Trailers and CDL

[Ron Pope]

Here is the question. If you have a trailer with 2 5200 lb axles in it, does this put the the gross rating on this trailer at 10,400 lbs. If this is correct then you have to have a class A CDL to even move this trailer even if it is empty?

Here is the law, "Class A -- Any combination of vehicles with a GCWR of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds."

Seems a little confusing to me. Is it 26,001 or 10,000 that is key to needing a class A CDL.

I will call the Highway Patrol office tomorrow to find out.

[Bob Lemke]

For California, been there, done that. On my 3 car hauler I needed the CDL even though the tow vehicle was just a 4X4 F350 dually diesel with overload rear air bags.


My covered 2 axle single car transporter that I tow with a 4X4 diesel Excursion doesn't require a CDL.

[Bill Holley]

are u going to reg it for 10k ??? my car trl has twin 3500# axles. for tax reasons and inspection i reg for 4000k. mainly anything over 4k will need re-inspection every 2 yrs.. and i use it maybe 2x a yr for the bucket only..

[Big Bill]

You don't need a class A but check to see if you need a class B and you may need a medical card to go out of state. They just changed the rules this year and I'm not sure how you will be classed since you use your trailer for business.

[Ron Pope]

OK I called the guy at the scale house. This is pretty complicated deal. If the trailer has a GVWR over 10,000 lbs, and you are not a camper. It "IS" a commercial vehicle! You are required to stop at all truck scales. You do have to have a CDL to operate this vehicle, even if it does not have anything in it! Now it also cannot be over 48' long total length, from the tip of the front bumper of the tow vehicle to the tail of the trailer. If it is over then you need a special permit for a long load. Now take that 30' trailer and make a little sleeping quarters up front and you now have to conform to all the rules and regulations of a 18 wheeler. Such as running a log book and keeping it up to date. Putting "not for hire" on the rig is fraud and carries a big hefty fine. By passing the scales carries a big hefty fine. Being over weight carries a big fine. Also a 1 ton truck is considered a commercial vehicle and tag is to be on the front bumper, not the rear.

I learned a lot, most of it not good.

[Dewey Burton]

Ron most of that "not Good' is because you are in Tenn. They gave me a hard time on the phone, when I was moving to Fl.with a box truck. In reality on the road they ignored me like I was in a U-haul truck.

[Bob Lemke]

I had my CA CDL from 1978 to 1988, but since I wasn't trucking anymore didn't renew after 1988. I ran the 3 car transporter as a business from 2002 to 2008 and was stopped in 2006 and ticketed for a lack of CDL. I had to pull off the highway and have a commercial driver deliver my load of cars, so said the CHP officer. I waited an hour, took off, delivered my cars and went home. I took the CDL driving test again (after my medical and passing the written), and the woman that administered the test was really upset that she had to pass me with no restrictions because my diesel pick up was a stick, and in this state if the test vehicle is a stick, it is assumed to have air brakes and everything else of a class 8 truck. If it was an automatic, then she could have made it a restricted license to automatic only and no air brakes.

My old truck from the 80's.




And the sneaky diesel stick shift that allowed a CDL with no restrictions.

[Mike Blanche]

If you look on the RV.net forums, you'll find long threads arguing this out.

The key is the 26,001 pounds. That's the federal regulation. Various states may try to enforce other laws, but that is THE law.

In various states, the length laws vary, as you might expect. Any length of tractor can pull a 53' trailer in most places in the country. We pull 57 footers in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana, but not in Arkansas or Mississippi. The kicker in California is that the tractor cannot have any freight capacity, or it is a truck, not a tractor, and a truck and trailer are limited to 60 feet, I believe (but check it out for yourself!). Thus a pickup and a trailer would have the shorter limit, since the pickup is capable of carrying some freight.

Even the big boys (like the NASCAR teams) run afoul of this every so often.