GN Trailer: 3- 7k or 2-10k axels

[Birdhunter1]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( However, most traffic cops are aware of the CDL holder's plight and are a bit more forgiving, too.
)</font>

There is some truth to this. Not long after I got my CDL clas B with air brakes I got pulled over in my Ranger pick up and the cop asked who I drove for. I told him I worked on the side for a relative who was a farmer and had the license to drive the grain trucks. He let me off for that simple reason knowing I would be up the creek with a ticket.

That being said I have had two tickets since I got my CDL and I was able to go on court supervision for one of them (brother in law was the states attorney (prosecutor) for that county then) and the other I just paid because it woudl have been to much of a hassle to deal with going back to the county it was in.

 

[Highbeam]

"FEDERAL law requires a Class A CDL for anyone towing a trailer that is 10,001 pounds or more."

BS. Many RV trailers are well over 10,000 lbs. Heck, even the medium sized ones now easily go over 10,000 lbs. The newer half tons are even rated to tow 10,000# trailers.

 

[hutch4472]

Highbeam, your right, it is crazy how many 3/4 ton trucks you see up and down the road that are WAY over loaded with 38 foot 5ers with triple slides and triple axles. BUT SOMEHOW its legal because they are RV's. Must be alot of politicians that have big RV's and they dont want to need a Class A CDL so they just make exceptions to the laws? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Turkeyman]

Thanks for all the answers and more questions. You all have real world experience and not just some sales person trying to make a deal.

Some questions- how important is the torque tube ( looking at a 36 ft model)and does oil bath axels mean that I do not have to repack the bearings? I always have hated repacking boat trailer bearings. I know eqip trailers are rarely submegered in water. I can only imagine the fun involved in a duel tandum set up.

Thanks

 

[dubba]

"FEDERAL law requires a Class A CDL for anyone towing a trailer that is 10,001 pounds or more."

Really close, but not quite..

Federal law requires a Class A CDL license for anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle towing a trailer with a registered or rated weight of more than 10000 lbs involved in interstate commerce.

State law covers intrastate commercial regulations although most states have just adopted federal regs because their respective legislatures don't have that kind of time.

 

[firemanpat2910]

Go with a double axle not a tripple if at all possible. I have a tag along 22' triple axle with 2 brake axles. I got kind of pressured into buying it when a friend passed away. I was in the market for a trailer and the family needed to sell this one. I have regreted it ever since. Its h&ll to turn, I constantly roll the tires and its too narrow to start with.(Tractor 6'4" trailer 6'6")

I dont have a goose neck.I use my truck for work and load a lot of stuff in the bed, but I have driven a few and like them better. I wont comment on the laws.... thats been pretty well covered and in my little hick town we dont care any how.

 

[john_bud]

Really close, but not quite..

Federal law requires a Class A CDL license for anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle towing a trailer with a registered or rated weight of more than 10000 lbs involved in interstate commerce.

State law covers intrastate commercial regulations although most states have just adopted federal regs because their respective legislatures don't have that kind of time.

Ummm, not quite right either.

You need a CDL if your truck is 26,001 or more pounds and you are towing 10,000 or more. An example of what is NOT CDL -> if the truck is 6000# the trailer can be 20,000 # and you won't need a CDL. Not that an 6000 pound truck SHOULD tow a 20,000 pound trailer...but if it did, it would not be a CMV and would not need a CDL.

Google for Wisconsin's commercial drivers manual cdl-vol1.pdf. It has a table that spells out what is what very plainly on page 4.

jb

 

[DavesTractor]

JB, pulling my 20K dually gooseneck flatbed with my 12,200 gvwr 2006 Dodge dually requires a CDL in California. An officer pulled me over for it (with my dually Ford F350) last year and wrote me up. He was sure, so was the judge. I realize from reading here that it is not the same in many states, that is why so many of us are adamant about this CDL thing, yet we differ in our experience.

