Karl -- Bought a semi tractor Ford L9000

Oh those are the fun stuff... I HATE doing logs, switched to the electronic ones and hated those as well, Went back to the old twin page carbon-less ones.

NY changed the med card rules a few years ago. Used to be that you didn't need the card unless you were actually driving for a living. Now you need it just to keep the tag, regardless if you're driving CDL vehicles or not.

That one has mileage limits and LOT's more red tape than the CDL !!!

A) Get it towed to your place

B) Driving a manual is pretty easy, once you get a handle on starting. The rest, you can do pretty much by ear.

C) go to a truck stop and pick up one of the truker's magazines or newspapers they have - they're full of ads for insurance agents.

D) While at the truck stop, talk to people. It's likely that you can find someone to teach you what you need to know for cheap or trade.

E) $2300 ?!?!? I hate you more and more with every passing day ;-)

Thanks. I will have it towed, one way or another, and then I will take my time with it.

I do not see any point in paying insurance for it until I find a trailer, anyway, which could be a while.

I will find some unemployed CDL holder, to teach me how to drive this truck, on my own property.

The truck has a current registration sticker until 6/12. The company took good care of it.

Exactly what I will do.

This is the plan. I will store it (and learn to drive on my property), until I get a trailer, which could be a while, depending on my luck in finding a good trailer at a price that I like.

Well I would not try to drive it in any case, but I was considering getting someone to drive it for me.

I believe that the truck is current for inspection, having a 6/12 sticker.

Still not a good idea.

What if I find a CDL driver to drive it for me, though. Would it not be covered by his insurance?

What is that transporter tag?

I already have four chickens, maybe that counts as a farm.

Not for me. I am least worried about it, this is a 100% private land with a private drive (subject to easement, the police goes here, but they would be unlikely to hassle me).

Which is kind of a compliment, in a way, thanks.

Paul, as soon as my combined gros maximum weight goes over 26,000 lbs, it is CDL land for me, this is the law everywhere, I believe.

I thought that this is the same in all states.

Nope, only the larger CMV regs are uniform across states, things like where the cutoff is for a private vehicle weight vary widely. My F350 DRW is just fine as a personal vehicle here in Texas, but back in CT it would be considered commercial since it has a 13,000 GVWR. Check the regs that apply in your state carefully.

That's going to depend on if he has his own trucking company. Most drivers do not have any CMV insurance policy, the company they drive for does.

Ilinois lets you keep the previous owner's inspection sticker?

Temporary tag issued by the state DMV. Allows the vehicle to be driven from the purchasing location to the owners location without all the other paperwork. BUT I don't know if your state allows them on class 8. Some do some don't. You would have to look at the correct DMV site.

That will be the easiest.

Trailers can be rented, which is particularly advantageous when you need a specialized trailer now and then. There are a number of rental/leasing companies you can get trailers from.

Really, just study the books (you got the Bumper to Bumper book, right?), take the DMV written test and get your learners permit, then rent a truck for your road test. The place you rent the truck from will provide the truck, insurance, meet you at the DMV early, give you an hour or so of on the road instruction on the actual DMV road test route, then you do your road test and hopefully pass. That's what I did, and it cost $650 which included retest assurance where if I didn't pass, it wouldn't cost extra to do another day. It's not that difficult or expensive really.

Yes, it looks like it. It may be old year wise, but the mileage is very low and it does indeed look like they kept it garaged. It looks like you got a very good deal on the truck, you just have to sort out the rest of the headaches that go around owning and operating a CMV. Fuel tax is one to watch out for, there may be exemptions for small operations, but normally semis get untaxed fuel at truck stops and they report and pay fuel tax to each state they drive in based on the miles driven in that state per their logs.

BTW, the guy from the CDL road test truck rental place said that the truck ran about $26k/yr for reg, inspections, insurance and whatnot. I presume some of that relates to the extra risk of operating a training truck with new drivers, but at any rate it isn't cheap.

True, but the likelihood of even being stopped is much less with a dual wheel pickup truck. As soon as they see a semi or even a cab-over type of configuration in a medium duty truck it's a target for inspection, while dual wheel pickup trucks are just waved on.