Class B to Class A - Air brakes and Automatics

You might not gain a Class A with a hot shot and certainly not with airbrakes. They will need a CDL for 26,001 and up in weight.

IF you hold a non restricted for manual transmission, it does not matter what you drive. Only that you can drive anything within your class, be it Fred Flintstone feet or auto or manual wheels.

Most students are trapped into auto restriction that is relatively new among all our states when they think something is finally wrong with the manual and slapped that on there.

If you test in a vehicle to renew your license or upgrade to another class etc without airbrake, you will lose your airbrake. And I don't see the point. Airbrakes is everything in heavy vehicles even though some hotshots might not have them. (Not wise, but a discussion for another day)

In short I think trying for a hot shot for which you already may hold sufficient CDL... the only thing that's left to figure out is Combination vehicle. Being a trailer on a 5th wheel or a pintle hook etc. Either a restricted A or a full blood A.

You can always call your Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Board or similar at your Revenuer (DMV, and yes we use that word... for other reasons tax as well) they will be more than happy to explain whats what.

With myself, I just got the full blood Class A and did not care what I drove as long it's not a motor cycle on public roads. I was not licensed for that.

 

The State is... not smart sometimes. They can only check off what they see. No airbrakes, check auto only check boom there goes that. Your trailer would be something else. And check. What you get back might not be what you had in mind.

The State is like that sometimes. They can only check off what they see or don't see.

Anything else I can offer would not advance your situation.

I should ask you. Why are you doing Hotshot. Most people with CDL B's or A's run off to drive the big stuff.

 

That class b you drive, any possibility of the biss letting you use it to get a class a? Sounds like all you would need to do is hook to a trailer rated at 10,001 or more. It can be empty for that matter..

If you were to test with a hotshot vehicle, you could get a class a. You will also get a few restrictions.
No air brakes
Automatic only (if tested with)
No 5th wheel (if testing with gooseneck)

 

I tell you what.

I did blacktop with a superliner Mack which had a pintle for a beaver many wheeler to carry a backhoe and paver. That was airbrake with glad hands etc. So... restricted class A rig all up. Particularly when loaded all up stone and stuff on trailer. Might as well be a 18 wheeler by weight. (I never thought that pintle would be that good holding... but eh..)

If I tested with that in any state, it would be a Restricted A CDL because of the type of connection. But free on manual trans and airbrakes etc.

Hot shot I have seen them carry Texas type Goose neck and then load what I would consider a proper flatbed load for a 18 wheeler. But by weight, its light enough for them to do it. What I cannot reconcile in my head is the mountain work that would be necessary with them on liquid fluid brakes and hardly any jacobs. It's a disadvantage.

I own a Tahoe and it's plated at 5500 with gross at 8600 and can carry around 5000 on it's hitch. Which is pretty light considering what hotshots do. But with the engine and braking I have, forget loading a trailer on it and gently load maybe half ton on the back, no more than that.