Vehicle combination weights & keeping it under the Non CDL weight

Wow, for one how did you rent a truck without a cdl?

Without ever driving a semi you passed the pre trip inspection, backing, and road test?

 

So, The3sometrailer I started reading and it looks to me like your trying to operate at the margins and personally I think that's a mistake , sure I understand you don't use a sledge hammer for a job that only requires a 48 oz ballpean but by those standards you would be limited to the work you could do. So unless you know for an absolute fact that you are only going to haul x amount of weight at any given time that's a bad bet. Its not that difficult to get a CDL-A ( lots of knuckleheads out there with one ) and as far as the equipment is concerned a little bit more capacity is not a bad thing . So IMHO I think you should go ahead and upgrade your license , acquire a larger power unit and a higher capacity trailer and not limit your ability to pack on a bigger payload unless of course what your ultimate goal is , is to be less regulated, in that case I have no opinion of any value having had my CDL-A since way before it was a CDL-A so I'm somewhat prejudiced on the matter.

 

I rented it from a place that rents trucks specifically for CDL testing. The owner met me at a wal mart parking lot, I practiced driving the truck for less than 30 minutes, and then we went to the DPS office and took the test. The pre trip only consisted of the air brake portion. May have changed since then I don't know. Backing and road test was easy. I have been pulling non CDL goosenecks up to 32' long since I was in high school (I am 42 now). I think I got a 92/100 on the road test.

 

All the people I know that started with a one ton truck to pull cars and stayed in business have went larger sooner or later. The way cars pay you need more than 3 at a time. IMO start out with a 6 car carrier. That way if you stay in business you won’t be upgrading after you find out it pays better.

 

To further clarify I will use an example of something that happens all the time here. Everyone and their brother has 14k GVWR trailers. Either bumper pull or gooseneck with tandem 7k axles. Very common around here. With a regular license you can pull them with a 3/4 ton all day long. Years ago when GVWR's were lower you could even pull them with dually's as the dually GVWR's were not over 12k. Now virtually all dually's are 12500, 13500 or more. Joe blow hooks his 14k trailer to his dually, he isn't overweight, nor does he even likely weigh over 26k but his GVWR is over 26k. The DOT sits around here and stops these types of rigs all day long like shooting fish in a barrel. Most of them have no CDL, no DOT number, no med card, etc. Lots of $$$ in tickets.

 

Might depend on what state as far as the pre trip goes, I'm not sure I know I had to do everything truck & trailer.

 

I know you aren't arguing, I apologize if it came across that way.

And really reading the WA it wasn't contradictory, it just asks the same question twice. Confusing maybe.

And @Bdog answered most the over weight question, but....
Say you register and have an actual 14K trailer with 12K truck, it's 26K total so it stays out of the CDL range. If he crosses a scale and weighs 27K total he can get several tickets.
1. Over weight.
2. No license (no required CDL)
3. No alcohol / drug testing (more for the company)
4. OOS until a CDL licensed driver can drive the truck away.
5. I'm sure a few others

So yes, trying to beat the CDL requirement is not bright in my mind. Especially when it's so easy to get one. If one just wants it for auto transport just have a CDL holder take a pickup and empty trailer to the DMV with you, and test in the truck. Sure there are a ton of restrictions, but that can either be fixed later or not worried about as the driver will never need those restrictions removed.

 

We started pulling with a 3/4 ton, then went to a 1 ton, then to a ten wheeler...... Now we run 90K six axle tractor trailers.

Here's my experience. Once you cross state lines with vehicles over 10K, the ONLY difference between CDL and non-CDL is the CDL, driver file and the drug testing requirements. Logs, DOT, maintenance, insurance, all stays the same. And, as said, you can go to the DMV and just take the darn test. I did. BFD. Had to pull up twice on the backing test. So what?

What I did learn was every time we upgraded to a heavier class vehicle, our reliability went up, our maintenance headaches went down, and our payload went way up. There never was a downside to going to a heavier class vehicle. Just the difference in tire issues was mind boggling. Tire problems have become so rare, while they used to be an every trip thing, almost. Bearings? Never worry about them anymore. Tires may cost $400, but they last five times as long.

Best part, though, was having that sleeper. Motels are nice, but the extra time in going out of route, parking, checking in, finding a place to have a bite for dinner, and the reverse in the morning adds a LOT of time to the day. With a sleeper, just park, make a quick bite from the fridge and relax.

Just get a class 8 vehicle, a heavy duty trailer, a CDL, work with a compliance company to set up your DOT files, and go make some money.

 

That may fly in other states, but I guarantee you that'll never fly in PA. If you have a trailer registered for over 10001 lbs, you better have a Class A to be legal in their eyes. Been there, done that, have the tee shirt.

While it's absolutely true that Joe Blow with an F350 dually and a 14k trailer may run down the road and never be hassled about it (happens every day around here), once you are doing commercial work as the OP is doing, odds are he will get checked by a cop that actually knows the rules.

I dunno, maybe I'm misunderstanding you on this, and if so, my apologies. I can only speak for my own experiences and what I've been told by the various DOT cops that wrote me the tickets.