Towing Question

[Big Block Bill]

Originally Posted by mprice

I live in Illinois and have heard stories from guys in the Chicago area regarding big tickets written for over weight towing trailers. I talked to local police, state police and secretary of state police and they all told me the same thing and that is the tow truck plate has to be plated for the weight that the truck is carrying not towing. The trailer then must be plated for its gross weight. My 3500 crew cab dually runs a B plated and the trailer is also a 24' and I haul all years of Chevies. I will have to look at the plate I have on the trailer and check the letter code but I have a 10,000 lb plate on it that also requires a safety inspection every 6 months. Now on my car hauler that carries a car on its back I have I think a D plate on it and again it requires a safety inspection every 6 months. I think these guys that are getting ticketed are running over weight on their trailers with a 7,000 lb plates on them. I know they will nail you hard if you are over weight. I also have been told that you can't plate a truck or trailer for less than it is classified for i.e. you can't plate a 10,000 ib trailer with a 7,000 license plate.

I owned a towing business for 33 years. We towed for the Elk Grove Village Illinois Police & the Illinois State Police departments based out of Elgin (District # 2 I-290 & Elgin O'hare) and Chicago (the old District # 3) with Flat bed Tow trucks plated with Illinois Tow Truck Plates. The Tow Truck plates were all rated for what the Tow Truck's GVW was rated for on the Data plate from the Manufacturer or greater, but never under. We towed many trucks for over load tickets because the vehicle was plated for UNDER the manufactures GVW rating IE: a 10,000 GVW Dually with "B" 8,000 LBS. plates so my suggestion to you is to re-plate your Dually to a "D" 12,000 GVW plate

As far as the question of towing a Trailer, Camper, or Boat with a Tahoe, Suburban, or Denali type vehicle, they are all exempt to a weight rated Truck plate. A passenger car (a vehicle that carries passengers with windows and proper seating but not a Pickup Truck) plate has 1 plate option, a passenger plate (in Illinois) with no maximum weight rating. All my K-2500 Big Block 4X4 Suburban's had a 8600 GVW and had Passenger plates on it. The trailer then must be classed @ the maximum GVW of the trailer. An Avalanche can not have passenger plates and must have truck plates because it has a pickup truck style bed, I know first hand because I plated an Avalanche with passenger plates, got a written warning from the Elk Grove Village Police (Nice) , and I got a letter in the mail from the Illinois Secretary Of State a week later telling me to go to a local SOS office and purchase the correct "B"Truck when they were the one's who originally let me transfer them in the first place!

So what I am trying to say is, in the State of Illinois, the vehicle is always plated for it's manufactured use and GVW. You can only put a Tow Truck plate on Tow Truck. Once you pull a vehicle off it's wheels (like on a Flat bed Tow Truck) it is no longer governed by the Secretary of State, it is now called Cargo and it is regulated by the Illinois Commerce (ICC) which is a whole additional can of worms.

Bill

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by wheelhop

You're right, Illinois is very crooked and broke and I'd love to move to Tennessee in the near future!

Alabama Jim! Not Tennessee Jim! I told you what my property taxes are here... Our tags are cheaper too.

Tommy