License the drive 3ton tow truck?

I could be wrong. But there might be more to the med card then just commerce.

I'd have to ask the current boss. But it seems like my one local company i worked 7 years before the recession. Had to have med cards to drive the pickups. Because the pickups also had to have the dot number label. They're a construction company. 2 dump trucks and pups. 1 end dump. 1 transport truck. (They've added a couple side dumps since I left 10 years ago) Now obviously those 4 trucks are under dot regulations. And because of that. The pickups also had to have the dot number.

That's what I was told anyways. I thought it was strange that the 2 BIG hoe operators had to renew their med cards. And never paid attention to the pickups to even notice they also had the dot number.

I notice a lot of pickups having dot numbers now. And most of them have no semis.

 

Most companies don't have to put their pickups under CMV coverage, they just do to make it easier. It doesn't take much of a trailer to hit the 10,001 lb requirement for a CMV, thus triggering dot numbers and med card. Being in commerce really din't matter, as being part of a fleet in commerce. The company simply didn't want a situation where they would have to figure out which truck could pull which equipement.

 

Friend was towing a 48 foot trailer with a 1 ton dually and got stopped in Maryland at the scales. He had a B. They grounded the trailer because it had 12k on the axles. He had to upgrade to an A.

 

The trailers didn't pull 10,000 lbs. Though. And the drivers weren't required to have cdl's. They just had to have a med card to drive the pickups.


And there's other companies that have dot numbers on their pickups but no semis.

1 company we rented out too. A swimming pool company. Rented all equipment from us to build a pool. Hoe, dump truck, etc. All they had was pickups. With dot numbers.

This was before the recession when I hauled dirt. I don't know if regulations have changed since then.

 

It's GCVWR of 10,001 lbs for med card though. As even 1/2 ton trucks are rated about 7,000 to 7,500. That leaves 3,000 to 2,500 lbs for the trailer. Even the cheap 5x8 trailers at Home Depot are rated 2,000 lbs. Anything you'd haul construction equipment would easily top the 10,000 lb GCVWR mark, or get so close as the make management not want to deal with which trucks can pull which trailers....