I am starting a new hotshot business and having a hard time understanding the dot regs and cdl regs. i have a dodge dually with the 5.9 and I am pulling a 36ft gooseneck. my question is do i fall under the dot regs? sorry im in Texas. i dont plan on driving outside of Texas. this is off of the texas dot webpage. Can someone help me understand if this would apply to my truck? Registration required. Operators of commercial motor vehicles that meet the following criteria must register with TxDMV as motor carriers: Vehicle (or combination of vehicles) with a gross weight, registered weight, or gross weight rating exceeding 26,000 pounds, that is designed or used for transportation of cargo in furtherance of any commercial enterprise For-hire vehicle used to transport household goods, regardless of gross weight rating Vehicle, including a bus, designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver Vehicle used to transport hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding under the regulations issued under the Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (49 USC, § 5101-5127) Vehicle defined by 49 CFR §390.5, owned or controlled by someone domiciled in, or a citizen of, a country other than the United States thanks for any help James
Your 36-foot gooseneck trailer is sure to be rated over 10K pounds, including the trailer itself. As such, you need the CDL. Getting your DOT number is easy and free. The CDL isn't difficult if you can get a physical at your doctor's, and do a thorough safety inspection of your pickup and trailer with the license examiner watching, and demonstrate backing using mirrors, and pass the written test. It's only about $50 here. No need for $3200 of big-rig training at the nearest community college. Be sure to take the exam in a rig with a manual trans or your CDL won't let you ever drive anything with a manual. Same deal for air brakes, which I don't care about myself. But I found a '99 F250 SuperDuty with the manual trans to borrow for my CDL exam. Getting your Motor Carrier Authority is $300, and the form is confusing. Getting a log book is like $15. Best to get it all, then never face a $2000 fine, or worse.
I'm in the process of getting my USDOT ducks in a row for my landscape business in Buda, TX. I just signed up for the drug testing from DOT Compliance Testing and took the testing the other day. I already had a CDL, a medical card, USDOT numbers, and am working on getting my cab card.
