Understanding Curb Weight, GVWR, Towing and CDL requirements

[LD1]

Ok, I officially give up. There is honestly no way to have any idea what is required where. Completely ridiculous.

Exactly.

Long overdue for a change IMO and been my biggest gripe for years.

A pickup truck and 14k or 16k equipment trailer should be legal in all 50 states PERIOD.

But that's just my opinion.

It should NOT come down to whether the truck being a SRW or a DRW being the determining factor....when the two are otherwise identical trucks.....just plain stupid.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Exactly.

Long overdue for a change IMO and been my biggest gripe for years.

A pickup truck and 14k or 16k equipment trailer should be legal in all 50 states PERIOD.

But that's just my opinion.

It should NOT come down to whether the truck being a SRW or a DRW being the determining factor....when the two are otherwise identical trucks.....just plain stupid.

My trailer is 18K! Doh….

 

[LD1]

Even though the classes I've called about this are in Virginia they are fmcsa approved nationally. They have all told me since the changes in 2022 56k lbs is the new threshold for needing a class A.

All I'm saying is.....there is no record of this anywhere. Even the fmcsa is unchanged. Even googling.....no links or hits to other forums that I can find anywhere.

If this did indeed change a few years ago....it's a BIG change.....I'd think there would be some talk about it on other forums. But you're the only one I have seen say this.

I still stand by my "get it in writing" statement.

 

[LD1]

My trailer is 18K! Doh….

Even that shouldn't require a CDL.

When a guy can pull a 14k GN with a 3/4 ton but the same trailer behind a dually he cannot there is a problem.

Or even a 25' 14k GN vs a dual tandem. Pretty much the same damn trailer. One just has a few extra tires. But same length, width, and design. One of those cannot be towed behind anything legally without a CDL.

Right, wrong, or indifferent..... fortunately it seems Ohio don't care. I've never seen nor heard LEO's haggle anyone with a GN. And I'd say 95% of them I see behind a dually truck isn't driven by a CDL holder unless they are DOT numbered because they are a hotshot guy

 

[LD1]

My trailer is 18K! Doh….

But the above Ohio exemption is the reason/justification why I never got a CDL. Even with my 24k goose and 14k truck hauling my mini-ex or tractor around. Never got a second look from any LEO. And if I did....yup it's non-commercial

 

[bcp]

"Displaying title 49, up to date as of 4/05/2023."

§ 383.91 Commercial motor vehicle groups.
Federal Register :: Request Access

Bruce

 

[Hay Dude]

But the above Ohio exemption is the reason/justification why I never got a CDL. Even with my 24k goose and 14k truck hauling my mini-ex or tractor around. Never got a second look from any LEO. And if I did....yup it's non-commercial

You are lucky and in a way, I admire your daring to defy.
I wouldn’t try that in PA too much as there are random truck inspections set up around here. That’s why I bit the bullet and got my CDL, but it doesn’t end there.
In bordering MD, they have truck weighing stations built into the permanent highway infrastructure. You can’t really drive on a significant highway in MD without encountering one. And they are building more as they realize they generate amazing revenue for the state. If you want to travel Interstate, it requires log books and an apportioned license. I had an Apportioned plate for years, then gave it up. Decided there wasn’t enough work out of state that it was worth it. I won’t drive into NJ anymore as it feels almost like another country. The police there are salivating for the chance to pull over truckers. DE doesn’t seem to do very much and I will travel into there as needed for farming. I just tell them I’m in the act of farming and they don’t seem to care much.

Busting truckers is as easy as taking candy from a baby. You are in your truck, miles from home and put out of service. What else are you going to do? Pay the man. You also have to keep log books. Get inspected and there’s information missing, you don’t have fuel/repair receipts, etc. Always under the microscope of johnny law.

I don’t know where this country is going. It feels like more and more we are becoming a police state with more regulating and more regulations coming each and every day. The little guy always taking it in the shorts more and more.

 

[sandman2234]

I’ll just leave you with this thought…

what would the point of having a class A and class B if there was that overlap? Class B was created for bus drivers. Period. Easy to get and very limited to people looking for that low wage job, but needing more than a regular DL. The trailer limit is < 10k, so bus drivers can pull trailers for athletic equipment for schools.

I fully agree that you can only do what “experts” are telling you. That is the trouble with this garbage, seems like a straight story is hard to get.

That is the trouble with this garbage, seems like a straight story is hard to get.
Very well said and is what we as full time drivers run into all the time!
One concern I would have, is once you have a CDL B, and they catch you driving a vehicle that some of us think should require a CDL A, they get to throw the book at you because you will then be a COMMERCIAL DRIVER and should know better!! Plus the fine for it will cost you more, I would imagine. Like Stumblinhorse said, it is hard to get a straight story!
David from jax

 

[sandman2234]

You are lucky and in a way, I admire your daring to defy.
I wouldn’t try that in PA too much as there are random truck inspections set up around here. That’s why I bit the bullet and got my CDL, but it doesn’t end there.
In bordering MD, they have truck weighing stations built into the permanent highway infrastructure. You can’t really drive on a significant highway in MD without encountering one. And they are building more as they realize they generate amazing revenue for the state. If you want to travel Interstate, it requires log books and an apportioned license. I had an Apportioned plate for years, then gave it up. Decided there wasn’t enough work out of state that it was worth it. I won’t drive into NJ anymore as it feels almost like another country. The police there are salivating for the chance to pull over truckers. DE doesn’t seem to do very much and I will travel into there as needed for farming. I just tell them I’m in the act of farming and they don’t seem to care much.

Busting truckers is as easy as taking candy from a baby. You are in your truck, miles from home and put out of service. What else are you going to do? Pay the man. You also have to keep log books. Get inspected and there’s information missing, you don’t have fuel/repair receipts, etc. Always under the microscope of johnny law.

I don’t know where this country is going. It feels like more and more we are becoming a police state with more regulating and more regulations coming each and every day. The little guy always taking it in the shorts more and more.

Florida (and others) has recently installed sensors that will detect a low air pressure in a tire as you cross over it. I ran over an engine pushrod which flattened the tire less than 100 miles from home. Did not know it. It cost me 8 points on my CSA, which is huge! They can detect stuff I can't...and yet I am responsible.
David from jax

 

[Chewwy]

Florida (and others) has recently installed sensors that will detect a low air pressure in a tire as you cross over it. I ran over an engine pushrod which flattened the tire less than 100 miles from home. Did not know it. It cost me 8 points on my CSA, which is huge! They can detect stuff I can't...and yet I am responsible.
David from jax

Sensors that monitor tire pressure and provide a display and alarm to the driver have been available for years now. Required on passenger vehicles and light trucks since 2007. Not sure why larger vehicles were not required.