Help me understand some weight numbers?

No
I think leaving the 25k on the trailer would be to your advantage.
The more weight you can put on the trailer axles the better it will be for the rear axle of your truck.
In NC you can tag the truck anything you want.
I would tag the truck over somewhat just in case you need it sometime.

 

So you do or you don’t have a cdl? I only ask as you will need one once you go over 26,001

 

I don't know what they are looking for now.
I have been building houses and toeing some equipment (skid steer, mini excavator and materials).
Out of all the times I've been checked they only looked at total weight and cab card and that was at scales.
Roadside stops were logs, cab card, walk around inspection and a few questions.
The trailer you are looking at Is rated for 25k total with 7k on the hitch and 18k on the trailer axles.
They are including the hitch weight on the trailer's GVWR.
The 7k hitch weight would be on the truck and not on the trailer.
I guess a better way of saying is you can have combined weight on the trailer of 25k as long as 7k of that weight is on the hitch.
I would not be to concerned with all these numbers. I would buy the trailer I wanted, weight it out and base my load from there.

 

^^This^^ #36, is what I was trying to convey to you earlier about a 25k rated trailer being overloaded. They count the weight transfer to the truck as part of the trailers gvwr usually if the trailer is rated above what the axles alone add up too.

Why would you pay for 39000lbs of irp fees when you can't use it? Again, you said the new 4 car your looking at has a gvwr of 25k. Your empty truck is 9300, fuel tools, & you. You should never be over 34,300lbs. Pay for 35k or 36k. That is still enough. 20k on the tridem 7's, ~10k on the drive, & ~5500lb on the steer if you can.
Even that is overloading the only 18k Appalachian wants on the trip 7's for some reason.?

I'll say this one more time. You really don't need to be hung up on the 33k gcvwr. Your 1ton c&c will survive just as well, if not longer than the higher powered pickup versions. They are de-tuned on purpose because Cummins knows c&c trucks will live a tougher life actually working 99% of the time..

 

No, your gvwr on power unit & trailer CAN add up to more weight than you're registered for no issue. Most twin screw semi tractors are 52k lb gvwr pulling 70k-80k lb gvwr trailer & are registered for only 80k lbs, not the 132,000lbs their stickers add up to..

The only time de-rating a trailer makes sense is if your trying to stay under CDL A. (Or save the 12% FET but that's not your question)Your combination GVWR's added together cannot exceed 26,000lb, or you'll be in class A territory. You can be shutdown at that point for not having the proper license. Those are mostly the guys who worry about getting a de-rated wagon..
It won't be a problem for you as you've stated you are getting your CDL soon..

Are you operating interstate or intrastate FL only..?

At those rates I'd assume intrastate. I pay a slightly varying $800-$1000 annually for 50k lbs interstate..

I go to the IRP office, not the DMV. I run interstate so I need apportioned tags. My registration fees change annually based on the miles I ran the previous year. That is why I say to tag as light as you can..

Another benefit thought is at 34,999 or less in FL, they only require $300k liability insurance vs. the 750k minimum for interstate operating. With that said, most brokers require $1million to work them anyway..

This was in 2013 last time I looked into it though, & for general freight vs cars only, so it may not apply to you, but could save a hugh chunk of cash on your insurance premium. Something to look into..

With all that said, if your running FL only & they require more than $300k insurance for car haulers of any weight..? The $80 bucks is pretty cheap if you really think your gross weight will tip past 34,999lbs..