# Truck License Plates and Drivers License Requirements



## kyfred

In the last month I have been to two meeting one in a neighboring county, and one in our county at the County Extension Office. The meetings Ky State Police and Vehicle enforcement officers put on a presentation concerning Vehicle license (farm plates or commercial). Dot rules and regulations for Farm Trucks. How to determine by the gross vehicle weight rating and if articulated gross combination weight rating and the mileage you run from you home,and what purpose you use your truck , (what you haul), what type of license plate,and with or without USDOT number, that is required to put on a truck and if the driver is required to have the CDL license , medical card , and if the driver has to fill out a log book or not. 
Any truck rated 26,001 and above or truck and trailer combined weight rating 26,001 and above is considered a CDL vehicle and driver has to have CDL license. That will include a lot of p/u trucks pulling gooseneck trailers. Not just by actual weight but the manufactures weight ratings of truck and trailer combined. 
Even the p/u trucks rated 10,001 they told us need a USDOT number
I have my CDL license with the class A endorsement with the medical card for where I work. For the drivers that don't you may want to check out your states rules and regulations for your operation. 
I know every one is in business to make money but if you haul something for hire with your truck with farm plates on it, you might want to get things in order before you get caught. 
This is the first time that I know of that KY has been putting on these info-meetings and the only thing I can think of it looks like in the future will probably be cracking down on Farm Trucks licensed with Farm License Plates on them doing work with their trucks that neither the truck or driver is licensed for.

Hopfully last edit 
This is the slide show or power point the cops used in the meetings
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...y9Svry&sig=AHIEtbSTqEK13ySfDS6ceLIOju-xobI_qQ


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## haybaler101

Indiana law as explained to me states that I can drive my own semi with farm plates, hauling my own farm commodities within 150 arial miles of home(within the state of Indiana) on an operator license(non-cdl). I do have to carry a medical card, do not need a log book, do not need DOT numbers, do have to have annual truck inspections and am not supposed to drive on interstate highways. Pickups and goosenecks are definate gray area here and actually fall more into the commercial category than farm plated semis, especially if you have 1-ton dually.


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## mlappin

Hmmm...I might want to check on this but the last time I looked in the CDL manual I got from Indiana on the last page (of course) it said the owner of the farm and his employees were exempt from needing a CDL if the farmer was hauling there own commodity within a certain distance of the home farm.


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## Tim/South

I looked into getting a CDL and declined.
The guy at DMV said I was exempt. He also said he was often called to explain the law in cases where local law enforcement ticketed farmers.
My understanding is that the Mid Western legislators blocked the original passage of a national drivers license because of the hardship it would place on family farmers.
I stay within 150 miles, as a crow flies, from home. I only haul for myself and it is clearly ag.
I do keep a current fire extinguisher and reflective triangle road markers.

Individual states may place added restrictions on farm vehicles.


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## Gearclash

Kyfred, I am wondering if they mentioned anything at your meeting about how they arrive at a weight rating for pickups? There are really two numbers on the door sticker, one being the manufacturer's GWR, and the other being the sum of front and rear axle ratings. The combined axle ratings are always higher, but it seems the DOT goes by the lower number. Why is the axle rating meaningless on a pickup, but not on the trailer it is towing?


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## kyfred

They said the rated gvw for the truck which will be on the door sticker. Like on my Dodge is 8800 lbs gvwr (gross vehicle wt rating)
Then for the trailer lets say for a gooseneck flat bed with dual wheels rated at 20,000 lbs you add the two together would have gcwr (gross combination wt rating)
will give you 28,800 lbs. 2,880 lbs above 26,000 lbs which will put you into needing a CDL lic to drive in KY . Lot of people don't think a 3/4 ton can get into the CDL license range but it will according to what the officers said.
The individual axle rating is what the manufacture says the axle is rated to carry. There are also a lot of guy are buying used single axle truck/tractors and taking the fifth wheels off and putting on gooseneck hitches to pull their goose neck trailors, but if the tractor is rated above 26.000 lbs they will need a CDL license even if they put a Farm License plate with a 26,000 rating.
The main thing is stay below 26,000 lbs to avoid the CDL stuff. That is good for up to 150 air miles from where you live. Go over that and you have to abide by the Regular DOT rules and regulations for commercial trucks even if your truck is Licensed with a farm license plate


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## haybaler101

kyfred said:


> They said the rated gvw for the truck which will be on the door sticker. Like on my Dodge is 8800 lbs gvwr (gross vehicle wt rating)
> Then for the trailer lets say for a gooseneck flat bed with dual wheels rated at 20,000 lbs you add the two together would have gcwr (gross combination wt rating)
> will give you 28,800 lbs. 2,880 lbs above 26,000 lbs which will put you into needing a CDL lic to drive in KY . Lot of people don't think a 3/4 ton can get into the CDL license range but it will according to what the officers said.
> The individual axle rating is what the manufacture says the axle is rated to carry. There are also a lot of guy are buying used single axle truck/tractors and taking the fifth wheels off and putting on gooseneck hitches to pull their goose neck trailors, but if the tractor is rated above 26.000 lbs they will need a CDL license even if they put a Farm License plate with a 26,000 rating.
> The main thing is stay below 26,000 lbs to avoid the CDL stuff. That is good for up to 150 air miles from where you live. Go over that and you have to abide by the Regular DOT rules and regulations for commercial trucks even if your truck is Licensed with a farm license plate


articulated vehicles in Indiana over 10,001 lbs require a cdl license. Basically, if you are pulling any type of trailer on a half-ton or larger pickup and doing commerce, you need a cdl in Indiana.


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## kyfred

Thanks haybalor101 I will put the link to the power point the DOT officers used. There are charts if you scroll down through that shows what they want concerning farm trucks. Officers mentioned farm truck crossing state line regular dot rules . Both meetings were a couple of hours we couldn't take notes fast enough. It would have been better to have a hard copy of the rules. They said to go to a truck stop and buy them.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...y9Svry&sig=AHIEtbSTqEK13ySfDS6ceLIOju-xobI_qQ


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