 

[George2615]

Personally I'd get a double axle, not a triple. You can also get a double axle dual wheel for more weight / load capacity.
In my state (NY) they changed the license requirements in July of 2005. It used to be any vehicle with or without trailer had to be under 18K for using a regular drivers license. They raised that to 26K and not need a CDL. CDL's are required if over 26,001 or when driving for hire as well. There are numerous other changes in NY license classes but I'm sure these vary state to state.
I think they had to raise the limit due to higher capacities of vehicles (trucks, trailers, motorhomes etc.) today. My own 3/4 ton truck weighs over 6k and can tow up to 15.5K that puts me over 21K right away. I do have a CDL but wouldn't need it for what I tow. I am amazed at all the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks I see towing 20K trailers with 14-18k dozers / excavators. Way over weight and they rarely see them pulled over getting a ticket. If using a 20K trailer it should be towed by something much larger than a 1 ton.

 

[meledward23]

Wow that chart for wisconsin is very nice. Trying to find info in TN besides "In general, state law defines a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) as any vehicle or combination of vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds." I just love the In general part.

Or some very useless charts. From the best I can tell in TN a trailer over 10,000# GVW requires a Class A....

http://tennessee.gov/safety/CDLManual.pdf page 2
http://tennessee.gov/safety/05Manual.pdf page 6

Anyway... Guess that makes it easy... If I can't have a trailer over 10000#'s I just need to by a 26000# truck and put a ramp deck on it.

Any one have different info on TN ?

 

[RayH]

Before you decide on a trailer. You should contact someone to find out for sure that you can not pull a trailer over 10000lbs without a CDL. Im not sure about their use of the word "inclusive" but I'd bet TN is the same as eveywhere else in that you can pull anything as long as you dont exceed 26000lbs combined without a CDL.
I think if you look at the chart real close you will see that you have to meet ALL of the requirements with dots beside them to need a CDL A.

 

[SCDolphin]

I have a 30 foot boat (wt 11,500 boat and trailer) with triple axles and discs on all 3. I have never popped a tire but when I used to trailer from SC to Fl Keys, I used to carry a couple 1 gallon jugs of water with soap added. Sometimes if I had to force a sharp turn usually backing up I would wet the path with the water......never had a problem but if I knew then what I know now I would never have bought it with three axles. One advantage though is the 14 " wheels lowers the center of gravity.

 

[MrJimi]

Very good thread, after reading all of it, I would say CDL says it all

Commercial
Driver
License

Commercial being key word, if your not commercial the weight laws should not apply as long as your under 26000 pounds
Thanks
Jim

 

[rback33]

Very good thread, after reading all of it, I would say CDL says it all

Commercial
Driver
License

Commercial being key word, if your not commercial the weight laws should not apply as long as your under 26000 pounds
Thanks
Jim

THANK HEAVENS YOU PUT THIS IN HERE SO THE CDL THING GOES TO BED.

As far as the DUI thing and CDL's...there may be some truth to someones comment that they are nicer to people with CDL's in some instances... I still think it's a crock you can get a DUI for .04 in your personal vehicle with a CDL... All states have their own laws about this though... .08 i not much and .04 is nothing... I blew .08 once, but had passed the field sobriety (was pulled over for "speeding") he sent me on the way even though I have a CDL ( told him the truth about exactly how much I had and when it was)

At any rate...to the REAL point of the thread... dual axle trailer for sure. I like the way you can load a tri and the way it pulls, but the ARE hard on tires and you never know how it will pivot when you turn (or back).

 

[mlauk]

If you get the dual tandem trailer with 10K axles. Then you add a 3/4 ton truck which has a capacity of 9000 lbs, (10k+10k+9k) that will put you over 26000 lbs which will require a CDL. They allow up to 34K in Texas for farm use but you have to stay within a 150 mile radius.

 

[rback33]

If you get the dual tandem trailer with 10K axles. Then you add a 3/4 ton truck which has a capacity of 9000 lbs, (10k+10k+9k) that will put you over 26000 lbs which will require a CDL. They allow up to 34K in Texas for farm use but you have to stay within a 150 mile radius.

Most states are like this...at least in the midwest.... east and left coast not so sure... I would pull the trailer with my farm tagged Dodge and not think twice out here in Kansas...

