BeenSpur'd
I love her wild,wild hair
Thought some of you might want to read this:
I just got this frwarded to me by the NJHorse Council's President.
Please BEWARE.
Got this from a New Jersey Friend.
Subject:[Appaloosab reederlist2] Fwd: NYS is pulling over horse trailers
Forwarded from NNY Horses:
One of the local harness racing people up here got pulled over by the DOT yesterday and left with fines totaling $3300!!!! Every single infraction of the DOT laws carries a $350 fine!
He was hauling 2 horses from his farm to the track at Vernon Downs - IOW, not on a major highway like the NYS Thruway. I don't remember every single thing he was cited for but here is what I DO remember:
No fire extinguisher
Chains from trailer to truck not hooked "per regulations"
Wire for emergency brakes attached to the same part of the truck as the chains
Dead battery in the emergency brakes on the trailer
No DOT number (he hauls his own horses ONLY in a 2 horse trailer like I do)
They had him pulled over on the side of the road for a long, long time checking everything. They even pulled the battery out of the emergency brake and made him drive forward 100 feet and stop to see if the trailer brakes functioned properly. Before he left, the DOT officer told him they are stopping all horse trailers because "NY is broke and needs the money".
I tried looking up the DOT regulations on both the NYS and Federal websites and could not find ANY guidance whatsoever so I contacted the NYS DOT and talked to a very nice guy who confirmed that they ARE stopping horse/livestock trailers when they see them, the fines ARE exactly as I quoted above - $350 per infraction - and that everything I was told he was fined for IS correct. BTW - NY follows Federal regulations so this applies to other states.
I specifically asked how chains are supposed to be hooked and he said "Oh there is a very specific way they must be hooked to your truck hitch". He is sending me the DOT manual today because he did not want to mislead me by trying to explain "how" over the phone.
He told me that even though I haul only my own horses, that since I show and some of those shows offer prize money, that is considered to be "commerce" and therefore I need a DOT number. He said, and I quote, "You don't want to have to pay THAT fine if you get stopped!". He also said that if you go even a foot across the state line, by federal law you are in "interstate commerce" and therefore need a DOT number.
If you don't have a DOT number, you can apply for one here:
http://www.fmcsa. dot.gov/
He advised me not to take my trailer out on the road AT ALL until I get the manual he is sending and go through my whole trailer to make sure I am in compliance. I will share the info from the manual when I get it.
If you want to get one of your own, contact the NYS DOT.
============ ========= ========= ===
Please share and help get the word out...Those fines are horrible!
Sigrid Ricco
Knight Creek Farm
http://www.knightcr eek.com
I just got this frwarded to me by the NJHorse Council's President.
Please BEWARE.
Got this from a New Jersey Friend.
Subject:[Appaloosab reederlist2] Fwd: NYS is pulling over horse trailers
Forwarded from NNY Horses:
One of the local harness racing people up here got pulled over by the DOT yesterday and left with fines totaling $3300!!!! Every single infraction of the DOT laws carries a $350 fine!
He was hauling 2 horses from his farm to the track at Vernon Downs - IOW, not on a major highway like the NYS Thruway. I don't remember every single thing he was cited for but here is what I DO remember:
No fire extinguisher
Chains from trailer to truck not hooked "per regulations"
Wire for emergency brakes attached to the same part of the truck as the chains
Dead battery in the emergency brakes on the trailer
No DOT number (he hauls his own horses ONLY in a 2 horse trailer like I do)
They had him pulled over on the side of the road for a long, long time checking everything. They even pulled the battery out of the emergency brake and made him drive forward 100 feet and stop to see if the trailer brakes functioned properly. Before he left, the DOT officer told him they are stopping all horse trailers because "NY is broke and needs the money".
I tried looking up the DOT regulations on both the NYS and Federal websites and could not find ANY guidance whatsoever so I contacted the NYS DOT and talked to a very nice guy who confirmed that they ARE stopping horse/livestock trailers when they see them, the fines ARE exactly as I quoted above - $350 per infraction - and that everything I was told he was fined for IS correct. BTW - NY follows Federal regulations so this applies to other states.
I specifically asked how chains are supposed to be hooked and he said "Oh there is a very specific way they must be hooked to your truck hitch". He is sending me the DOT manual today because he did not want to mislead me by trying to explain "how" over the phone.
He told me that even though I haul only my own horses, that since I show and some of those shows offer prize money, that is considered to be "commerce" and therefore I need a DOT number. He said, and I quote, "You don't want to have to pay THAT fine if you get stopped!". He also said that if you go even a foot across the state line, by federal law you are in "interstate commerce" and therefore need a DOT number.
If you don't have a DOT number, you can apply for one here:
http://www.fmcsa. dot.gov/
He advised me not to take my trailer out on the road AT ALL until I get the manual he is sending and go through my whole trailer to make sure I am in compliance. I will share the info from the manual when I get it.
If you want to get one of your own, contact the NYS DOT.
============ ========= ========= ===
Please share and help get the word out...Those fines are horrible!
Sigrid Ricco
Knight Creek Farm
http://www.knightcr eek.com
