[SunRescue] OT: CA: It's Our Turn

[Mike Nicewonger]

Error corrections embedded.

Mike N
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Byrne" <chris at chrisbyrne.com>
To: <rescue at sunhelp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 7:32 AM
Subject: RE: [SunRescue] OT: CA: It's Our Turn


>
>
> David Cantrell
> Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 03:45
> >> SS2 - 1979 Ford F150
> >
> >Not knowing what an F150 is - it that a good thing or a bad thing? :-)
>
> The F150 is a "light" truck, commonly referred to as a pickup truck. It's
> between 16 and 20 feet long with either a six foot, or eight foot bed
> (uncovered cargo area), and two or four full size doors. Many 2 door
models
> have 2 half doors for rear seat access. It's about six and a half feet
wide,
> and weighs between 4000 and 5500 lbs empty depending on equipment.
>
> It has a towing capacity of up to 8800 lbs, and a cargo capacity of 1000
> lbs, however legally speaking in order to be a light truck and not require
a
> special drivers license, the truck, trailer, and cargo together cannot
weigh
> more than 10,500 lbs if they are travelling on public roads.

While you have the capacities for an F-150 correct the maximum legal weight
before requiring a CDL (commercial drivers license) is 26,000 pounds. This
is nationwide as mandated by federal law when the CDL was introduced. You
are however, as the operator of any vehicle that either actually weighs, has
a registered gross weight, or a gross combined weight of 10,001 pounds or
over be required to stop at truck scales and are subject to inspection at
any time by Commercial Vehicle enforcement officers. If engaged in
commercial activity you are required to have DOT registration and other fun
stuff if over 10,001 pounds. You are also banned from certain roads (most
notably any road in NYC called a "Parkway". To further add to the confusion
this includes motorhomes, and pick-ups/vans class 3 and up.

A note here. the first number of most pick-up models is the class identifier
i.e Chevy 1500 is a class 1 or 1/2 ton truck Same for F-150. A Chevy Van
model 30 is a one ton truck classed as, you guessed it class 3. All class
three trucks are 10,000 pounds or over. In fact most F-350's are factory
listed as 11,000 pound if equipped with dual rear wheels. Now some folks
figure hey, my truck is rated to 11,000 pounds I can avoid the weight/size
stuff by registering it as 9,000 pounds. Wrong. See the above rules.

I have extensive experience with trucks and law. I owned a towing company
for 10 years and have been through all the pain and heartburn of dealing
with the DOT.

One item that should be pointed out. Most DOT cops will ignore obviously non
commercial vehicles and not hold you to the law. Be warned, many states in
the North East are just plain pricks about trucks and the law, most notably
Connecticut, Mass., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. I have
seen RV owners get slammed by these fun folks.

>
> The ford F-150 is the best selling vehicle in US history, and is currently
> the best selling single model of any kind of vehicle. It outsells the
Toyota
> camry, Honda accord, and ford Taurus (the three leading cars) by as much
as
> three to one some years.

I would argue that statement.

>
> Note: this is the second smallest of fords "light" trucks. The largest is
> the excursion I mentioned earlier at 7500 lbs. The pickup truck version of
> that monster, the F-350 Super Duty, has a 2,000lb cargo capacity, and can
> tow up to 14,500 lbs. Many companies use them to pull long haul over the
> road trailers around parking lots or loading docks. They are also used as
> tow trucks for buses or long haul trucks.

The F-350 is indeed an impressive truck, especially when equipped with the
Power Stroke Diesel manufactured by International. However, from experience
I can tell you when equipped as a tow truck they are dangerous with anything
bigger than it's self in size hooked up. They do not have the weight
transfer to the front axle they need for big stuff. Ford produces a truck
they used to call "Super Duty", now called F-450 looks like an F-350 but it
is in fact a different truck. Solid front axle, heavy duty rear axle and
other real truck refinements. In the course of my business I have owned 1
F-350 car carrier and 5 other F-450 wreckers and carriers. You will not see
any new F-350's pulling duty as a rollback tow truck they are unsafe for
this job as well.

>
> In the US light trucks are exempt form most emissions, safety, and fuel
> economy regulations, so every truck they sell counts far less against the
> companies  CAFE (corporate average fuel economy)

All trucks in the USA have are regulated by and required to adhere to the
above. With the only exception being the CAFE standards. All gasoline
powered trucks regardless of size are required to take emissions tests too.

>
> Even better. Ford estimates the total cost to them as a manufacturer of
one
> of these super-trucks is something around $10,000 USD. The highest end
> models sell for around $50,000 USD these day. That's a very very nice
profit
> margin.

Yes they make huge money on trucks.
>
> The Automakers margins on SUV's and light trucks are up to five times what
> they are on cars. Is it any wonder why all major manufactures now have
> SUV's, even if they have to rebadge someone else's as their own (Honda
uses
> ISUZU), or that the majors heavily push SUV and light truck sales?

I still don't understand that idea :) (Honda? Isuzu? I'm so confused!!)

Sorry to pick a nit.

Mike N
>
> Chris Byrne
> =======================================
> The eyes may be the windows on the soul
> But the word is the doorway to the mind
> =======================================
>
>
>
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