Would Class A CDL owners please clarify

Yooper75 said:
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.
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Yes he is wrong but so are you. Read the regs. You can tow up to 10,000lbs with a Class B, that is a combination vehicle.

Combination endorsement??? Now you are just making stuff up. There is no combination endorsement for a CDL.
 
Charles said:
Intent does not define "commercial use". Weight, and vehicle type and combination does.
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Actually that is not entirely true. The Fed regs. say it has to used "in the furtherance of a business enterprise". Pretty vague right?

I have seen this little scenario play out quite a few times:

Driver: Officer this is my truck, and my trailer, and my truck on the trailer.

Officer: Okay where are you going?

Driver: Towing my truck down to the truck pulls (or dragstrip) to enter it in tonights (insert event name here)

Officer: Cool, what do you get if you win?

Driver: First place pays $500....and my sponsors will be real happy and probably hook me up with some stuff too.

Officer: Congratulations Your A Commercial Operation, now I need to see your CDL, Logbook, Medical Card, Fire Extiguisher, Triangles and/or Flares, Spare Fuses, Proof of Insurance, Proof of Drug Testing Program, ect...

Driver: WTF??? :doh::doh:

Don't think that just because you own everything, you can't possibly be commercial.
 
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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You may not necesarily need a CDL, depends on your home state. What you do need is to be licensed for the weight (or weight potential) of your vehicle or combination. If your state doesn't offer a non-commercial Class A or B, you are probably going to be stuck getting a CDL.

See my post above about ownership.
 
FIVEOLOGY said:
Yes he is wrong but so are you. Read the regs. You can tow up to 10,000lbs with a Class B, that is a combination vehicle.

Combination endorsement??? Now you are just making stuff up. There is no combination endorsement for a CDL.
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Then I was told wrong by the DMV then which does not suprise me. Thanks for correcting me.
 
It takes two things to make you need a CDL:
1) A combo of vehicles that combined or together have a GVW ( whats on the door, set by the manufacturer, not what the vehicle actually weighs) over 26,001 pounds. Example, a 10,000 pound truck and a 17,000 trailer. Together they equal over 26,001.
2) The trailer MUST be over 10,000 pounds. So, a 25,000 truck and a 9999 pound trailer, no CDL. Combo is over the weight, but the trailer is not over 10,000. A 12,000 pound truck and a 15,000 pound trailer, CDL A required. The combo is over 26,000 and the trailer is over 10,000.

You need a combo over 26,001, and a trailer over 10,000 to come under CDL regs. Thats federal motor carrier regs, goes for all states. But you need both things to come under CDL. You need the combo weight over 26,000 and the trailer to be over 10,000. Both need to be there.

FYI I am a CSP Trooper doing commercial vehicle enforcement everyday.
 
ctcsp846 question
what if my door tag gvwr is 25500 and i titled the truck down to 17000 gvw. would you go off the info on my door or my reg papers????

thanks for the info
 
ctcsp846 said:
It takes two things to make you need a CDL:
1) A combo of vehicles that combined or together have a GVW ( whats on the door, set by the manufacturer, not what the vehicle actually weighs) over 26,001 pounds. Example, a 10,000 pound truck and a 17,000 trailer. Together they equal over 26,001.
2) The trailer MUST be over 10,000 pounds. So, a 25,000 truck and a 9999 pound trailer, no CDL. Combo is over the weight, but the trailer is not over 10,000. A 12,000 pound truck and a 15,000 pound trailer, CDL A required. The combo is over 26,000 and the trailer is over 10,000.

You need a combo over 26,001, and a trailer over 10,000 to come under CDL regs. Thats federal motor carrier regs, goes for all states. But you need both things to come under CDL. You need the combo weight over 26,000 and the trailer to be over 10,000. Both need to be there.

FYI I am a CSP Trooper doing commercial vehicle enforcement everyday.
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For a Class A CDL, just to be clear there are 3 CDL Classes.
 
smc953 said:
ctcsp846 question
what if my door tag gvwr is 25500 and i titled the truck down to 17000 gvw. would you go off the info on my door or my reg papers????

thanks for the info
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What the manufacturer says, not what it is registered or titled for.
 
Welp this answers it, I am going to need a class A here soon enough then. Now to just figure out the MD law and go take the test and things for it.
 
Registered weight doesn't count, it's what is on the door GVW tag set by the manufacturer. Only the manufacturer can change the GVW. The registered weight does not apply for CDL regs. , only the GVW set by the manufacturer.

I have actually seen guys get a lower GVW sticker for a trailer to stay under CDL, then hope they never get scaled/weighed. Kinda rolling the dice doing that. Overweight tickets are very expensive most places.:kick:
 
I guess it makes little sense to me that a guy towing his lawnmower on a dual tandem gooseneck behind an F-550 pickup truck is hopelessly illegal..... although driving a VERY stable vehicle.... while a guy driving a single axle dump full of dirt, weaving all over the road on the puckered sidewalls, with a skid-steer behind him is perfectly legal driving something that someone with years of experience would need to stay on top of and drive conservatively with to avoid killing someone.

