mean around here they use class 8s to haul the grain into the mill with a "F" which is a farm tag. They have no dot or mc numbers that I'm aware of. If they do they put them on their trucks. They stay with the 100 mile radius so that excludes them from logging right there.

 

[MSinger]

I would love the change personally. As you may recall when I started in actual expediting as opposed to local p&d that I had done for 5 years, I started with a 1997 Dodge Ram 3500 cab/chassis diesel with a 12' cube body. I was green and naive when I bought the truck. I knew I didn't need a CDL so I thought everything was A OK. It had a gvwr of 11,000. The small carrier I first signed onto misinformed me that if I simply put 10,000# license plates on the truck that I could run it just like a cargo van. I ran that truck for 3 years with no logs, no markings, etc and didn't know any different. Then a Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement Officer stopped me and informed me of how things should really be done. Luckily I was DH back home empty so he let me go. I quickly replaced that truck with my current truck which is a 10,000# gvwr 15' cube. So in essence I have a bigger truck but I am totally legal. My main problem with the whole thing is they base it on EITHER the gvw or the gvwr (Rating). I think it ought to be done solely on the gvw. I should have been able to operate my former truck and kept the gvw under 10,001# I had no control over what the factory rated that vehicle but I do have control over how much weight I haul with it. That ole Dodge had a tare weight of nearly 8000# ( I had dolly legs on it and the box had the plywood walls and plank floor). My point is if I hauled a 50# box in that truck I was illegal because of the gvwr of the truck. I can load up the "new" truck (6900# tare) with 3100# and still be legal.
Most of you will say it would be crazy to drive a truck like that and only be able to haul 2000#. I went through my bills the last year I operated that truck and my average weight per load was 1654#. We haul alot of aviation material and exhaust systems which are bulky but relatively light.
It all goes back to choice. If it works for me than I should be able to choose to run that vehicle and still abide by the true intent of the law which is vehicles "WEIGHING" over 10,000# must log.
I would like to see them at least increase it to 14,500# like you said but I don't think it will happen. Too many lobbyists and special interest groups i.e. Mothers Against Tired Truckers will surely put an arrow right in the heart of this bill.













2002 GMC Savana 3500 DRW 15' cube 10,000 GVWR "Old Yeller"
former Penske truck

 

[MSinger]

I believe the sponsor of this bill is from Oklahoma. He has been getting complaints from farmers in the panhandle of OK who frequently must cross state lines to deliver their product because that section of the state is so narrow it requires going into Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.










2002 GMC Savana 3500 DRW 15' cube 10,000 GVWR "Old Yeller"
former Penske truck

 

[Jefferson3000]

Not sure how a bill helping farmers would affect the rest of us. Already, they are exempt from needing a class B to drive an otherwise CDL truck. (Please also note that this applies to emergency vehicles as well as military.) They don't need interstate authority to cross. I guess the reason to make it federal is because there will always be some state that has a grudge against another state just waltzing in and selling goods cheaper than they do.

Side note:

Hey Greg. Since we've discussed it here previously, here is one of the reasons I am getting rid of my E450 cube. While the engine seems substantial (there are even a lot of Ford and International class 6 and 7 trucks driving around with that motor), the suspension is ok, there really is no upgrade in the tranny from the E350 DRW. Even though the GVWR is 2550# higher, it seems as though we are given nothing extra in the tranny. Not only is the gear ratio set at 4.10, the parts are just not heavy enough the beating. It is definitely the weak link.


Drive Safe!

Jeff

Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119

[em]"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." --Mark Twain[/em]

 

[arrbsthw]

I'm not sure where ya'll are but in Georgia "Logging" means hauling
LOGS to and from mills. Not hauling grain to feed mills. and the GVW on LOG trucks is 80,000. My husband hauled LOGS from 1988 to 1995.

 

[arkjarhead]

In arkansas log trucks fall under natural resources and run a "NR" tag and they can gross out at 85,000. They are given the extra 5,000 as a cushion because they usually don't have scales where they load in the woods. I think he was talking about logging as in log books though.

 

[arrbsthw]

My bad! I thought they were talking about trees:7