Trailer gate....Goodbye NHRA in Ca

[Nitrohelper]

..... unlikely the affected race teams will get new, shorter trailers....

Several teams have already made arrangements to cut 3' off the back and re-hang the back door...
One team was quoted $25,000+ for the work...

 

[Professional Fan]

From talking today to a driver who would know, he indicated that in the past California and other states would always give a permit for race rigs that were too long. Now California has decided it can't/won't issue these type of permits any longer. In the meantime, all these guys have 56 foot trailers that cost about 500K each. As the title of this thread indicates, this could be a huge issue going forward as the three California national events would end up screwed to lose the big teams. This also affects some of the sportsmen teams-my understanding is it affects 45 pros and 15 sportsmen. (Not sure if these numbers are # of teams or number of trailers.) Included in the problem are the Al-Anabi and DSR trailers, among others. Apparently there are government (I assume California) people in the pits checking trailers and taking numbers. As a previous poster mentioned, could be a real issue when these guys try to go home Monday.

 

[TooTall999]

This restriction exists in many if not most states. Drive down any Interstate and look at the number on the front side of most comercial trailers and you'll find it's 53. The problem is not with California but with those who build a longer trailer hoping to get around the laws and then cry when its enforced. Play by the rules or don't play.

A question asked earlier has gone unanswered..Why 56' trailers? What is the reason for the extra 3 feet? With the money paid for these things it would just make far more sense to build a 53' trailer and not have to worry. If the NASCAR trailers are all 53' why do some NHRA teams feel the need for 56'? Why not make trailer length max at 53' a rule within the NHRA?

 

[clwill]

I'm just not sure about the 56 vs 53 thing. I've recently heard on another forum, that apparently Indiana also has a strict 53 foot limit too. That is also borne out by the point #5 in the email from Graham Light. Given that most of these teams are Indiana based, why the heck would you risk the extra 3'?

And who's building these big trailers and not telling the teams about this? Or are the teams just saying "whatever, we'll take the chance"? Makes you go hmmmm...

 

[jackass]

extra 3 ft could get a couple blocks in and on top extra heads or other parts... etc....

some like this happened here in NC about length and the way they were tagged.. maybe someone from the nHRA needs to get the group here that got things worked out out there to lobby for a fix....

 

[you]

That has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

 

[J]

That has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

SO now a BIGGER trailer is hauling the oversized trailer lol.

 

[Mooseman]

extra 3 ft could get a couple blocks in and on top extra heads or other parts... etc....

some like this happened here in NC about length and the way they were tagged.. maybe someone from the nHRA needs to get the group here that got things worked out out there to lobby for a fix....

Surely those fancy lounges take up around 3 feet if not more. You don't absolutely "Need" a lounge in your race trailer you could gut the lounge and use it to store the stuff that you originally needed an extra 3 feet for.

 

[.]

I don't understand how it got this out of control in the first place. Anybody with a CDL A knows that 53 ft means 53 ft, not 56 ft.

 

[Randy]

A couple years ago I was pulled over on the 10 coming from Phoenix to L.A. just inside California. The whole purpose was to measure my rig, which is 81 feet long. My trailer is 53 feet. The CHP officer who pulled me over was giving me the flatbed option until I handed him a printed copy of the California DOT Motorsports Exemption for length limit which specifically states 53 feet max trailer length. After he read and confirmed it he told me to have a nice day.

53 feet trailer length is max for unlimited total rig length as long as the truck pulling it was designed to carry a load (fifth wheel only). Must be motorsports and must be operated as a commercial vehicle.

 

[Gregg Pickens]

Sounds to me like the people that own and operate the flat bed low boy trailer services have better lawyers and lobbyists then NHRA does.

 

[Ma Green]

I wonder if Indiana is now going to hassle everyone too. There are rigs from all kinds of racing around Brownsburg.

