Do I need a CDL?

[HK45]

I hope somebody can help me with this. I live In Pa, and was looking at getting a gooseneck to pull my bobcat. My truck GVW is 9,200 and unladen weight of truck is 6,249. The trailer I was looking at is a GVW of 14,000 and unladen weight of 5,200. My bobcat is around 6,600. Do I need to have a CDL to be legal?

 

[George2615]

In most states if your combined truck and trailer weight is under 26,000 you don't need a CDL.

 

[brokenknee]

I hope somebody can help me with this. I live In Pa, and was looking at getting a gooseneck to pull my bobcat. My truck GVW is 9,200 and unladen weight of truck is 6,249. The trailer I was looking at is a GVW of 14,000 and unladen weight of 5,200. My bobcat is around 6,600. Do I need to have a CDL to be legal?

Here is a flow chart, When checking the weight rating check the GVWR, not the GVW. They look at what the unit is rated to haul, not the weight of the unit. They also look at the actual weight, so if you exceed your rated weight, you may not only be cited for that, but also for having the incorrect license.

Make sure not to exceed your tow capacity of your vehicle. That should also be listed inside your door panel.

View attachment Class License Required Flow Chart.pdf

 

[Storm56]

I hear you on this one. I too have a 9200 GVW truck and a 13,900 GVW tilt bed trailer. I have heard people state that when you go over 10,000 GVW on a trailer you need a CDL license. Of course no one has ever been able to show me the documentation. I even called the state police and could not get a straight answer. My license states on the class: CM -Single/Comb less than 26,001.

The dealer where I bought the trailer was not even sure. He did state that I would be in more hot water and the fine would be potentially larger if I derated the trailer to 9,990 GVW and got caught over weight.

So if the answer is that hard to find that even the state police could not give me a straight up answer, I figure my odds would be pretty good at a DJ if I ever got a fine for this setup. It seems it would be pretty hard for a DJ to find me guilty when right on my license it states Single/Comb less than 26,001.

 

[davygp38]

Here is a flow chart, When checking the weight rating check the GVWR, not the GVW. They look at what the unit is rated to haul, not the weight of the unit. They also look at the actual weight, so if you exceed your rated weight, you may not only be cited for that, but also for having the incorrect license.

Make sure not to exceed your tow capacity of your vehicle. That should also be listed inside your door panel.

View attachment 191239

Thanks brokenknee. This question comes up A lot on TBN, and this is the first time I have seen anything like this flow chart. Of course depending on what state you're in it might be different, but the CDL standards are supposed to be consistent throughout the country. I have a class A CDL, but when it comes to the smaller rigs people tow there is to much confusion. Now if only the individual States would make there own requirements for Tuck, and trailer weight ratings, as easy to understand as this chart, this question would not keep coming up.

 

[clemsonfor]

I think this may be the annual "do i need a CDL" post. First check your local state regulations, but my guess would be no. Is this for business or personal use, it could make a difference.

 

[brokenknee]

I think this may be the annual "do i need a CDL" post. First check your local state regulations, but my guess would be no. Is this for business or personal use, it could make a difference.

The CDL requirement does not matter if it is for personal use or business. That portion of it determines if you need to get a DOT # and follow all of those requirements. (Which are many).

Although I can not positively speak for other state requirements for a CDL, these are the federal requirements. I am pretty sure most states just adopt them. Some states could possibly be more strict, but I do not think that would be likely.

 

[flusher]

I hope somebody can help me with this. I live In Pa, and was looking at getting a gooseneck to pull my bobcat. My truck GVW is 9,200 and unladen weight of truck is 6,249. The trailer I was looking at is a GVW of 14,000 and unladen weight of 5,200. My bobcat is around 6,600. Do I need to have a CDL to be legal?

What's the gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of your truck? That's the number you need to figure out if you're overweight.

Then you need to check the axle ratings of your truck to see if the tongue load of that GN trailer with your Bobcat load exceeds the rear axle load rating.

 

[tcartwri]

If the GCVWR is less than 26001 lbs on a truck trailer unit, you do not need a CDL or a Class A license. The wording on most DMV sites leaves a lot to be desired.

I got into a huge argument with an American friend of mine over this regulation. For in Ontario, if the trailer exceeds 10,000 lbs you absolutely have to have your Class A.

 

[rjkobbeman]

The CDL requirement does not matter if it is for personal use or business. That portion of it determines if you need to get a DOT # and follow all of those requirements. (Which are many).

Although I can not positively speak for other state requirements for a CDL, these are the federal requirements. I am pretty sure most states just adopt them. Some states could possibly be more strict, but I do not think that would be likely.

I like the flowchart you provided. It does state that recreational vehicles for personal use are exempted. Were you meaning something else when you said "The CDL requirement does not matter if it is for personal use or business." I believe the OP said his equipment was for personal use, but it certainly is not a recreational vehicle. How does that come in to play?

Also, I like how the top of the document cleary states that Class A, B and C licenses ARE CDLs. Of all the reading I have done, I kind of figured this was the case, but this is the first time I saw it explicitly written. So saying you don't need a CDL but you do need a Class A makes no sense to me. Am I missing something here? (I see/hear that statement too often in discussions.)