Do I need a cdl? Help!

GCWR of 26,001 or more lbs, with the trailer accounting for 10,001 or more lbs, and you need a class A CDL.

Registered weight has nothing to do with it. The 10K tags on your truck don't reduce the GVWR, just the load you can legally haul. The figure the DOT will use is the combined axle weights, the rating of the brake system, etc...whatever the manufacturer claims is the maximum, NOT what you chose to register it for. Either way, though, you're well past the trigger weight for needing a CDL.

 

I'm not giving legal advice, but anything over a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds is CDL territory. I'd look into it for sure and research you states website.

 

Go ask in the hot shots forum. Thats what your set up for, they may have more accurate information

 

That what are you asking for?

You got a cdl already and it is an answer you should already know.

 

Based on what I read in this FMCSA rule if this vehicle combination is used in an interstate combination you should need a class A CDL. 10000 + 21000 = 31000. Because I never really dealt with the finer points of what defines a vehicle class I may be wrong. All I can do is quote the rule.

 

I may be incorrect here, but with your truck being registered at only 10k, you can't really even pull that trailer. Certainly not with much weight. You need to increase your trucks registered weight to include what you intend to be the GCVW. Which of course can't exceed the GCVWR. You need the trailer registered, but you need the power unit registered to tow/pull the weight with everything combined. Also, others are correct, over 26k, and/or trailer over 10k, you need a class A license.

I am not sure of the GCVWR of the truck itself. Lets assume it is 25k. You register if for that and you can pull your trailer legally as long as your gross weight on a scale is under 25k, or you will get an overweight ticket. Again, the trailer being over 10k, requires the class A license.

Since you are running commercially, you should sticker the truck the same as you would a commercial vehicle. Company name, DOT number (if you have one) weight sticker, etc. Keeping the factory bed on the truck keeps you from having to enter scales under certain situations. Take off the factory bed and use the just chassis or a "hauler" type of bed and you MUST stop at ALL scales. In California anyway.

 

That all depends upon the state he's in. Here in Illinois, they "marry" the tags. You plate the truck for what the truck can haul by itself. You plate the trailer for what the trailer can haul. The truck tag + the trailer tag = your registered weight.

For example, I have 8000# tags on my F250. It weighs 6500 and as a 3/4 ton truck, that puts it right at 8000#. On the 4-horse gooseneck trailer, I've got 10,000# tags. I'm good up to 18,000# gross weight when I'm pulling that trailer. The single axle bumper pull motorcycle trailer I built only has 3000# tags, so when I'm puling it I am limited to 11,000# gross weight.

Some states like across the river in Missouri do not assign any weight to trailer tags, therefore the truck must be registered for the entire weight of the combination. This could potentially cause issues when I borrow a trailer from a friend over there as I'm technically overweight the second I hook up the trailer...not to mention whatever is loaded on it.

Then you have other states, such as Texas, that uses a combination of the two. You can register the truck for the truck's weight, and the trailer for the trailer's weight....or you can register the truck for the entire combination weight and get token tags for the trailer which carry no weight. If you don't have the truck weighted high enough to cover the combination, you cannot tow a token trailer. If you register the truck with the combination weight, you are not limited to what you can or cannot pull as long as you stay within the registered weights.