I'm making the move from my F-550 service truck to an International 4900 with air brakes and a 33K GVW. I've had my Class A for several years -- got it for occasionally driving a rolloff truck for my last part-time employer. I'm a self-employed welder / mechanic, so I'm having to figure all this paperwork out for myself. Been getting a headache from it if the truth be told. So far I know this much: I have an Interstate CDL, medical is up to date. I doubt I'll be going out of VA much in the truck, but it's possible. I won't be hauling other people's property -- the truck is only for carrying my tools. Can somebody take the time to explain some things to me? I've been through the VA DMV's website and if anything I'm more confused now than I was before. 1. Operating authority. I know enough to know I'm not exempt. What would I fall under? Common carrier, property carrier....??? Is operating authority automatically obtained by getting either a VA DOT or US DOT number? If not, how does operating authority relate to DOT numbers? 2. Intrastate or Interstate? I'm talking DOT numbers again here. I'm sure sooner or later I'll go outside of VA, if only to buy a milling machine. I don't currently have any out-of-state customers. Trying to determine US or VA number. Why would someone set up for intrastate instead of interstate? Costs, or ???? 3. IFTA fuel taxes. What's going on here? Seems like I get to pay even more taxes? Is the IRS 2290 form I heard about related to this? 4. Drug testing. I heard this is mandatory. I'm a one-man company. How do I do this? 5. Logbooks. I assume I need to keep them even though I'll probably average less than 150 miles a day on the truck? Any advice would be helpful. This is all a black hole to me right now. -Joe
not sure about all your questions but i don't believe you have to do drug testing if your a self employed one man show. I could be wrong tho. and I don't think you have to run log books if you stay in your home state
IFTA fuel tax only applies if you cross state lines If you don't go over 150 mile radius from your home location you are considered short haul, no log books. That's what the DOT here told me.
Just ran across info on IRS form 2290, on the VA DMV website. It's a way of being sure you've paid the Federal HVUT (Heavy Vehicle Use Tax), and applies to GVW's over 55,000. So with my 33K GVW, I don't have to deal with it. I'll try to keep this updated as I get this truck on the road. Maybe the info will help somebody in the future.
Drug testing, you contract a company that does randomly selected drug screenings and you put your name in the pool. Operating authority is only needed when you are hauling goods for other people. If you are hauling your tools or product or goods that you sell yourself, you are exempt. Ifta is only for out of state highway use age, which also requires apportioned plates which basically means you have to pay registration fees for every state you travel in.
Also as far as I know day cab trucks (no sleeper) do not require log books
I looked into all the stuff (dug into the regs) and many rules are setup for companies with many trucks in mind. Makes it tough to try and follow... just about made my head split. Lucky for me I was able to put my big truck on farm plates given it's use. Log book not needed under 100 air miles from homebase, though supposed to keep track of "HOS", hours of service. Local haul exemption. Doesn't matter if you have a day cab or 20ft long sleeper cab.
What ever you do if you get stopped and are hauling a customers part, bucket, or what ever tell the man that their yours. Best to own the parts until you get off the road. This will put you into hauling for hire and you need authority, cargo insurance.......(cost me $1,700 to learn this)
This is NOT true. A logbook is required if you drive more than 100 air miles from your home terminal. Take a map, scale a 100 mile radius circle and draw it around your home location. Travel outside of that in a commercial vehicle should be documented in a log book. When you are operating within that range, you still need time cards or some sort of log to track your hours of service. You still have to comply with all of the hours of service rules. Be sure to have your 10 hours off between shifts, and a 34 hour reset. There are different ways to work the rules, and I always make sure my papers show I was legal, no matter what I really did.
JUST MAKE DANG SURE YOU GIVE THE OFFICER THE RIGHT LOG BOOK!!! lol
is this true Ive heard to if you drive 8 hours of less you don't have to do log book if you stay in your state. heard some driver say it
No, read the post above yours. You don't have to carry the log book if you stay within 100 air miles of your base. I always thought air miles meant in a straight line, too, but I got my behind handed to me in the process of learning it. I had a driver get stopped by NC DOT about 90 straight line miles from my shop. He had worked about 3 hrs after a 3 day holiday weekend. I was a hundred miles in the other direction when they placed him out of service for 24hrs in a daycab in a Walmart parking lot for no log book. I drove my pickup over 200 miles to show a DOT officer my liscense and a brand new logbook that showed me off duty for 7 days until I left the shop to come pick him up. I thought I had a great case even after the officer said an air mile was just over 6000' (a nautical mile) and the straight line thing was meaningless. He put the shop address in his computer and it calculated the distance he drove. I of course thought the officer didn't know what he was talking about, but I dug into the text of the law and the regulations and found he was right. If you have any doubt, just put "define air mile" into google.
Here is a guide to HOS. Page 8 of the guide, suppose to be 100 air mile radius from your shop address...as long as you meet the requirements. You can drive within the 100 air mile radius for up to 12 consecutive hours, as long as you leave and come back to the shop. Your boss keeps time records at the office. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/truck/driver/hos/fmcsa-guide-to-hos.PDF
If your trips out of state are going to be very infrequent you may be further ahead to get a trip permit each time. Can save a lot on the records as far as miles in each state, fuel in each state. You will still need to use log book on the trip, hours of service etc. When it is all over and done with you may find it a benefit to keep a log book every day to show time driving and working. That way if it ever comes down to it you will have records to prove your case since with the DOT you will be guilty until you prove yourself innocent.
The problem is 95% of the rules are written with a long haul driver company man in mind. Most of them should not apply for a guy running a truck a few days a week, mostly around town. I have a dumptruck we use for moving firewood. They wanted me to keep a log book with hours worked on it. A truck that gets 150 miles a week on it. If I cut wood for 12hrs and then drive the truck home that is WRONG since I'm over my hours they said. Supposed to get someone to give me a ride. A normal week for us is 100-120hrs. But I can hop in my pickup and go home, no problem. How does that make sense!? I'd end up spending more time filling in a log book for no reason than actually driving the thing.
It's the government does any thing they do make sense