Awesome.

So what I've learned from this thread is that CDL law makes roughly as much sense as EPA law. None whatsoever.

It actually entices people to tow with lesser vehicles so that they can jump through the loopholes between Class A and B by either towing a 10,000lb trailer behind a 26,000lb dumptruck, or towing a big trailer behind a dodge dakota...

:smirk:
 
^^^ Basically. I see guys every day running a 25,999 truck with a 9999 trailer. Just to stay under CDL weights. And yet some guys will get hosed by the regs because they have a heavy GVW trailer.
 
under FMCSR
part 390.5
states
Commercial motor vehicle means any self-porppelled or towed vehicle used on a highway in INTERSTATE COMMERCE to transport passengers or property.

first question
are you making money with it? if YES then you fall under a Commercial Motor Vehicle.
if no then it dont apply.

hence why RVs dotn apply except if you need air brake endorsments.
 
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ctcsp846 said:
It takes two things to make you need a CDL:
1) A combo of vehicles that combined or together have a GVW ( whats on the door, set by the manufacturer, not what the vehicle actually weighs) over 26,001 pounds. Example, a 10,000 pound truck and a 17,000 trailer. Together they equal over 26,001.
2) The trailer MUST be over 10,000 pounds. So, a 25,000 truck and a 9999 pound trailer, no CDL. Combo is over the weight, but the trailer is not over 10,000. A 12,000 pound truck and a 15,000 pound trailer, CDL A required. The combo is over 26,000 and the trailer is over 10,000.

You need a combo over 26,001, and a trailer over 10,000 to come under CDL regs. Thats federal motor carrier regs, goes for all states. But you need both things to come under CDL. You need the combo weight over 26,000 and the trailer to be over 10,000. Both need to be there.

FYI I am a CSP Trooper doing commercial vehicle enforcement everyday.
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you missed the FIRST part trooper..

go look up 390.5 page 366

under that IF one wanted to one could own a Class 8 rig are a POV and you couldnt touch him under then FMCSR
 
ctcsp846 said:
Registered weight doesn't count, it's what is on the door GVW tag set by the manufacturer. Only the manufacturer can change the GVW. The registered weight does not apply for CDL regs. , only the GVW set by the manufacturer.

I have actually seen guys get a lower GVW sticker for a trailer to stay under CDL, then hope they never get scaled/weighed. Kinda rolling the dice doing that. Overweight tickets are very expensive most places.:kick:
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if DOT say its legal from me to up my 9200GVWR to 11000GVWR on my 2500HD who are you to tell me if your Boss is wrong or not?

all i got to do for the state of OHIO is have DOT come out and inspect said vehicle..
he is going to check make sure the tires suspsion rims adn driveline are in workign order and that i am not over weight on my GAWR and my rims and tires are rated to handl said GAWR then sign off on it.

simple math.
a class 8 rig GCVWR is all axle added togerther. 12+34+34=80,000 GVWR
hmm take a GM 3500HD 4800 FGAWR+10500RGAWR= 15300 GVWR
put a GN + 20000lb tandem 10k axles i can legally haul 35,300lb
if im not for hire..
DOT say i can run that weight
all you can do is check to see if any one axle is over weight.
 
07 stroker said:
you don't need a cdl if its reg private not for hire.
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You can register it however you want, if there is money changing hands directly in relation to that truck being on the road (and it meets the other necessary requirements) you are commercial and subject to the FMCSR.
 
Malibu, you got a lot of stuff going on there so let me try and sift through it working from your last post up.

True the original manufacturer is not the only one that can legally change a truck or trailer's GVWR. There are aftermarket upfitters that have the legal ability to do so, the most common situtation would be the addition of a lift axle. The bottom line on that is this: The GVWR of a vehicle (truck or trailer) is what is listed on the VIN sticker. If the vehicle is modified in some way to change the GVWR, then a sticker will be added next to the original VIN sticker to note that change. If that is not done then legally your GVWR is whatever the VIN sticker says.


You are right, one could drive a Class 8 truck as a POV and not be subject to the FMCSR (although I know some that would argue that if you drive that vehicle to your place of employment, regardless of what said employment is, you are making money directly in relation to the operation of that vehicle and therefore are subject to the regs. Don't know if I agree with that or not, lets just say I have heard it discussed, almost the exact scenario you speak of), but they would still need to follow there home state's laws for licensing. Most state's regular driver's licenses would not allow the holder to legally drive a Class 8 vehicle regardless of commercial intent.

Your comment about RVs. Air brakes alone do not create the need for a CDL. If the vehicle does not meet any of the other requirements for a CDL then it is perfectly legal to operate a vehicle equipped with air brakes with a regular driver's licence. Conversely a person holding a CDL license with an air brake restriction can legally operate a non-CDL vehicle equipped with air brakes. He or she just can't operate a CDL vehicle with air brakes. Not sure exactly what you were trying to say with that comment, just wanted to try and clear that up.

Last you are correct if the vehicle is not being used in commerce per 390.5 it is not subject to the FMCSR.
 
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