CCW Question

[el44vaquero]

I was thinking, what would a truck driver do if he or she wanted to carry a firearm in the cab of their truck for protection. The open road is a dangerous place and I was wondering if there were certain things they could do. I know there's been talk of a national ccw, but didn't know what a person could do. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

 

[wdlsguy]

The closest thing to a national CCW right now is a permit from your home state, and a handful of permits from other states for reciprocity. New Hampshire, Florida and Utah are quite useful for reciprocity.

 

[carterbeauford]

I will not advise you to break any law... that said, there are a few truckers who, uh, don't get caught. I work with a guy who is 76 years old, he used to carry a 2" .38 revolver until he wrecked his truck in NY State. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail. He has since gotten his PA permit, and like me, carries everywhere that permit is honored.

Any trucking company that is not family-owned, and most of those that are family-owned prohibit weapons in their vehicles. Again, this is your choice, how lucky do you feel? Disregard this if you are an owner operator. I read of a driver getting fired from US Express after a mechanic found a shotgun in his truck. I do not agree with these policies, but they are in place likely to satisfy insurance requirments. In short, you're going to have a hard time finding a company that will let you carry, even if you are legally allowed to do so. There are a lot of places in a truck to hide a 2" revolver or subcompact pistol... don't give DOT any reason to be in your truck and take it with you any time you leave the truck.

I suggest you also talk to the kind folks at http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/

 

[Jackal]

Most truckers I know don't CCW. They just carry a 18", 12ga, pistol grip shotgun in the cab behind the passenger seat.

 

[wdlsguy]

Most truckers I know don't CCW. They just carry a 18", 12ga, pistol grip shotgun in the cab behind the passenger seat.

That can be perfectly legal, or highly illegal, depending on the state you find yourself in.

 

[carterbeauford]

A shotgun is not an ideal weapon given the size of a truck cab or sleeper area. You want a handgun.

 

[el44vaquero]

From the job description I gather that it will be throughout the midwest. I think most of the neighboring states to Oklahoma accept an okie issued CCW. I would like to carry a S&W 19.

 

[wdlsguy]

Go to http://www.handgunlaw.us/LicMaps/ccwmap.php, check the box next to Oklahoma, and click Build CCW Map.

 

[el44vaquero]

How hard is it to get out of state permits? KS NE SD etc

 

[up_onus]

as most people have stated above, UTAH has something like a 45 state reciprocity?? not including florida....but florida is similar to utah. most of the west coastal states are non-reciprical....(they suck!) like the peoples republic of california....

 

[gyp_c2]

Give this a shot...

http://www.packing.org/

...BTW...After spending the last two years OTR, I can tell you that IF you decided to take a lil' somethin' along with you, you'd be far from alone.
You are however, taking a rather large risk in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and most all of the places where you may have to pick-up or deliver loads to a port...or a railyard, or an airport and especially across the border to Canada or Mexico.
...Mind all the traffic laws and don't let anyone grease yer' tandems...

 

[CNYCacher]

Go to http://www.handgunlaw.us/LicMaps/ccwmap.php, check the box next to Oklahoma, and click Build CCW Map.

Utah gets you everything that Oklahoma gets, plus Minnesota as a bonus. Florida is similar, except you lose Minnesota and Washington but you pick up Pennsylvania. This NY resident will be opting for Florida as my supplement to NY, since I occasionally travel through PA.

 

[Car Knocker]

and most all of the places where you may have to pick-up or deliver loads to a port...or a railyard, or an airport

While it may be illegal to carry or possess firearms in these places in some states, I have never run across a federal law prohibiting firearms in them (it is not prohibited by federal law to have firearms in non-secure areas of airports).

 

[wdlsguy]

Double-check anything you read at packing.org these days. The reciprocity information and many of the state pages are WAY out of date.

 

[el44vaquero]

I was thinking the same. However, the company I'm looking at pays for motels each night instead of making employees sleep with their rig. Some of thsese places are really dangerous at night. I'd also be traveling with a coworker or two, so I guess safety in numbers.

 

[BulldogUSMC]

I have been driving OTR for the last 15 yrs and after getting my CHL(TX),I checked with various state and fed.agencies.Big trucks fall under the same laws and rules as any other vehicle.That is state and federal.If you have a cc permit,then you are subject to the rules of the state you are in concerning deadly force,off-limit locations,and the agreements in place between your state and the state you are in.I have a TX resident permit,and a FL and NH non-resident permit.They cover about 95% of the states I travel.You have to be careful in that your company may have something in the contract or policy prohibiting firearms.You need to check company policy if a co.driver and your lease agreement if you are an O/O.

 

[wdlsguy]

I have a TX resident permit,and a FL and NH non-resident permit.

You would be better off with a Utah nonresident license (you would pick up MN and WA) than a Florida nonresident license at this point.