You Don’t Need a License to Travel: How to Stand on the Law (Field Guide)
Issued by Trenell’s Family Trust
Purpose
This article explains—in simple steps—how to assert your Right to Travel on the public right-of-way without a state license, without registration, and without commercial engagement. It also gives you the exact paperwork and script to carry, so every officer is on lawful notice the moment contact begins.
1) Core Principles (Carry These in Your Book)
Right to Travel is a right, not a privilege.
Licenses/registration = commercial regulation. If you’re not transporting persons or property for compensation, you are not operating in commerce.
A lawful stop requires facts. Officers must have Reasonable Articulable Suspicion (R.A.S.) or at least a Single Articulable Fact (S.A.F.) of a crime or commercial operation.
No R.A.S./S.A.F. = no jurisdiction. If the stop began unlawfully, everything that follows (tickets, tow, jail) is tainted and collapses.
Paperwork controls the encounter. Hand your Notice / Questionnaire first. Make them state their authority in writing.
What to keep printed in your traffic book
Notice to Officer / Public Servant Questionnaire (template below)
Affidavit of Non-Commercial Use & Right to Travel (template below)
Definitions page (driver/operator/commercial use)
Key case printouts you rely on
Incident log page (date/time/location, unit #, badge #, dash/body-cam requested, witnesses)
2) Window Script (Step-by-Step)
A. Greeting & Jurisdiction
“What is the emergency, and how may I assist you?”
“Before we go further, I need you to complete this Notice and Questionnaire for my records.” (Hand it through the window; keep calm.)
B. Standards
“Do you have Reasonable Articulable Suspicion that I’ve committed a crime?”
“Can you state a Single Articulable Fact that I am operating in commerce?”
C. Status
“I am traveling, not driving for hire. This automobile is private property. I am not engaged in commercial transportation.”
“I do not consent to any search or seizure. I do not consent to contracts or waivers.”
D. Documentation
“Please print your name, badge number, and oath status on the form. This is a lawful public request for identification and basis of the stop.”
E. If they press for license/insurance
“Licenses regulate commerce. I am not in commerce. If you lack R.A.S. or S.A.F., you must end the stop.”
F. If they threaten tow/jail
“I am recording and will seek remedy for any deprivation of rights under color of law. Please summon a supervisor.”
Calmly document everything (unit #s, names, exact words). Do not argue. Do not resist.
3) If They Tow or Jail You
Get the paperwork. Demand the tow authority, inventory sheet, and basis (exact code section) in writing.
Log the timeline. Booking time, release time, every officer you dealt with.
Preserve evidence. Body-cam request, dispatch audio, 911 CAD logs, dash-cam, jail CCTV.
File for dismissal of any citations based on illegal stop and lack of jurisdiction.
Prepare a claim for: unlawful stop/seizure, false imprisonment, conversion/trespass to chattels (tow), and deprivation of rights under color of law.
Your damages flow from the initial violation. If the stop had no lawful foundation, they’re liable for the night in jail, tow/impound, lost time, and related harms.
4) Appendix A — Public Servant Questionnaire / Notice to Officer (Print & Carry)
Title: NOTICE TO OFFICER — PUBLIC SERVANT QUESTIONNAIRE & LIABILITY NOTICE
From: [Your Name], a living woman/man traveling privately, not in commerce
To: Every public servant engaging me in the field
Officer Identification (required):
Full Name: _______________________________ Badge/ID: __________
Agency/Dept: _____________________________ Patrol Unit: ________
Oath on file? ☐ Yes ☐ No Date sworn: __________ Supervisor: __________
Body-cam active? ☐ Yes ☐ No Dash-cam? ☐ Yes ☐ No
Basis of Stop (complete in officer’s handwriting):
Emergency present? ☐ Yes ☐ No — Describe: _____________________________________
R.A.S. of a crime? ☐ Yes ☐ No — State the elements you allege: _________________
S.A.F. that I am in commerce (for hire/compensation)? ☐ Yes ☐ No — Fact(s): ________
Injured party or property damage? ☐ Yes ☐ No — Who/What: ______________________
Statute / Code section you rely on: ______________________________________________
Traveler’s Status (for the record):
I am traveling, not driving for hire. This is private property, not a commercial motor vehicle.
I do not consent to search, seizure, contract, or joinder.
All rights reserved, UCC 1-308, without prejudice.
Notice of Liability:
Any detention, citation, impound, or arrest without R.A.S./S.A.F. constitutes official misconduct and personal liability for damages arising from deprivation of rights under color of law.
Officer Acknowledgment (required to proceed):
Signature: _________________________ Date/Time: __________ Location: _______________
Traveler’s signature (to acknowledge service only, not consent): ___________________________
5) Appendix B — Affidavit of Non-Commercial Use & Right to Travel (Print & Notarize)
Affiant: [Your Name], a living woman/man, of sound mind, competent to testify.
I travel upon the public right-of-way in my private automobile.
I am not transporting persons or property for compensation; I am not operating in commerce.
The terms “driver,” “operator,” and “motor vehicle,” as used in commercial regulation, do not describe my private activity.
Any stop or seizure requires Reasonable Articulable Suspicion of a crime or a fact of commercial operation.
Any demand for a commercial license or registration, absent commerce, exceeds lawful authority.
Any detention, citation, tow, or arrest under such demand is a violation that gives rise to remedies and damages.
Affiant reserves all rights, UCC 1-308.
Signature: _______________________ Date: __________
Notary/Witness: ___________________________________
6) Definitions Page (1 sheet you keep on top)
Travel: movement of a man or woman from place to place, not for hire.
Driver/Operator: one employed to conduct a commercial motor vehicle.
Commercial Use: transport for compensation (goods or passengers).
R.A.S.: Reasonable Articulable Suspicion of a crime (specific facts, not feelings).
S.A.F.: Single Articulable Fact demonstrating a crime or commerce.
7) Field Tips (That Keep You Safe & Solid)
Stay calm. You’re there to document and preserve claims, not argue.
Keep windows barely lowered. Pass the Notice and Affidavit out.
Ask, don’t accuse. “What is the emergency?” “What facts prove commerce?”
Record everything (where lawful). Ask for a supervisor if needed.
Don’t resist physically. If they overreach, you collect on paper later.
Right after: write a timeline, request videos/logs, and file for dismissal and damages.
Branding
Issued by: Trenell’s Family Trust
For lawful education and public notice. All rights reserved.
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