I wouldnt think so, CDL = Commercail Drivers License.... If you not pulling COMMERCIALLY, I wouldnt think you'd need a commercial license...

 

If your total gvw is over 26k combination then you need a class a dl. Texas has a non commercial class a. If the combo is over 26 you can take the test in it, just dont drive it there yourself.

 

It's that way in Nevada as well, and CDL laws are federal.

 

I have a 24 ft deckover with a GVWR of 14,000. Are you sure that is all your 3o ft is rated for?

At any rate, the class A is determined by combination weight ratings (pickup GVWR plus the trailer GVWR). You would be legal to pull a 14,000 GVWR trailer with you '92 or '93 without a class A, but the using the newer duelly would require one If it's GVWR is over 12,000.

 

I know the legalese can be a little confusing. I have to explain this stuff to my dad all the time. First of all, your gcwr is not necessarily the sum of truck and trailer gvwr. If that were the case, you would be in trouble because if the '08 in your sig is your tow vehicle, your gvwr is 12,200. Add the 14K gvwr of the trailer and you would have 26,200 which is cdl territory. Thankfully that isn't the way it works. Your gcwr is a separate standard. If I recall correctly, a Dodge 3500 is around 22k gcwr. Whatever it is, it is well below what would require a cdl.

As a side note, if you spend any amount of time towing, you'll find that the letter of the law is not always enforced. I see guys in this area towing loads that put them way over their legal weight limit all the time. I've seen people pull car trailers with Rangers, Nissans, and Toyotas. I know someone that pulls a 32 foot travel trailer with an old station wagon. The guy that bought our old John Deere, loaded it onto a 16k equipment trailer behind a 1/2 ton Chevy. Unless the law enforcement in your area are total Nazis, you won't have any issues.

 

I know the legalese can be a little confusing. I have to explain this stuff to my dad all the time. First of all, your gcwr is not necessarily the sum of truck and trailer gvwr. If that were the case, you would be in trouble because if the '08 in your sig is your tow vehicle, your gvwr is 12,200. Add the 14K gvwr of the trailer and you would have 26,200 which is cdl territory. Thankfully that isn't the way it works. Your gcwr is a separate standard. If I recall correctly, a Dodge 3500 is around 22k gcwr. Whatever it is, it is well below what would require a cdl.

You are mistaken, at least in what TX requires, and also commercial DOT requirements.
The law could not care less what Dodge"s GCWR rating is. If the '08 GVWR is 12,200 and the trailer is 14,000 then the driver is required to have a Class A drivers license because they add up to over 26,000 pounds. Your state might not have a non-commercial Class A but TX does, just for these instances. Your state could possibly require a CDL A for this combo also, check with your DMV. I know that CA requires a CDL A to pull any trailer other than an RV with a GVWR over 10,000 whether the driver is operating commercially or not. Commercial DOT regs for determining the GCWR are the same.

TX state highway patrol enforces DOT regulations, both for state and federal laws. I have seen many pickups to the side pulling large goosenecks. They may have been pulled over for something else, like speeding, but you can bet that if they do not have the correct type of driver's license the combo won't move until a qualified driver arrives.

on edit; Don't take my word for it. From the PA website
PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services - Classes of Licenses

Non-commercial Driver's Licenses
CLASS A (minimum age 18): Required to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle(s) being towed is/are in excess of 10,000 pounds. Example: Recreational Vehicle, when the towing vehicle is rated at 11,000 pounds and the vehicle towed is rated at 15,500 pounds (total combination weight of 26,500 pounds).

As for this statement "I have to explain this stuff to my dad all the time.", some day you will realize that the older you get the smarter your Dad becomes.

 

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Hey GAmes, Tx Dot is not pulling them over for speeding. For the last 2 yrs or so they are pulling them over for the reason we are discussing and to see if the are commercial or not. There a few car troopers that are crossed trained but almost drive those dang black and white blazers and have gotten away from the trucks. I would see one of them dang trucks bought an auction and it would give that durn DOT lump in my throat.

 

Hey GAmes, Tx Dot is not pulling them over for speeding. For the last 2 yrs or so they are pulling them over for the reason we are discussing and to see if the are commercial or not.

I said "They may have been pulled over for something else, like speeding" because I have never seen what transpired prior to my passing. Normally there has to be another reason if there are no DOT numbers displayed, but that is not to say the troopers are not profiling. I can't count how many times I have been pulled over for some bogus reason when it was obvious the cop just wanted to check me out. Ever notice that those black and white Tahoes are always in the same general areas?

 

Ok, maybe I'm the one who misunderstood, but I think there's one thing everyone is overlooking. I'm not talking about gross weights, I'm talking about gross weight ratings. The sum of truck, trailer, and load is your gross combined weight, but there is a maximum combined weight rating for any vehicle. Whether your trailer is 14k or 24k, technically, your gcw isn't supposed to exceed the maximum gcwr of your tow vehicle, which is well below 26k. I thought that's what DOT worked off of, the max gcwr of the tow vehicle. If I'm wrong, then I apologize for giving false information.

