Seems the police are cracking down on horse trailers these days, more to make money off violators of laws that have been there for years and the most of us really didn’t know about than safety matters.
I just read an article about all this and seems most trailers, even a two horse, pulled by a 250 or bigger is going to need at least a USDOT number which will then involve log books and other stuff.
Having health papers and coggins with you on interstate trips is also a biggie because officers will ask for them. If you are hauling to a show and there is prize money involved (like that could happen!!!) you fall right into commercial class, even if you are an amateur hauling your own horses.
We should all look into this and get compliant so we are not stuck on the side of the road with a load of horses.
Here are the regulations:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number
It depends on both the size of the vehicle AND what you are using it for. I think it’s unlikely your average amateur is going to have an issue.
[QUOTE=copper1;8029180]
Seems the police are cracking down on horse trailers these days, more to make money off violators of laws that have been there for years and the most of us really didn’t know about than safety matters.
I just read an article about all this and seems most trailers, even a two horse, pulled by a 250 or bigger is going to need at least a USDOT number which will then involve log books and other stuff.
Having health papers and coggins with you on interstate trips is also a biggie because officers will ask for them. If you are hauling to a show and there is prize money involved (like that could happen!!!) you fall right into commercial class, even if you are an amateur hauling your own horses.
We should all look into this and get compliant so we are not stuck on the side of the road with a load of horses.[/QUOTE]
This issue pops up every year or so. There have been multiple threads here over time on the issue.
If you look at the language of a lot of regulations they technically can reach pretty far into private hauling. Every now and then some bureaucrat, for their own reasons, makes noise about “regulating” private, low intensity horse hauling. Rarely do they follow through. The issue dies, and next year it will come back again when somebody else writes an article in a popular horse magazine or web site.
As of right now the Feds have not used much of the authority they theoretically have to regulate a pickup pulling a two horse trailer. States sometimes become much more aggressive, usually after some public mishap. But that generally “goes away” after the newsies find other things to follow.
The lesson for the horse owner is to know what the rules are in their state (which will likely be much more intrusive than Federal rules) and understand that the Federal rules right now pretty much exempt anything under 26,000 pounds. If you’re rich enough to be driving a 26,001 lbs. or over then talk to your attorney! 
G.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8029315]
Federal rules right now pretty much exempt anything under 26,000 pounds. If you’re rich enough to be driving a 26,001 lbs. or over then talk to your attorney!
G.[/QUOTE]
The rub is whether they go by actual weight or rated weight. As the GVWR is ever increasing on new trucks, it becomes pretty easy to blow by the 26K number if using rated weights. If using actual, or plated weights, we are all still pretty safe. The other gotcha is the 10K trailer statement. Again, actual or rated weight. There are lots of trailers out there with two 5K axles with a GVWR over 10K because of the additional weight carried by the truck.
If you are hauling for clients or borders, you probably need a CDL…
[QUOTE=airhorse;8029489]
The rub is whether they go by actual weight or rated weight. As the GVWR is ever increasing on new trucks, it becomes pretty easy to blow by the 26K number if using rated weights. If using actual, or plated weights, we are all still pretty safe. The other gotcha is the 10K trailer statement. Again, actual or rated weight. There are lots of trailers out there with two 5K axles with a GVWR over 10K because of the additional weight carried by the truck.
If you are hauling for clients or borders, you probably need a CDL…[/QUOTE]
You are correct. For a while TN had “Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers” (generally referred to as “weight watchers” 
) who had the authority to stop and use portable scales to weigh vehicles. If the actual weight exceeded the published limits for the vehicle then they got a citation. We used to see them from time to rime in our General Sessions Court. A few years back the state converted them all to regular Troopers. I’ve not seen a “weight violation” case since.
From time to time we see “how much can my truck pull?” threads. Most focus on “tow rating.” That’s not what folks need to be looking at. They need to focus on the GCVWR and know the empty weights of the their truck and trailer and the weight of the “pay load” to stay both legal and safe.
Dual standards can be a difficult to follow.
G.
Especially when money can be extorted out of those “rich” horse owners…
I read on another board that if you have a living quarters trailer you’re classified as an RV so it doesn’t apply. Is that true?
[QUOTE=saddleup;8029745]
I read on another board that if you have a living quarters trailer you’re classified as an RV so it doesn’t apply. Is that true?[/QUOTE]
Maybe so and maybe not. Be careful of what you read on the Internet.
G.
While the weight issue is fuzzy, the issues with having coggins and health papers and trainers and BO’s hauling commercially is not.
Any time you are on the road with a horse in your trailer, you should have proof of a current negative coggins on that horse. Any time you cross state lines you need health papers. It drives me nuts how many people disregard this.
If you are hauling someone else’s horse and receiving compensation, you’d better have a CDL, an approved rig, and hellacious insurance. It doesn’t matter if the owner(s) are your “clients”, your friends, or your mother. If you are hauling someone else’s horse(s) and receiving compensation, you are hauling commercially. Call a good transport company and ask them about all the hoops they have to jump through in order to stay legal before you load up someone else’s animal.
If you have a dually in Massachusetts, you are required to register it commercially and are subject to DOT regs requiring a DOT number and health certificate. It is a PITA and many horse owners do not do it. We found this out after a couple of hundred dollars in fines.
We had that as an issue in CA with a flatbed one ton. It needed state numbers and commercial insurance to be used by our business. 26,000 was a magic number there too that meant even more paperwork, and Lord help us if we went into commercial carting - ie moving loads for other people.
Quite a few people skirt the edges of the regulations and may not even know it.
