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[Noah D Mitchell]

Afternoon,


Our church owns a 53' semi trailer that was converted (prior to our ownership) to open into a portable stage. Not as slick as StageLine etc but it gets the job done. We've also got an appropriate tractor to tow it. This is used *almost* exclusively in-town, moving to various parking lots for concerts, etc. However, we also take it onto the Navajo reservation during summer months for similar events.


All of our transportation involves local roads and highways, no interstate freeways. However, we do technically cross the state borders while on the reservation.


We have been meticulous about all of the regulatory procedures and requirements for this 'rig' to move legally. However, these are becoming more and more burdensome, especially considering how - and how little - we use it. Ultimately it requires a part time employee to give a reasonable portion of their monthly hours to simply maintaining the paperwork.


My question: The local CDL instructor has mentioned there might be a more 'lightweight' way to register the vehicle, seeing as it's not used for interstate travel or commerce - but his knowledge ends there. Can anyone point me in the right direction to research this - or does anyone know a definitive answer on this?


If not - we'll be in the market for something like a used SL50/SL75 or similar soon.

[Matthias McCready]

Afternoon,


Our church owns a 53' semi trailer that was converted (prior to our ownership) to open into a portable stage. Not as slick as StageLine etc but it gets the job done. We've also got an appropriate tractor to tow it. This is used *almost* exclusively in-town, moving to various parking lots for concerts, etc. However, we also take it onto the Navajo reservation during summer months for similar events.


All of our transportation involves local roads and highways, no interstate freeways. However, we do technically cross the state borders while on the reservation.


We have been meticulous about all of the regulatory procedures and requirements for this 'rig' to move legally. However, these are becoming more and more burdensome, especially considering how - and how little - we use it. Ultimately it requires a part time employee to give a reasonable portion of their monthly hours to simply maintaining the paperwork.


My question: The local CDL instructor has mentioned there might be a more 'lightweight' way to register the vehicle, seeing as it's not used for interstate travel or commerce - but his knowledge ends there. Can anyone point me in the right direction to research this - or does anyone know a definitive answer on this?


If not - we'll be in the market for something like a used SL50/SL75 or similar soon.

Pardon the ignorance, but is it not possible to just hire a CDL driver who has their own rig, when you need the trailer moved?

[Noah D Mitchell]

Pardon the ignorance, but is it not possible to just hire a CDL driver who has their own rig, when you need the trailer moved?

It is - and we have done so - but a large portion of the compliance/regulatory issues are connected to the trailer itself.

[Landon Lewsaw]

I'm up here in Canada, but in a previous life I ran heavy duty tow trucks.  We often got calls to move trailers that were unregistered/uninsured/no current inspection.  Whomever owned them found it less of a hassle to pay a tow bill whenever moving it that to keep it all up to date.  Of course it was up to us to determine if it was actually safe to go down the road, and we said no lots of the time. 

There might be a similar loophole where you are.

[Chris Hindle]

It is - and we have done so - but a large portion of the compliance/regulatory issues are connected to the trailer itself.

Stage-Line or similar would be your solution. THEY take care of the compliance and regulatory issues.
You just stick a license plate on the thing.
Home Build is always going to be a problem.
Chris. (Canadian, but I expect it's pretty similar in the Excited States.)

[Noah D Mitchell]

Stage-Line or similar would be your solution. THEY take care of the compliance and regulatory issues.
You just stick a license plate on the thing.
Home Build is always going to be a problem.
Chris. (Canadian, but I expect it's pretty similar in the Excited States.)

'Tis true in the general sense. Of course, the most affordable piece of gear is the one you already own, so I would prefer to not have to purchase again. Although I would love to be able to justify a new SL75 right about now.


And to clarify, the compliance/regulatory issues aren't to do with the trailer's construction itself, but the DOT issues of operating a vehicle that it is considered a commercial enterprise. We have to have employee drivers in a random drug test pool, quarterly & annual inspections, and just a lot of paperwork. That is why I was asking about different ways to license the entire rig to make it easier to manage from a logistics standpoint considering our limited scope of use.


Landon's mention upthread of having the rig 'towed' is actually a solid suggestion. There are a few regional towing companies, and we could probably arrange to have it moved each week to the next location, provided that wasn't uncorking another legal/paperwork issue for us or the towing company.

[Tim McCulloch]

Jonathan-

If the ministry's stage is "street legal" with license and insurance, you can hire a trucking company to move it.  It's their CDL driver and you'd have no compliance responsibility for the operator or the tractor.  Hiring an owner/operator might be a solution, too.

All persons with safety-related responsibilities are supposed to be tested randomly, and at least once every two years if they've not come up in the random draws.  That means drivers, yard men, dispatchers, and whole lot of other folks.  If they are not your employees you are not responsible for their testing.

[Jeff Bankston]

Easiest way is for you to get a class A CDL. Truck driving school cost about $2000. you train in their truck, and walk out with class A CDL. You can rent "day cab" semi trucks for cheap. all you need is a current tag on your trailer. Or you can hire a trailer mover for a day. they take the trailer to location and bring it back.

[Noah D Mitchell]

Easiest way is for you to get a class A CDL. Truck driving school cost about $2000. you train in their truck, and walk out with class A CDL. You can rent "day cab" semi trucks for cheap. all you need is a current tag on your trailer. Or you can hire a trailer mover for a day. they take the trailer to location and bring it back.

Jeff, we’ve got a pool of Class A drivers that we’ve paid to get their licenses, so that is covered. I guess it seems the biggest regulatory issues are with the tractor/drivers and not the trailer. Hiring a ‘day cab’ or just the trailer mover seems like a good solution.


There is a local CDL school that has expressed interest in our tractor, selling to them with the option of renting it back might work out.


Thank you everyone for your input!

[Jeff Bankston]

Jeff, we’ve got a pool of Class A drivers that we’ve paid to get their licenses, so that is covered. I guess it seems the biggest regulatory issues are with the tractor/drivers and not the trailer. Hiring a ‘day cab’ o

As long as the driver has a up to date medical card and log book and the tractor has all the stickers, dot transport number, and all the other stuff everything should be fine.

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