I stopped by a weight station and asked the to clarify things for me a while back. This is how things were explained to me. I'm not saying I'm right just saying it's what I was told. If you have a truck with a license of 26k and above pulling a trailer with a GVW of 10k or above you have to have a class A CDL. If you have a truck with a license below 26k you can pull whatever weight trailer you want. They go by the weight per axle and the weight rating of the tires. The weight your pulling and the truck can't weigh more then your license. You don't have to have a class A. I had a 30k tag on my F-550 I lowered it to a 24k farm tag. If I go over 24k I can just get a over weight ticket. If I kept it at 30k I needed a class a to drive the truck and tow my dump trailer.
Scott
I am assuming that it must depend on the state????? I have buddies who work for 1st energy in massilon ohio, they were forced by the company to upgrade to class A (1st energy paid for it), the reason for such was that often their trailers exceed the 10,001 lbs rating even for their light truck division.
The safety supervisor for Davey Tree (good friend of mine) told me regardless of the type of vehicle towing the trailer...if the trailer weight exceeds 10,001 lb you are considered a combination vehicle....here is the catch 22!!
a combination vehicle is not based on combined weight, I can drive a conventional Kenworth in bobtail mode with a class B, it is when the trailered item reaches a weight of 10,001 lb or more that you need the Class A.
If what you say is true then I can drive a semi with an empty trailer with nothing more than a class C with an airbrake endorsement, the tractor only weights about 14-15,000 lbs & an empty flatbed at 8,000lbs, thus the combined weight is under 26k......Try this & see what happens!!!
the term "combination Vehicle" is very broad & subject to interpretation, alot of guys in my area run 1-ton dumps with trailers & the smallest skidsteers possible to stay under the CDL class A requirement.
there was a poster who made mention of his pickup truck towing 14-15k or something like that......I checked with the 2003 ford towing manual & unless your driving an f-450 or above you are exceeding the tow rating on your truck, the f-250 series 4x4 with dual wheel, auto tranny, diesel equipped legally cannot tow over 10k give or take, the 13-14k mark doesnt come into play until you reach the high end of the 350`s or 450`s.
Again I havent taught from the FMCSR in years but it seems the confusion hasnt gone away either, remember you cant exceed the Mfg`s requirements & must be within the D.O.T`s requirements...........oh hell were all illegal, I remember when an F-150 4x4 with a full tank of gas & a passenger was legally overweight.... go figure!
Stay Safe, Be Careful
LXT...................
