DOT Numbers

[Captain Jim]

Yesterday I received a call from a fellow charter Captain. He had trailered his boat to town to gas it up. When leaving town he was stopped by the cops for a DOT check. They informed him that because he uses the boat to make money, he must have DOT numbers on his truck.

They also said all these guys pulling landscaping trailers, or hauling amish equipment, or anything where a guy makes money pulling a trailer has to have a DOT number.

So where do I get a DOT number from?

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[Sk8man]

Department of Motor Vehicles in Waterloo?

[Captain Jim]

I'll go there Monday and find out. Wish I heard this before. I was just there Friday to renew plates on the trailers and motorcycles.

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[Captain Jim]

I googled how to get a DOT number. We can go online or call a phone number. The DOT number is free. What it does is give the government yet another way to know what we are doing and where. Of course they have "safety regulations" for us to follow.

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[lost a lure]

You might want to check on that a little more.

 

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number

[Legacy]

You might want to check on that a little more.

 

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number

 

Agreed. I would look into that a bit more.

[salmonaddict]

if you have a dot number you need a log book and will be charged road tax on your milage I would look in to this before I went to motor vehical

[Captain Jim]

Figures they had to be getting money out of us one way or another.

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[Mower]

A lot of misconceptions on this. As one who deals with this daily here is the scope. One: yes technically you need dot numbers if your hauling your boat as part of a money making business. Now unless your over 26000 lbs combined weight. No cdl or log book required. You should display dot numbers. Personally if it was me get your numbers and affix them to a magnet and only display the numbers when your in boat is in tow. Now if you choose to comply you can be stopped for random dot checks and you must pull into weigh/inspection stations on the highway. When displaying the for numbers you must have a fire extinguisher , safety triangle, first aid in the vehicle. Also everything on truck and trailer must be in good working order.

The only thing I am not sure about is if your not running commercial plates can you still display for numbers

[Tall Tails]

A lot of misconceptions on this. As one who deals with this daily here is the scope. One: yes technically you need dot numbers if your hauling your boat as part of a money making business. Now unless your over 26000 lbs combined weight. No cdl or log book required. You should display dot numbers. Personally if it was me get your numbers and affix them to a magnet and only display the numbers when your in boat is in tow. Now if you choose to comply you can be stopped for random dot checks and you must pull into weigh/inspection stations on the highway. When displaying the for numbers you must have a fire extinguisher , safety triangle, first aid in the vehicle. Also everything on truck and trailer must be in good working order.

The only thing I am not sure about is if your not running commercial plates can you still display for numbers

 

This is spot on.  One of my teammates was a Syracuse PD DOT officer and I confirmed with him on this. 

[Chas0218]

Now if you were to say you were "pleasure/recreational fishing" while towing a charter boat would that still fall so you would need DOT numbers?

[times two]

Also, what if your boat doesn't say charters on it?

[Tall Tails]

Also, what if your boat doesn't say charters on it?

 

I wasnt going to advocate it but if it isnt written all over your truck and boat I guess you look like a Rec fisherman.

[times two]

opps...forgot about truck....

[lost a lure]

Use a "personal" truck not the one you use to write off all that "business" mileage