Got stopped by Brentwood PD this morning

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

Not even in TN a full week and already got pulled over!

On our relocation from Vegas last week we hit a deer in Arkansas and it fubar'd the front bumper so much that had to take it off to be able to steer. So I have no front bumper right now.

But of course our Big Black Van is not the family wagon looking van its more of a tank meets the war wagon and with our NV lic tag I had a feeling the LEO just wanted to say HI!

The officer a very nice and polite young man gave me the one over from the back driver side then proceeded to the passanger where my wife rolled down the window.

He said "I is law that you must have a front bumper" I stated to him that just to let you know we are CCW holders from the state of NV and we are both armed.

And to my surprize he didnt give it much thought. He was more conceared as to WHY we didnt have a front bumper. I showed him the pic of the damaged bumper that we took after hitting the deer. He said "OK" then took my DL and INS card and called it in. Then a 2nd PD rolled up and just sat behind the other PD car.

After getting off the radio he handed my wife back my DL and INS card and said that becuase we had only been here less than a week that he would just give us a warning and then he said "WELCOME TO TENNESSEE".

I said thank you and that I was planning on having something on there by the end of next week.

So my first encounter with TN LEO went very well!

[G27]

Welcome to TN!

I'm gonna have to see pics of this van, though...

[Guest Th3KhansMosin]

Haha, welcome to TN!

[runningfree]

Welcome to the Great State of Tennessee.

[Guest GunTroll]

I liked all the ones I have met thus far. Not that I meet very many.

[dunndw]

Welcome to Tennessee...the patron state of shooting stuff.

not a great movie...but I love that quote

[Guest UberDuper]

Hey you made it! I haven't been out of the house much so no opportunity to get pulled over yet.

[Guest mustangdave]

Warning...you are now DEEP inside FLY OVER COUNTRY...WELCOME to Tennessee

[JAB]

I wonder what legally qualifies as a bumper. I've seen plenty of trucks, etc. on the road with a heavy, wooden plank bolted to the spot where the bumper originally was. I wonder if that would work as a 'quick fix' to keep you legal until you can do something more permanent.

[Guest mustangdave]

hey...it was BRENTWOOD....no shade tree creations allowed...

[hardknox00001]

They noticed you were new and had to run the mandatory credit check on you and yours. You must have passed or you would have been escorted out of Brentwood City limits....................

Jk, Welcome to TN.

[JimmyMac483]

I wonder what legally qualifies as a bumper. I've seen plenty of trucks, etc. on the road with a heavy, wooden plank bolted to the spot where the bumper originally was. I wonder if that would work as a 'quick fix' to keep you legal until you can do something more permanent.

My understanding is that as long as you don't have exposed frame rails, then it counts as a bumper.

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

Hey you made it! I haven't been out of the house much so no opportunity to get pulled over yet.

Yep, long very hard and emotional trip. Lost a family member in Oklahoma. My Oldest boxer passed on. We hit a deer in AR and totaled my bumper. Got to the house the prop manager lost the keys to the house, We scheduled a transfer of electricity and instead the just turned it off so we didnt have any power till later that eve. So yeah getting pulled over was just one more thing to ad to my list of what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger!

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

My understanding is that as long as you don't have exposed frame rails, then it counts as a bumper.

Yeah my 2 front ends of the frame are exposed. From what I have read you must have atleast 3" of "bumper" width to be considered legal.

[1908_Cubbies]

Welcome to TN! Might as well get creative with your bumper and fit in!

Edited June 21, 2011 by 1908_Cubbies

[dralarms]

I wonder what legally qualifies as a bumper. I've seen plenty of trucks, etc. on the road with a heavy, wooden plank bolted to the spot where the bumper originally was. I wonder if that would work as a 'quick fix' to keep you legal until you can do something more permanent.

Yep, there is one guy here in Athens that has a 2 by 8 as a front bumper, but it's not temp. he has it finished and stained with water proofing to make it last. LOL

[Guest boatme99]

Welcome to Tennessee! 'bout time you got here.

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

WOW! Today our AC in the house stopped working! One more thing to ad to my "Welcome to Tennessee" list! Called the prop mgr so lets see what happens next! I almost dont want to leave the house! Afraid of what is going to happen next! Yes Vegas was a poor choice of places to raise a child but so far all that we have had to endure almost makes Vegas look good.

[Daniel]

Ouch.

[Guest UberDuper]

I hear ya. Sorry about your pooch.

