Who has their Class A CDL?

[joefromga]

Not sure what you are asking. If a single vehicle is over 26k you need a CDL(farm/Rv/military etc exemptions aside). If a combo is over 26k and the trailer is over 10k you need a CDL. You can drive a 25k truck with a 9k trailer with a ordinary license.

On the CDLs a class A means you can drive a single vehicle over 26k or a combo over 26k with a trailer over 10k. A class B allows you to drive a single vehicle over 26k like a dump truck but you can't pull a trailer over 10k unless the combo is under 26k.

As bdog said.



Why is this so hard to understand?



In my state (not sure of others) there is a farm exemption. You can easily get a 26k+ license by self certifying but it's for farm use only and within 150 miles and absolutely non commercial, no for hire. This is a class F. If you want to pull a trailer with a 26k+ truck (like a dump truck) you can with the F designation but if it's over 10k gvwr you need an E class license that you can also self certify to get.

I like self certification. We are adults. We can determine what we can and cannot do without govt permission. Self certification makes that possible with a simple form but they ask that you have 3 months or 3000 miles experience in the vehicle type. I'm supposing that you can get an F or E permit then drive with a higher certification driver for those 3 months. Or you can fib or you can use it farm only non road and do it that way.

TL: DR- If you wanna drive a vehicle over 26k you need something special. If you want to pull a trailer over 10k gvwr you need something special and your smile ain't gonna cut it.

 

[aczlan]

TL: DR- If you wanna drive a vehicle over 26k you need something special. If you want to pull a trailer over 10k gvwr you need something special and your smile ain't gonna cut it.

IF the truck has a GVWR below 16k (ie: a 12k GVWR truck) you can haul a larger trailer (a 12k GVW truck can tow a 14k trailer).

Aaron Z

 

[joefromga]

IF the truck has a GVWR below 16k (ie: a 12k GVWR truck) you can haul a larger trailer (a 12k GVW truck can tow a 14k trailer).

Aaron Z

Exactly.

 

[bdog]

Just for clarity some states(very few) have stricter requirements. California I believe requires some kind of special license for a trailer over 10k even if you are pulling it with a ford ranger. This is just a state law and not federal. I am not really up on California's laws I can't even take my truck there because it is a pre Dpf truck and it is an evil polluter. Somehow it hurts the ozone if I drive it in California but it is ok to drive here.

 

[bdog]

Here is the California regs. What a train wreck.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/dl648/dl648pt2

 

[joefromga]

It's amazing how "safety" becomes a huge issue to the govt as soon as you start to make a penny off of anything you do.

 

[Btown]

If you wanna drive a vehicle over 26k you need something special. If you want to pull a trailer over 10k gvwr you need something special and your smile ain't gonna cut it.

In Massachusetts. You can tow a trailer over 10k with a class D license. You can tow a 20k trailer too. You can do this for personal use only. One can easily go over 26K combined weight and be fine, if it's for personal use. If it is for commercial use you will need a CDL. I regularly tow my gooseneck trailer rated at 16k ( never loaded that high) with my truck gvw of 8800 lbs. Class D license is all I need

 

[aczlan]

In Massachusetts. You can tow a trailer over 10k with a class D license. You can tow a 20k trailer too. You can do this for personal use only. One can easily go over 26K combined weight and be fine, if it's for personal use. If it is for commercial use you will need a CDL. I regularly tow my gooseneck trailer rated at 16k ( never loaded that high) with my truck gvw of 8800 lbs. Class D license is all I need

Not so. From the Mass website:

Class A- Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds. (Holders of a Class A license may, with any appropriate endorsements, operate all vehicles within Classes B, C, and D).

Class B- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR. (Holders of a Class B license may, with any appropriate endorsements, operate all vehicles within Classes B, C, and D).

Class C- Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials. (Holders of a Class C license may, with any appropriate endorsements, operate all vehicles within Classes C and D).

Class D- Any single passenger vehicle or combination, except a semi-trailer unit, truck-trailer combination, tractor, or truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 26,000 lbs., bus or school bus.

So, you are legal because you are under 26K GVWR for the truck and trailer combination. If your combination GVWR is over 26k, you are NOT legal.

Aaron Z

 

[joefromga]

I wonder who came up with the 26,000 limit.

 

[Copperhead]

FMCSA, NHTSA, and Congress. Now based on what, I have no clue. But FMCSA is the one who sets the standards on CDL licensing, and that has to be uniform and adopted by all states to maintain reciprocity between state agencies for commercial drivers. That is why I posted the FMCSA CDL guidelines. They are a the de facto rule. Now, a state may play games within its own boundaries on what can be done, but for a CDL, which is a federal controlled license, they have to comply with FMCSA CDL guidelines.