Second, that may be what the PennDOT website says, but it is not enforced at all around here. The way I said it is the way it was explained to me by someone who I assumed knew what he was talking about. If you think my understanding of this is bad, my dad's is basically, "Do you have the right size ball? You can tow it." He routinely pulls 8k without a brake controller or a receiver hitch, just a ball stuck in the bumper.

Thank you for correcting me, and I'm sorry if I mislead anybody. I am just really thankful I have the most worthless DOT agency in the country that will let me get away with almost anything.

 

Gross of the truck plus gross of the trailer is 26001 or over you need a cdl. You only need a DOT number if you are hauling other peoples property for money. Hauling a buddy's stuff to help him out does not require it. In Tx they will pull over a truck hauling a tandem trailer just to check the for a class a. You will also need a commercial inspection, extra gear in the truck, fire extinguisher, spare fuses etc, and a medical card. If you don't have it it is only a matter of time before you get stoppped if you are traveling through any major area. The only exception is for Ag. No CDL required as long as you are hauling your own stuff.

 

Gross of the truck plus gross of the trailer is 26001 or over you need a cdl. You only need a DOT number if you are hauling other peoples property for money.

Wow, guess you weren't paying attention. From the TX Drivers handbook
page 1-4

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/documents/DL-7.pdf

CLASSIFIED DRIVER LICENSE (Texas Transportation Code, Section 521)
The following listed Class A, B, C, and M licenses will be issued to persons
who are exempt from obtaining a Commercial Driver License or persons who
are not required to obtain a Commercial Driver License:
1. Class A driver license permits a person to drive any vehicle or combination
of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or
more, provided the gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle(s) being towed
is in excess of 10,000 pounds; including

 

yea like hunters waiting for the deer to come to the feeder. LOL

 

No kidding, had an 8 o' Clock shadow for about 8 miles today along with an open scale and DPS, DOT and sheriff everywhere. Then on my second run of the day Border Patrol had all sorts of people pulled over.

 

Oh this is so silly. Now I am participating in this subject even though I vowed never to do so.


I think we need to be careful about the distinction between Class A and CDL. Some states (including NC and I believe TX) offer a non-CDL class A license. I gather not all states allow that.


I think that the distinction between Class A requirements vs CDL requirements sometimes gets this discussion confused (and then heated). Let's try to be a little more precise about what requires class A vs what requires a CDL and perhaps we can avoid that confusion and the resultant heated diatribe.



That said, I have determined that I need a class A license and I don't know why I would bother getting one without CDL. What are the obligations and restrictions of having a CDL-A vs. a class A? Is the testing different? Medical card? Logging?

 

What are the obligations and restrictions of having a CDL-A vs. a class A? Is the testing different? Medical card? Logging?

The two biggest differences is if you get a traffic ticket, and have a CDL, you can not get it dismissed by going to a drivers safety class. If you drink the limit for DUI is .04 IIRC.

The driving test in TX is the same. I understand that for a CDL to be valid you have to have a med card, but that may be false. You only have to log time if you are actually driving a CMV.

BTW, the non-commercial Class A in CA does not parallel the CDL-A for wt requirements like TX, PA and NC do. The residents there must have a non-commercial Class A to pull travel trailers over 10,000 GVWR and 5th wheel RVs over 15,000 GVWR regardless of the GVWR of the tow vehicle. As I stated earlier, they require a CDL-A for all other trailers over 10,000 GVWR commercial or not. Thankfully, drivers from other states do not have to comply with that non-sense.

 

I do not know nor do I care about the differences between the two as I am legal in my home State with a standard license. What I do know is that a CDL is harder to get ( physical requirment) and easier to lose because of violations as the data base for CDLs is maintained by the Feds as opposed to individual States.

 

Thanks Motorboat. I assume you have a non-cdl class A license for Alabama? Or you on a regular non-cdl class C license? I presume you take your trailer outside your home state occasionally.

 

Since my GVCW is less than 26001 and I am not hauling commercially, my standard operator's license is all that I need. Yes, I quite often travel thru and to other States.

Under the reciprosity agreement between States, as I am legal in my home State I am therefore legal in all States.

 

Medical card is not required to get the cdl only when driving a vehicle requiring a cdl and in texas only if you were born after 1972 or crossing state lines. So if you were born before 72 and have a intrastate cdl you dont need one.

 

The card is required in my State in order to get the license.

 

well we are talking Texas not anywhere else.

 

Sorry, thought you were questioning my information.

 

I thought the law was if the GVW of the truck is over 26,001 LBS you need a Class B, Now if the truck GVW is 26,001 or over and the trailer is 10,000 lbs or more you need a class A.

 

I thought the law was if the GVWR of the truck is over 26,001 LBS you need a Class B, Now if the truck CGVWR is 26,001 or over and the trailer is 10,001 lbs or more you need a class A.

If used in commerce. Then you thought right. :thumbsup: