Would Class A CDL owners please clarify

Trailers rated at 10,001lbs GVWR and above require a class A CDL. Doesn't matter if you're pulling them with a golf-cart or an OTR tractor.

Now whether or not state to state, or county to county someone will actually write the ticket or not is where the disparities come from.
 
Charles said:
Trailers rated at 10,001lbs GVWR and above require a class A CDL. Doesn't matter if you're pulling them with a golf-cart or an OTR tractor.

Now whether or not state to state, or county to county someone will actually write the ticket or not is where the disparities come from.
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NOT TRUE. READ THE LAW PLEASE. Kalifornia is the ONLY state I've ever seen that has a Non Commercial class A for trailers over 10,000. Every other state I've seen say the combined GVW's of the truck and trailer must be over 26,000 AND the trailer must be over 10,000. Both must be true, not either or.
 
Tony R said:
I talked to a buddy last night who has drove for a while he said in ohio the trailer has to weigh over 5k empty for a class A to be needed. I then went to the dmv and asked them, they then called the CDL testing place and they said the same, the trailer has to weigh over 5k empty for a cdl to be needed. They even brought up the point of the guys hauling 3 cars at once on a hot shot trailer. I thought they would have to have one, he said no cause the trailer, empty weighs under 5k. Does this make any sense or is everyone confused like I am
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That is absurd. Empty weight of the trailer has nothing to do with CDL.
 
i'm going off of what the dmv told me so i dont know. I do know that im going down the road with the trailer without a cdl. In the mean time i will put this trailer up for sale and if i sell it thats when ill get a legal one
 
trailerpro said:
NOT TRUE. READ THE LAW PLEASE. Kalifornia is the ONLY state I've ever seen that has a Non Commercial class A for trailers over 10,000. Every other state I've seen say the combined GVW's of the truck and trailer must be over 26,000 AND the trailer must be over 10,000. Both must be true, not either or.
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After reviewing a bit I believe you're right about a Class A.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that even if the trailer GVWR is under 10,000 but the GCWR exceeds 26,000 you still have to have a CDL, although a Class B as opposed to a Class A.

And the second thing to keep in mind is that the GVWR of most modern diesel pickups is so high that even a basically worthless trailer for most jobs will still require a CDL because the GCWR will exceed 26,000.

For instance, I just walked outside and looked in the door of the 550 I'm driving and with a GVWR of 17,500 that only leaves room for a trailer with a GVWR of 8,500 or less. In other words, totally useless.

Or on the flip side, take a normal trailer, like the 20' gooseneck I usually pull with a GVWR of 22,000lbs, and you can pull that without a CDL as long as you can find a tow vehicle with a GVWR of 4,000lbs or less. Not going to happen.


I think the moral of the story for the OP is that he needs to get a CDL and then he doesn't have to worry about any of these reindeer games anymore. No matter what state, no matter what mood the Cop is in.
 
Charles said:
After reviewing a bit I believe you're right about a Class A.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that even if the trailer GVWR is under 10,000 but the GCWR exceeds 26,000 you still have to have a CDL, although a Class B as opposed to a Class A.
If the trailer is 10,000 or under it does not add onto the total therefore the truck can go up to 26,000 without a Class A or B.
And the second thing to keep in mind is that the GVWR of most modern diesel pickups is so high that even a basically worthless trailer for most jobs will still require a CDL because the GCWR will exceed 26,000.
My modern day Chevy dually is 11,400 GVW so I can pull a 14,000 flatbed with my pulling truck on it without a CDL.
For instance, I just walked outside and looked in the door of the 550 I'm driving and with a GVWR of 17,500 that only leaves room for a trailer with a GVWR of 8,500 or less. In other words, totally useless.
You can pull a trailer 10,000 or under with your 17,500 truck and not need a CDL since 10,000 or under trailer does not add onto the total.
Or on the flip side, take a normal trailer, like the 20' gooseneck I usually pull with a GVWR of 22,000lbs, and you can pull that without a CDL as long as you can find a tow vehicle with a GVWR of 4,000lbs or less. Not going to happen.
True, with a high GVW trailer your definately going to need a CDL.