As to how all the over length rigs got to Pomona, most of them found out what was going on while in Vegas and all came in in the middle of the night and parked at Pomona. Getting out will seem to be another matter. Evidently there was a CHP copter flying around the track today. Hope they have guys who like to stay up all night!

As broke as Calif is, you'd think they'd love making everyone pay for permits. This is going to be interesting! I'm so glad I don't live there anymore!!!

 

[Mooseman]

Sounds to me like the people that own and operate the flat bed low boy trailer services have better lawyers and lobbyists then NHRA does.

While it does sound hipocritical to take a truck off the road for being oversize then moving it on a bigger trailer I can somewhat understand why those bigger trailers would be alowed. I mean trucks arent lightweight you got to have some way of moving them incase of accident or a mechanical problem so they must have their own exemption or something.

 

[PJ]

So does this mean that NHRA looks to move the three Califonira races for next year?

I wonder if getting money from a few tickets this weekend outweighs the money that a race brings into town?


Either that or does anyone else see and Smokey and the Bandit scenario at the end of the weekend as teams try to sneak out before getting busted. Maybe some giant smoke screen, have Force lead some crazy distraction for the police as the illegal teams make a run for it.

 

[Huge]

In Graham's e-mail, he said the following:



I'm guessing that Force is one of the teams that use the 53' trailers given that his operations are split between Brownsville and Yorba Linda.....though I may be wrong. Anyone have any idea of who the other "legal" teams may be?

I will not say what teams have the 56' trailers, but I will say that Forces trailers are 53'. Featherlite does not make a 56' foot trailer.

 

[RickyD]

SO now a BIGGER trailer is hauling the oversized trailer lol.

I agree, this is a stupid thing to see however it just reminds me of government gone too big and getting stupid. The trucking company hauling the trailer probably has an annual oversize load permit for hauling "Non-reducible " loads , loads that would not be normally transported but need to be and there is not a reasonable way to reduce the load size. Steves trailer was put immediately out of service and therefore became a "Non-Reducile" load which is now allowed to be hauled by the already permitted truck. It is not necessarily a "cash grab" by Ca. Steve didn't even say he was fined. In the big scheme of things the haulers just going to this race wouldn't amount to much revenue anyway they charged it. In my opinion the state is just plain STUPID for not selling permits to these few that need them and are licensed rigs from other states where the driver is a qualified operator of the rig he pilots. If the state is that worried about too many long rigs on the highways they should remind themselves that it is already impossible to license such vehicles in-state. And who wants to go to California anyway

 

[daveo]

Steve's fine was the cost to tow his rig on that low boy. Nv. has a law where racers must buy a 24 hr permit to just tow through that dried up state. Time to get on board with Union Pacific Railroad!

 

[George.]

There are no 56' trailers.
What makes them a 56' is the interpretation. My trailer for example is a 53' Champion with a 3' top to bottom, side to side flush mounted genset on the nose of the trailer, therefore bringing the added on total length to 56'.

California is a pathetic state, and their thinking is consistant. They deserve to lose the millions of dollars of commerce in order to collect a few thousands in overlength citations.
And they wonder how they got themselves in such financial trouble..

 

[daveo]

I see Barny Fife waiting at the bottom of I-15 hill, hiding in his camoflauged WW1 motorcycle and side car. (Check Point Chickie) Ticket book in hand!

 

[sdwarf36]

There are no 56' trailers.
What makes them a 56' is the interpretation. My trailer for example is a 53' Champion with a 3' top to bottom, side to side flush mounted genset on the nose of the trailer, therefore bringing the added on total length to 56'.

California is a pathetic state, and their thinking is consistant. They deserve to lose the millions of dollars of commerce in order to collect a few thousands in overlength citations.
And they wonder how they got themselves in such financial trouble..

So if you think that argument will fly, why dont they all claim they have a 46' trailer-they just have a 10' side to side/ top to bottom flush mounted lounge on the nose of the trailer?