CDL's and DOT numbers

Here is a quick question, in Ky I am tagged for farm use, so the as long as I am using it for that I am exempt, however my grandfather in Tn recently passed away and left me his tractor and several attachments and I need to go get it before the family sells his place. The load will be above 10,000 lbs so if I cross state lines are they going to hammer me for no CDL's or DOT numbers? Thanks.

Best bet is to call the DOT in both TN & KY, ask them what you need to do. They are pretty straight shooters if you don't approach the officers like an idiot (I learned this long ago as a big truck driver). In Ohio there is a separate toll free CDL information line that can provide our information (I have lost it or I would post it).

Dave / Believer45

For personal, private use, and also being it is for the farm, I dont think they can do anything, but I would still ask.

Thanks for the replies, I'm thinking making a phone call sounds like a good idea as well.

In KY as long as your within 150mile radius from your address, or where the truck is regestered. You are legal on farm tag, outside of that range you are not.

Where in TN are you headed? You may not ever come near a set of scales and not have an issue.

Headed from Somerset ky to Greenville, TN, I 75 to I 40 to I 81, unless any of you guys know a better way.

If you cross the scales, watch out for the I-81 Southbound scales in Morristown, TN. They pick on the smaller trucks that pass through the scales. I know from experience and apparently others have the same problem based on what I read here (http://www.coopsareopen.com/tennessee-truck-scale-846.html).

In KY as long as your within 150mile radius from your address, or where the truck is regestered. You are legal on farm tag, outside of that range you are not.

Yeah thats the way it is here. I am 17, and I drive one of our 10 wheelers with air brakes when we are picking corn and beans. Local DOT/DMV office said as long as I am within 175 miles of our home farm, I am good to go.

Google Maps shows Somerset to Greenvile at 175 miles, if the rule is 175 and not 150 you may be OK.

It is 150 here in Ohio if I recall correctly.

To paraphrase Dirty Harry, "You got to ask yourself how lucky you feel."

Dave / Believer45

Your fine because its "not for hire" its personal transportation of goods. They can't do anything if your not making money on it.
For example, you buy a truck out of state and rather than flying and driving it back or taking two vehicles you go and pick it up with a trailer. Its your truck and your just bringing it back, no big deal as long as your properly secured and not overloaded.
Don't even stop at the scales, like I said, your not hauling commercially.

I made the trip recently, it is 166 miles, I guess I'll call and hope for the best. This stuff is getting crazy, I would under stand if I was hauling frieght every day, but this is a little excess.

The DOT can't touch you at all for what you described your doing, unless chits flying off your trailer...

I tend to agree with trailer. Put "Not For Hire" Somewhere on your trailer and roll on. If you are not commercial, you don't have to go through the scales.

If you are not commercial, you don't have to go through the scales.

That's the problem...I've had one weigh master tell me the federal law is that only people who are for hire have to cross the scales. I've had multiple others say that everyone is supposed to cross.
After driving a commercial vehicle for almost 4 years, I'm convinced they either don't know what they're doing or just take things into their own hands and do it how they want. It gets aggravating when you're told one thing at one set of scales and another at the next.

That is a huge problem Justin, I deal with it everyday here at work. Every guy at every scalehouse has a different interpratation of the law. But I do believe that signs before weight stations state that any commercial vehicle over 26,000 gwvr must go through station, So he may even have two outs.

1. you aren't hauling commercial.

2. You aren't over 26,000 lbs.


Just had a similar issue getting one of our box trucks back from Minnesota, We contacted local OSHP, and he said that if you are hauling your own material, and not hauling for someone else, put "not for hire" on your truck, and roll on.

The "farm" plates on his trailer are what gets me, I know nothing about those. But I would say, if you aren't grossly overweight, have your load secure and obey the law, roll on and don't worry about it.

I forget if it's on I-65 or I-94, but I have seen the signs several times that ALL (yes, the sign says all) vehicles with trailers must go through the scales, and all vehicles over 9,000lb must go through the scales.


A few weeks ago on another site, a farmer hauled his pulling tractor to the fair (farm stock IIRC) on his flatbed 18wheeler, and got ticketed (I don't remember if it was DOT or local cop) on the way home. It wasn't 'technically' farm use the cop said, as he handed the driver a $1500 ticket (pretty sure that's what the $ was).

I would say his best bet is to call someone local to find out then, and have them document their answer. So if you are ticketed, you can fall back on that.

Wow and I thought the states on my usual run were bad (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri).
You'll never hear the same thing twice, each officer has their own interpretation of the law. I guess if its that bad call and ask, can't hurt anything.

I still say you should be able to cruise on up pick up your things, and go back without taking one stop or look at a scale if your loads properly secured, and not overweight. Its your own personal crap, your not getting paid, your "not for hire", doesn't sound like anything huge, and to top it off you've got farm plates.

Illinois sucks, but apparently there's worse scale houses out there... :eek:

I guess if its that bad call and ask, can't hurt anything.

All you do is drag yet another person (possibly an officer) with yet another interpretation into it.
But why not try it? If it goes well, you can get them arguing with each other over you and sneak off when they aren't looking.

KY Farm Tags let you haul 26,000 or less, Up to 12ft wide. You are supposed to sign a form saying it is for farm use and not for hire. A tractor doesn't get more farm use than that. I know people that buy equipment out of state all the time.
I have Ky Farm tags and I'm a Ky police officer. I can not think of anything to charge you with unless you was over loaded or unsafe in some way. Scale houses are for commercial vehicles, you are not making money there for you are not commercial in that aspect.

You can also check Ky law at KENTUCKY REVISED STATUTE .com

Thanks for the input, Kentucly isn't really what I was worried about, it is TN, I've heard about people down there having alot of problems before, talked to the TN dot earlier today and they said it wouldn't be a problem though.

usually when they talk about miles from the base it's air miles not driving distance. So if it is only 166 miles from home then it should be less than 150 miles as the crow flies. Here in IL. and up in WI. the scales say all vehicles over 4 tons must weigh in at scale. But what you are hauling is personal and not for hire so you should be exempt from having DOT numbers.

Later Cruz

In WI farm use may not need a CDL but it is still considered "commercial" and requires USDOT #'s and all the give that goes with them. :mad: