Hey Wick, Kaye Rivercity:
Glad to see others joining the conversation! Both of you have raised very good points.
Wick I agree with you. While licensing my truck and trailer, I spoke to the DOT Directors of WV, VA, NC, SC, TN, OH, PA, KY and MD. I also spoke to several DOT and State Highway Patrol officers in these states. All of them said they were not interested in true RVs, but do look for those businesses that are trying to beat the system. The states concern's are two fold, public safety and revenue.
On the public safety side, they don't want someone who has been working for hours and days on end driving thousands of miles a week down the road sleepy and exhausted in a vechicle that has not went through a safety inspection in a year to end up running over their citizens(read taxpayers). Hence, their concern for the enforcement of the FMCSRs and the Hours of Service Regulations. They want CMVs to be safe and properly insured and drivers to be safe and well rested. This is not so much a concern with RVs because most don't travel the number of miles a year that CMVs do and, nine times out of ten, the RV probably went through a safety inspection before the faimily left on vacation. Besides the RV driver is in what has to be one of the more luxurious motor homes on the road and is on vactation resting and relaxing, not busting his hump down the road trying to make a living. The RV driver probably just crawled out of a queen size bed after having a good nights sleep.
On the revenue side, CMVs generate billions of dollars a year in revenue for states. Yes, Billions with a cap-B. Every mile a CMV travels through a state generates tax dollars in the form of fuel taxes, hiway use taxes, apportioned license fees, and etc, and etc. The CMV driver is busting his or her hump down the highway to get to where they have to be and may not stop in the state nor spend a dime there all while making money driving down the higway the state paid to pave. Hence, the only shot the state has of making a dime off of the CMV is the aforementioned taxes and fees, and thus, their concerns for regulation of CMVs. The family in the RV on the other hand is on vactaion. They are liekely to stop in the state to see the sights, eat a meal or two, buy some fuel (the tax dollars off of which the state does not have to refund if the RV dose not use all of the fuel in the state) and buy some souvenirs and junk food at the convience store.
Looking at the pictures of your Show Hauler (nice ride by the way!)it looks like an RV, does not have a commercial fith wheel, is not pulling a 48'-53' trailer with a mobile service shop in it, and I imagine is registered in your name not a company's. I don't imagine you will have any problem. Mike on the other hand is a differnt story. Granted, Mike can buy a toterhome, register it as an RV and go cruzing down the highway. He may never get stopped, but if the right DOT officer does stop him and starts noesing around and finds out that he is running a business, its going to cost him a lot more than if he had just played the states' game right the first time. Trust me, the local prosecutor is not going to have a sence of humor and will want to crucify him in the name of saftey, economic regulation, and getting reelected. Besides the states are starting to catch on.
I don't know if this link will work (
http://www.dragracingonline.com/archives.html), but if it don't, chek out the article in the Dead On colum of the July 8, 2005, issue in the archives. Yes, the driver was in a pick-up, but it gives you an example of the trouble that can happen with the right DOT officer.