26k truck

[PRBean]

This is my first question on this site, but have been reading here for about 2 1/2 yrs. Great site with lots of info. I am a private carrier hauling our own products.
I have a 04 Kenworth T300 - 26K gvwr - 26' body -air brakes Indiana licensed and have DOT number.
My question is yesterday a former officer with In.DOT told me if we wanted to haul more weight with our 26K truck that we could replate in to 30K and still use non-CDL drivers and no air brake endorsement needed. He said it still has a factory gvwr of 26K and that can't be changed. We could even add a tag axle, and plate it accordingly. And still use a non-CDL driver.
Kenworth as you may know does make a heavy 26K rated truck w/10K front axle and 21K rear but still rates it at 26K.
I was sort of shocked when he said this, but he said there are others doing it and its legal.
Any replys would be great help.
Thanks Paul

 

[redytrk]

I don`t have the answer,but I do have some more questions.

Was the former DOT man talking INTRASTATE Indiana?
I don't think you would get very far INTERSTATE?

Was your DOT man fired for incompetency?

 

[X1_SRH]

I don't see this as being legal for interstate commerce. Anything over a 26K GVW is required to get an IFTA sticker and report and pay fuel tax. If you plate it heavier, the Government will want their piece of the pie. Although an Indiana DOT officer says it is legal - I'm willing to bet that there are thousands of other DOT officers that will tell you that it is not, and we all know that Interpretation means everything when it comes to DOT.

I can't see that flying with any major expediting companies either...

Scott

 

[PRBean]

He is a retired In.DOT officer now selling his services for DOT Safty and Compliance to company's like ours. Helping us set up our files and vehicles' so we are in compliance with the DOT.
We operate as a private carrier and do operate interstate. We are not in the expedit business, but haul our own product to the customer.
What he told us just didn't sound right to me. That's why i posted it on EO. Others I've talked in the trucking business today did not agree with him ether. Thanks PB

 

[targuard86]

Fedral law says that if the vehicle's GVWR OR the vehicle actually weighs over 26K you have to comply with the Federal regs. Also The IFTA regs say that any vehicle rated or carrying over 26K must comply with the IFTA laws. IFTA goes on to say that any vehicle with more than 2 axles, reguardless of the weight or rating, must comply with IFTA regs.

Intrastate...........don't know.

 

[greg334]

In Michigan, I understand that if your truck is rated at 26K and you plate it for 30K outside of the state, they will put the truck out of service if they inspect it. Their position is that the physical capibilities of the vehicle does not meet the plating reqruirments of the state - the sticker rules.

 

[MSinger]

I would say that if you had a loaded weight of 30K on a 26K GVWR truck that they would happily write you a ticket and put you out of service for being about 4K overweight.