Originally Posted by aiwiron

The word I have received from various law enforcement officers has been this.

As a private vehicle driven by the owner of the not for hire registration holder the CDL exemption is valid, but if anyone that receives compensation what so ever then the driver is required to be licensed for that class of vehicle or combination.

So if you as the owner in the seat you are exempt, place a driver in the seat then the driver must be qualified to drive the unit.

If it were my call I would load the vehicle with whatever the maximum load is and find a scale and weigh the vehicle before embarking out on the road.

I really question that . If the vehicle is noncommercial it is noncommercial whether someone is compensated to drive it or not .
There us still no CDL requirement .
As for special licenses required for RV's over 26,000 lbs. or with air brakes it depends solely on the state the license was issued in . If the driver's home state doesn't require the license other states can't require it of that driver .