I think the moral of the story for the OP is that he needs to get a CDL and then he doesn't have to worry about any of these reindeer games anymore. No matter what state, no matter what mood the Cop is in.
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The original poster would not need a CDL with a 14,000 trailer.
 
Why do people always argue about this? CDL classes are FEDERAL STANDARDS. The states can adopt the laws exactly as the Fed's wrote them, or can make them more strict (hence Comifornia's 10,001lb or more trailer requires a CDL A regardless of GCWR). Some states do issue non-commercial CDL licenses, and they generally follow the same weight rules. Whether your state offers a non-commercial CDL or not, you are required to be licensed for the weight (or weight potential) of your vehicle or combination, even if you are not truely a commercial operator. That is it.

CLASS A: Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds).

Class B: Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) GVWR.

Class C: Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that meets neither the definition of Group A nor that of Group B as contained in this section, but that either is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or is used in the transportation of materials found to be hazardous for the purposes of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and which require the motor vehicle to be placarded under the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Why is this so hard to get?
 
I have been told that this all comes from the Commercial Code. So if I am pulling my truck on my trailer with my truck non of of them are commercial. So why do I need a CDL?
 
trailerpro said:
If the trailer is 10,000 or under it does not add onto the total therefore the truck can go up to 26,000 without a Class A or B.
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If the GCWR exceeds 26,000lbs you need one. If the trailer is under 10k it just doesn't have to be Class A, it can be Class B.



My modern day Chevy dually is 11,400 GVW so I can pull a 14,000 flatbed with my pulling truck on it without a CDL.
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That would be correct. However, the legality would still require that the trailer be light enough that the weight of the pulling truck didn't push the GVW of the load and trailer over the 14,000lb rating. I don't know what a 14,000lb trailer usually weighs, but I get the feeling you're not going to be hauling very much on one without exceeding 14,000lbs GVW.

Which goes right back to just getting a CDL and not dicking around with all this.


The original poster would not need a CDL with a 14,000 trailer.
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I guess that depends on three things...

The tow vehicle GVWR, the empty weight of the trailer, and the weight of the truck he intended to put on it. If his truck has a GVWR of 12,000lbs or more no such luck. If the empty weight of his trailer plus the weight of his puller exceeds 14,000lbs, no such luck.

Again, having a CDL solves the problem. For sure, and in a way that doesn't have you always feeling illegal, because you probably are.
 
JerrodGlover said:
I have been told that this all comes from the Commercial Code. So if I am pulling my truck on my trailer with my truck non of of them are commercial. So why do I need a CDL?
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If that were the case then you could hop in a tractor trailer and load up all your buddies four wheelers at once and go riding all weekend and never need a CDL because it wasn't for commercial use.

Intent does not define "commercial use". Weight, and vehicle type and combination does.
 
Charles said:
If the GCWR exceeds 26,000lbs you need one. If the trailer is under 10k it just doesn't have to be Class A, it can be Class B.

Read the Class B law again. The VEHICLE has to go over 26,000.



That would be correct. However, the legality would still require that the trailer be light enough that the weight of the pulling truck didn't push the GVW of the load and trailer over the 14,000lb rating. I don't know what a 14,000lb trailer usually weighs, but I get the feeling you're not going to be hauling very much on one without exceeding 14,000lbs GVW.

Which goes right back to just getting a CDL and not dicking around with all this.

I can stay well under 14,000 with the pulling truck on a trailer.


I guess that depends on three things...

The tow vehicle GVWR, the empty weight of the trailer, and the weight of the truck he intended to put on it. If his truck has a GVWR of 12,000lbs or more no such luck. If the empty weight of his trailer plus the weight of his puller exceeds 14,000lbs, no such luck.

Again, having a CDL solves the problem. For sure, and in a way that doesn't have you always feeling illegal, because you probably are.
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Original poster has an 11,000 GVW truck so he could pull a 14,000 GVW trailer just like I do and be legal without a CDL.
 
Read the Class B law again. The VEHICLE has to go over 26,000.
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Once you combine a truck and trailer with a hitch your "vehicle" weight rating now consists of the GVWR for each combined into the GCWR. If that number exceeds 26,000lbs you're not commercial?

Otherwise can I expect that someone could take a truck with a GVWR of 26,000lbs with a trailer GVWR of 10,000lbs for a total GCWR of 36,000lbs and not be required to have a CDL to drive that on a public road without some other kind of expressed exemption?
 
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i found this on the ohio bmv website on people exempt from a a cdl

Nonbusiness Commercial Motor Vehicle [ - ]
A commercial motor vehicle that is operated for nonbusiness purposes. "Operated for nonbusiness purposes" means that the commercial motor vehicle is not used in commerce as "commerce" is defined in 48 C.F.R. 383.5 as amended, and is not regulated by the public utilities commission pursuant to Chapter 4919., 4821., or 4923.,of the Ohio Revised Code.

So does that mean if i wanted to buy a semi and a 53 foot trailer and haul my lawn mower around town on a parade i can lol
 
Tony R said:
i found this on the ohio bmv website on people exempt from a a cdl

Nonbusiness Commercial Motor Vehicle [ - ]
A commercial motor vehicle that is operated for nonbusiness purposes. "Operated for nonbusiness purposes" means that the commercial motor vehicle is not used in commerce as "commerce" is defined in 48 C.F.R. 383.5 as amended, and is not regulated by the public utilities commission pursuant to Chapter 4919., 4821., or 4923.,of the Ohio Revised Code.

So does that mean if i wanted to buy a semi and a 53 foot trailer and haul my lawn mower around town on a parade i can lol
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That's the example I gave of taking your buddies four wheeling with a tractor trailer.

Be sure and keep the above excerpt for the state trooper to get a good laugh at before he cuffs you and hauls you off.

:hehe:
 
Charles said:
That's the example I gave of taking your buddies four wheeling with a tractor trailer.

Be sure and keep the above excerpt for the state trooper to get a good laugh at before he cuffs you and hauls you off.

:hehe:
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So for the RV's need CDL's?
 
Most of the tractor's I have seen have a sleeping quarters.
 
Charles said:
If the GCWR exceeds 26,000lbs you need one. If the trailer is under 10k it just doesn't have to be Class A, it can be Class B.
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You are wrong on this one Charles you can not operate a combination vehicle with a class B CDL. You have to have a class A CDL with the combination endorsement to operate a combination vehicle. Class B CDL licenses are for straight trucks only.
 
Charles said:
Otherwise can I expect that someone could take a truck with a GVWR of 26,000lbs with a trailer GVWR of 10,000lbs for a total GCWR of 36,000lbs and not be required to have a CDL to drive that on a public road without some other kind of expressed exemption?
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That is actually 100% correct. Read the definitions of A and B again that I posted earlier.

You have a 26000lb GVWR Truck towing a 10000LB GVWR Trailer.

A says any combination of vehicles with a Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of 26,0001 lbs or more (so far our combo above meets that), provided the vehicle being towed has a GVWR of 10,001 lbs or more (wait ours doesn't it's only 10,000). If it doesn't meet both provisions it doesn't require a Class A.

B says any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 lbs or more (not us, our GVWR is 26000) or any such vehicle towing a trailer not in excess of 10,000lbs. The GVWR of our single vehicle doesn't meet the 26,001 lbs or more so it doesn't require a Class B.

Class B licenses are really intended for single unit vehicles, dump trucks, buses, ect. Yes you can tow up to 10,000 lbs on a Class B, but that isn't really what they are for.

So, Charles as you can see you could be totally legal at a GCW of 36,000lbs, without a CDL.
 
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