We had a really difficult move as well. We used one of those you pack kinda moving companies. They dropped off a 28' UPS trailer that we loaded up and then UPS drove it across the country. It looks like they stopped somewhere to do some donuts cause just about everything in the truck was damaged when it got here. Gouges and marring on every single piece of furniture. Pretty much the only thing that wasn't damaged was my safe which the people we hired to unload it dropped off the back of the trailer.

When we got here we were supposed to meet the property management people at 11AM. They called us at about 10:45AM telling use they hadn't cleaned or done anything to the house yet and we would have to wait till 5PM to get in the house. Drove around for the day with nowhere to be. For the next week and a half we had workers coming and going doing various repairs and cleaning the house. These people tried to 'touch up' the paint here but it looks like they used a slightly different color paint. Looks terrible all over the house. The dryer here didn't work right.. Took 3 70 minute cycles to dry a load. I spent hours trying to fix it and find the outside vent. After wtf'ing for a couple hours I came to the conclusion that there was no outside vent so I started checking the sides of the house for hot spots while the dryer was running. Sure enough.. this 10 year old house never had the hole cut in the siding for the dryer vent.

I was warned by people here that everybody runs at a slower pace in TN. Well that's the truth. Work gets done slooooowly here. That said, I've never seen people so happy to see their customers and so eager to make sure they're satisfied. My wife and I have been in constant awe over the hospitality and overall kindness of everyone we've met here.

Push through all the crap of getting settled in a new place then relax and enjoy what this state has to offer. I've only been here 2 weeks now and I think I'm gonna love it here.

[vontar]

You know you wanted that Bumper off that so you could fit in with the rest of the cars on the road. Man sorry to hear about the deer, err I mean van. Hope everyone is ok.

I know a person that got pulled over for no hood and was told he had to have a hood and he ask were it said it in the law and the officer didn't know and let him go. I have always heard you are required to have a hood but don't ask me to find the law that states it.

BTW, bumpers are only good for low speed impacts per federal regs. (49 CFR Part 581 )

Is It Illegal to Drive Without a Front Bumper? | eHow.com

per NHTSA it is not a safety device

So it would be interesting if someone can find a law that states it is a requirement to have bumpers and a hood.

[56FordGuy]

So it would be interesting if someone can find a law that states it is a requirement to have bumpers and a hood.

Got the bumper part covered, it seems.

55-9-215. Operation of motor vehicle without adequate energy absorption system prohibited — Alteration of altitude from ground level of passenger car prohibited — Modification of front end by lift blocks prohibited — Modification of steering mechanism prohibited — Exceptions — Enforcement — Penalties. —

(a) No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any road, street or highway unless the vehicle is equipped with a bumper or other energy absorption system with an analogous function.

( (1) No person shall operate a passenger vehicle, except a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle, of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway or street modified by reason of alteration of its altitude from the ground if its bumpers, measured to any point on a load-bearing member on the horizontal bumper bar, are more than twenty-two inches (22²) above the ground, except that no vehicle shall be modified to cause the vehicle body or chassis to come in contact with the ground or expose the fuel tank to damage from collision or cause the wheels to come in contact with the body under normal operation, and that no part of the original suspension system be disconnected to defeat the safe operation of the suspension system; provided, that nothing contained in this section shall prevent the installation of heavy duty equipment to include shock absorbers and overload springs; and provided further, that nothing contained in this section shall prevent a person from operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with normal wear of the suspension system if normal wear does not affect the control of the vehicle.

(2) No person shall operate a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway or street modified by reason of alteration of its altitude from the ground if its bumpers, measured to any point on a load-bearing member on the horizontal bumper bar, are not within the range of fourteen to thirty-one inches (14²-31²) above the ground, except that no vehicle shall be modified to cause the vehicle body or chassis to come in contact with the ground or expose the fuel tank to damage from collision or cause the wheels to come in contact with the body under normal operation, and that no part of the original suspension system be disconnected to defeat the safe operation of the suspension system; provided, that nothing contained in this section shall prevent the installation of heavy duty equipment to include shock absorbers and overload springs; and provided further, that nothing contained in this section shall prevent a person from operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with normal wear of the suspension system if normal wear does not affect the control of the vehicle. In the case of a four-wheel drive vehicle where the thirty-one-inch limitation is exceeded, the vehicle will comply with this section if the vehicle is equipped with a drop bumper. The drop bumper must be bolted and welded to the frame of the vehicle and be made of a strength equal to a stock bumper.