trailer/tow vehicle axle weight regs

[sumfari]

in our camping job where we are gate attendants, we keep hearing from our campers that when they travel from state to state, when their tow vehichle is pulling their rv, in some states, you could be pulled over by law enforcement to have the weight of your axles of your tow vehichle as well as your rv checked to see if they are in compliance with state laws. If found not to be, they can take your rv and tow vehichle and fine you up to 10,000.00.

In addition, we were told that if you go to a certain trucking company which regulates this and have your tow vehichle and rv weighed and get a copy of this info, you can show this, then have no problems, with law enforcement per what the campers tell us.

this is what we have been told and we have never heard of this and would like to check the validity of it.

[bryanl]

You see this sort of fear on RV discussion boards every now and then. Any LEO harassing an RV driver about weights is probably way out of line.

I have yet to see any state law that makes the vehicle weight ratings for RV's a legal standard. I have not seen any insurance impact either. There have been allegations about it being a factor in assigning blame for crashes but I have seen no substance there either as crash investigations seldom weigh the debris except in commercial situations.

The only caveat I have seen is a case of severe overloading to the point that the vehicle can barely get down the road - and that really has to get extreme to cause any notice in my experience.

The state's primary involvement with vehicle weigts is for commercial traffic and primarily as a tax on commerce.

[HowieE]

I have not see any state weight an RV but I had heard the BC does and may if you are overweight tow you to there boarder. Even if the states do start this a doubt the fine will approach 10,000. Each state has an overweight fine schedule for trucks and I would assume if inforced that would be the rate structure. It s all about money.

The upcoming problem is that insurance companies are reportly consider weighing a trailer that are involved in an accident for over weight. Over weight may not only be the weight of the trailer but also if the trailer exceeds the rated load of the TV.

It is a good idea from a shear safty consideration to weigh your trailer. Those shoes under the bed and cans of beans do add up.

Another consideration is the fact that RV makers are realy cutting back on the capacity a given trailer can hold. Last year Airstream sold a trailer in the US that had a 40 lb. capacity. That same trailer sold in Canada would carry 400 lbs.