 

[wushaw]

If you get the dual tandem trailer with 10K axles. Then you add a 3/4 ton truck which has a capacity of 9000 lbs, (10k+10k+9k) that will put you over 26000 lbs which will require a CDL. They allow up to 34K in Texas for farm use but you have to stay within a 150 mile radius.

Yes and no if you read 1-7 of the Texas drivers handbook it gives you the CDL exemptions.
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/ftp/forms/DLhandbook.pdf

 

[Ford960]

This CDL thing has been hashed out pretty good already but some of you are still missing the point as it applies to SC.
SC has a class licensing system as well the federal CDL system. For non commercial vehicles there is a class E and F license which are the same as a CDL B and A.
The standard license is a class D and covers vehicles not exceeding 26,000 LBS GVW. That's printed on the back of my license that I'm looking at right now.
There is no maximum trailer weight restriction other than that listed of 26,000 LBS in the state.
My 5th wheel camper weighs 14,000 LBS and is totally legal to be pulled with my 8,800 LBS F-350 dually. This includes out of state as all states have reciprocy agreements to honor other states DMV laws.
Now back to the class E and F licenses, they require the exact same things to obtain as a regular CDL, same written and driving exams, same DOT medical card, and same cost. Now why would anyone get a non-commercial class of license when a CDL is the exact same? I've always had some type of commecial license and while renewing my CDL in 2003 I noticed a sign on the wall that "All new or renwal CDL licenses must have a DOT medical card". My card had expired and I was not going to be able to get another one after an injury in 2000 and I lost my CDL-AMPTX. In 2005 I looked into buying a road tractor to pull my 5th wheel but ran into the class F license and the required medical card problem.
Currently I stay in NC a lot but maintain my SC residence as I still own a house down there. I'd like to buy a larger dump trailer but know that NC has the 10,000 LBS weight restriction. I don't think that I could get around it with my SC tags and license since people and the cops know me here and I sometimes will haul a load of rock for other people. Kinda hard to lay low.

Anyway, the thing here about the CDL's is to not confuse federal laws with state laws. If you understand and abide by the laws of your state then you will also be covered by the federal laws. In 10th grade American Government I must have been awake when the interaction between state's laws and federal laws was taught. States can enact stricter laws than those of the federal government but not less strict than the feds. It's the same with counties, cities, and towns and state laws.

Oh, and turkeyman, if you haven't made up your mind about the trailer by now then it ain't happening. I vote for the duals anyway.

 

[Harold_J]

I've often thought about this situation of the tandem-dual trailers and CDL requirements.

Not all states are the same. In NY with a regular Class D non-commercial license you can drive straight trucks up to 26,000#, trailers up to 10,000# pulled by trucks up to 26,000#, or a trailer over 10,000# so long as the total GCW of the trailer and truck do not exceed 26,000#.

My idea is to look for a tandem-dual gooseneck trailer rated at 16,000#, if I can find one or have one made up. A lot of these trailers are rated at 18,000 with two 9K axles. It would seem simple to have the manufacturer or dealer derate the unit to 16,000# with load range D tires or such. Then you would have the 10K truck and 16K trailer and be OK for no CDL. I much prefer the tandem dual to tri-axle setup.

 

[George2615]

I've often thought about this situation of the tandem-dual trailers and CDL requirements.

Not all states are the same. In NY with a regular Class D non-commercial license you can drive straight trucks up to 26,000#, trailers up to 10,000# pulled by trucks up to 26,000#, or a trailer over 10,000# so long as the total GCW of the trailer and truck do not exceed 26,000#.

My idea is to look for a tandem-dual gooseneck trailer rated at 16,000#, if I can find one or have one made up. A lot of these trailers are rated at 18,000 with two 9K axles. It would seem simple to have the manufacturer or dealer derate the unit to 16,000# with load range D tires or such. Then you would have the 10K truck and 16K trailer and be OK for no CDL. I much prefer the tandem dual to tri-axle setup.

Harold,
You can always buy the 18K trailer and only load it so your max GCVW truck, trailer, and load are under 26k. Local DMV weigh stations go by actual weight, not what its registered for.