Pulled over! My truck is too tall! Or is it...???

[bmx0964]

I just recently got pulled over for my truck being too tall and I was wrote a ticket for it. He did not pull me over for anything other than too measure the height of my vehicle. When he pulled me over I pulled off the side of the road and when he came up to my window he said "Could you please pull back onto the road and turn on your hazards, I will be measuring your truck to see if it is, as I suspect, over the legal limit?"

In addition too that he wrote me on my frame height. My bumpers (30" front and rear) and headlights (53.5") are within the legal limit. My frame is 29" and the legal limit is 26". I found a hole in the law that I think gets me out of this. It basically states that if the bumpers are factory and in the factory location, and within the legal height then the frame height can be out of spec. Here are excerpts and links to the information I have found.

Link: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hi...law_8580_7.pdf
Excerpt: If a vehicle has an unaltered bumper that is in compliance with this section, it generally should not be necessary to crawl under the vehicle to measure the frame height.

Link: Michigan Legislature - Section 257.710c
Excerpt: This section does not apply to a vehicle having a manufacturer's design which intrinsically precludes conformance with this section, a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more, a vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, implements of husbandry, or a road tractor, truck or truck tractor owned by a wood harvester or contractor and used exclusively in connection with wood harvesting and logging operations, or a vehicle which has an unaltered bumper or suspension system as supplied by the manufacturer. The operator of a vehicle cited for a violation of this section may assert as an affirmative defense that the vehicle in question, at the time of the violation, met original manufacturer's specifications for equipment which affected its bumper or frame height. The operator shall establish by a preponderance of this evidence the affirmative defense asserted pursuant to this subsection.

What do you guys think?

[nsrchofpwr]

i think the cops should catch baby rapers and other criminals instead of messing with someone driving down the road.

[99PSD-White]

I got pulled over on my way from grosse ile, mi to milan, mi for my truck being to tall. I forgot the name of the county but i guess whereever I was they always snag people in that area. The cop didnt measure anything on my truck just assumed it was over the legal limit. I didnt know what the legal height was, So I said whatever give me the ticket because otherwise he would have given me a speeding ticket. So he gave me the ticket for being to high. But, When I got to my buddies house over in Milan I looked up the lift law and measured my truck and I believe I was right on for each measurement. But theway I got screwed and ended up paying for it, is that I had to drive back to school up in big rapids michigan on sunday and If i wanted to fight it I would have to drive all the way back to detroit which would have cost me 120 bucks or so anyways. I got screwed big time!

In your case just pay the ticket and move on. I dont think you will win by fighting it. It might cost you even more money to fight the ticket than just to pay it like me.

[Ryan Rønning]

I hate cops like that. They used to get me for my Chevy all the time. Never got a ticket though. Where I lived all they cared about was headlight height and mud flaps.

Good luck.

[CHUCK]

sounds like someones tring to make thei "quoata" early!

[bmx0964]

Originally Posted by 99PSD-White

I got pulled over on my way from grosse ile, mi to milan, mi for my truck being to tall. I forgot the name of the county but i guess whereever I was they always snag people in that area. The cop didnt measure anything on my truck just assumed it was over the legal limit. I didnt know what the legal height was, So I said whatever give me the ticket because otherwise he would have given me a speeding ticket. So he gave me the ticket for being to high. But, When I got to my buddies house over in Milan I looked up the lift law and measured my truck and I believe I was right on for each measurement. But theway I got screwed and ended up paying for it, is that I had to drive back to school up in big rapids michigan on sunday and If i wanted to fight it I would have to drive all the way back to detroit which would have cost me 120 bucks or so anyways. I got screwed big time!

In your case just pay the ticket and move on. I dont think you will win by fighting it. It might cost you even more money to fight the ticket than just to pay it like me.

Well it cant cost me anymore than the ticket. If I lose in court I just have to pay the ticket. Might as well give it a shot. Also every ticket I have ever gotten so far that I fought got thrown out because the cop didn't show up so... lol

Originally Posted by CHUCK

sounds like someones tring to make thei "quoata" early!

Not early by any means. Got the ticket on 05/31/2011. That bastard was just looking for anything to make quota because he probably sat around eating donuts all month

[DieselheadJake]

A bunch of buddies of mine would get pulled over for this crap...cops actually had a measuring stick in their trunk so they can see if it met the legal limit or not!! Ive delt with too many officers and in my experience...I hate them...with a passion. Some are good guys, I have to say that but most are just dikz. Especially TAMU Campus police

[Super Diesel]

Damn.. your truck doesn't even look that tall.... compared to others I mean. I've seen trucks around town in my area that are HUGE! I don't even know how they turn corners without flipping! Guess it must be the area you guys are in. Damn, sucks man...

Originally Posted by bmx0964

Excerpt: This section does not apply to a vehicle having a manufacturer's design which intrinsically precludes conformance with this section, a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more, a vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, implements of husbandry, or a road tractor, truck or truck tractor owned by a wood harvester or contractor and used exclusively in connection with wood harvesting and logging operations, or a vehicle which has an unaltered bumper or suspension system as supplied by the manufacturer. The operator of a vehicle cited for a violation of this section may assert as an affirmative defense that the vehicle in question, at the time of the violation, met original manufacturer's specifications for equipment which affected its bumper or frame height. The operator shall establish by a preponderance of this evidence the affirmative defense asserted pursuant to this subsection.

What do you guys think?

I think that this won't work for you. The way I'm reading it - is that you DID alter the bumper ride height, therefore the bumper was "altered". Not too mention your 05-07 front end, pretty sure that if they looked hard enough at your truck, they'd discover that you "altered" the bumper even more....

I don't know man, I definitely don't practice law. Maybe someone else on here can read/interpret this better, it's still before lunch time over here... my brain's not firing on all cylinders yet.

[bmx0964]

This guy actually measured my bumpers and headlights and came to my window and said "well your bumpers and headlights are good, I have to go back to my cruiser and check the frame height law to see if that is good, if it is you will be good to go." Then he measured the frame, made me get out and crawl under the truck and read the tape measure to him. Then he wrote me the ticket for being 3" over on frame height.

[DieselheadJake]

Originally Posted by bmx0964

This guy actually measured my bumpers and headlights and came to my window and said "well your bumpers and headlights are good, I have to go back to my cruiser and check the frame height law to see if that is good, if it is you will be good to go." Then he measured the frame, made me get out and crawl under the truck and read the tape measure to him. Then he wrote me the ticket for being 3" over on frame height.

Wow that is BS...what are you going to have to do? You going to appeal the ticket? Hopefully you dont have to lower your truck 3 inches, that cop basically put you on the radar for other cops to pull you over