Im looking for some experienced info on a little question i have been wondering about.

I have a side business of buying cars and flipping them. Something i do with a buddy and have for about a year. It started finding cars or what not that needed a transmission or something and just picking them up and fixing them.

Over the last year we have upgraded to a fairly large operation. I own a 34 foot gooseneck and Dodge cummins that i have been using to go on weekend road trips around MT and picking up some cars that we lined out. I have not had any run ins with the law or anything close and its been going smooth.

Last week my father in law bought a bob cat for our ranch and drove all the way down to Georgia to pick it up. He ended up taking his one ton ford and my 20ft bumper pull car hualer. Somewhere in the mid west, i think Kentucky, he got pulled over and the troopers made a huge deal out of it. No tickets were issued or anything. But it was a three hour goat rope. The made him drive to a weight station, even though he was empty at this time, weight in, and do all the math.

Then all three guys with him got questions separately about needing log books and the nature of the trip. Then they all got told that they needed CDL's and the whole nine yards. Now, in the states defense the truck was registered to the farm and technically was a company rig.....

So what is the requirements for needing to get all the related involved with a CDL? Nothing says that i cant haul a car on my trailer across the US. But im sure if i stack two or three on there and hit the road, Its not looking much like a personnel trip, and more like a commercial hauler.

I know that if you are over 26000 pounds in MT you have to have a CDL and if yo u run air brakes, you have to. I run about 24-26 im sure pretty consistently and know that is close, and i dont have air.

Anyone have experience in this grey area?

No experience with that situation, but ive got a class c cdl with passenger endorsement. It's easy to get the license, though the physical every year is a pain in the rear.
Just get the cdl, avoid the hassle.

You need a CDL if:
your gross weight is over 26k
If you're towing a trailer and the combination wt is over 26k, provided that the trailer grosses over 10k

So, if your trailer, fully loaded, plus the truck can exceed 26k (whether you have that much on the trailer or not), you need the CDL. Even if you register the trailer for less, they will go by the manufacturers gross weight.

Your truck weighs roughly 6k. If your trailer is designed to hold 20k, you need the CDL no matter what's on it or what it's registered for. If your trailer is designed to hold 19k, you're off the hook because your gross combination wt is under 26k.

Yes, you need a physical and to keep a log book.
This is all for interstate travel. Intrastate is a lot lighter and varies by state.

If your passengers share the driving, they will also need CDL's, physicals, and log books.

This.

If you are Making money with the Truck and are over 10,000 k Gross weight you need Dot # Log Books, Operating Authority, and the whole 9 yards..But no CDL. You will need a CDL if you are over 26000 K ...The DOT is cracking Down on Hot shot Truckers and are giving everyone a Hard time that looks like one...

This ^^^^ ... If it is not cost effective for you to run interstate legally, you probably already have your answer...

3 words


NOT FOR HIRE

In big bright contrasting letters

I have a class A CDL. It's not that hard to get.

Even in Texas if your trailer weighs over 10,000 lbs you need a Class A license. You can get these that are not CDL, but in your case you would need the full CDL.

If it was farm related and the pickup was registered to the farm you should have not had any issues. Farm exempt does not require a CDL yet. Although times are coming for the farm industry as far as the CDL exemption. We have traveled into the midwest on more than one occasion to pick up farm equipment and have not had any issues with LE or weigh masters.

They were not within 150 miles of the farm, the farm exemption does not apply.

As was stated if the combined weight is over 26k a cdl is needed.

Doesn't work any more. It's all by what you're driving regardless if it's for hire or not. The only exceptions are RV's and farm equipment within a small distance from home.

Get your CDL you won't have to worry about it.

Get a class B CDL and you should be good to go. A class A if you think you will go air brakes and heavy trailer at some point.

My D.O.T. physical is good for 2 years in AZ. Class A CDL.
I am not a truck driver, only a diesel mechanic. I need it to test drive trucks. I do not fill out a log book, not enough miles driven yearly to do so.

I got dinged for high blood pressure once, so now I'm on a year to year.

Federal law cdl required
Single unit over 26,000 or
Trailer over 10,000
Air brakes
Hauling materials in quantities falling under hazmat rule
Liquid quantities requireing tanker endorsement
A statef before it goes by manufacturer rating, not how you licensed it or actual weight a the time.

There are a lot of people buying 12-14k trailers and the dealer never tell them the law. Many cops do not even know the specifics of cdl issues.

The 26k does not apply to trailers, that is the beginning of cdl requirement for class b, straight trucks.

If you are engaged in commercial work you need a medical card, vehical really does not matter.

In Pa. A pickup with a 10k+trailer needs to be registered with a combination license, that may very by state and enforcement is random.

If your business is a farm, throw it all out and get on the farmes get special treatment bus.

Yearly is likely because of his Passenger Endorsement

A class B does him no good at all. If he is a combination vehicle (towing a trailer) he has to have a Class A CDL if anything at all. Class B licenses are for straight trucks and buses.

Each state has their own requirement. Federal laws apply if you are on a federal highway or leave your home state. Farm exemptions are not very forgiving when it comes to CDLs. Might get you around a log book and things like this. Typically you have to have a log book if you drive more than 100 miles from your home terminal or cross a state line or work more than a certain number of hours. The Federal motor carrier rules change every year so you will have to check your local MVD for a CDL manual and this will give you the latest.

I was a motor carrier cop for 15 years.

You never caught me.

All right, lots of partially correct answers here. Let me take a crack at it.

You have to follow state laws. That means, over 26,000 gross or a combination vehicle towing over 10,000 lbs, you need a CDL.

There is no rule, anywhere, that states that you need a CDL to operate a vehicle with air brakes.

If you are over 26,000, in-state, you need CDL, plus you need to comply with Hours of Service, I.E. logbooks. You do NOT need a medical card if you are intra-state only (and you self-designate your license limited to being intra-state).

You also have to follow Federal law. If you are driving for a business purpose across state lines, and you are over 10,000 gross you are a commercial vehicle for purposes of federal regulation. That means you must comply with hours of service, pre-employment and random drug testing (if over 26,000) have a DOT number (and MC number if hauling for hire), file an MCS 150, UCR filing, Heavy Vehicle use tax (if over 50,000 gross, IIRC), and comply with IFTA regulations (most states over 26,000, some, like Arizona and Nevada over 10,000). Also have to have cargo insurance on file if hauling for hire. You must also comply with all the DOT registration requirements, including maintenance, driver qualification files, Hours of service, and more.

If you have a need to travel out of state in your commercial vehicle, best thing is to find a compliance company that will handle your filings and compliance to keep you out of trouble.

"NOT FOR HIRE" is completely meaningless. None of my trucks are for hire, and I still have to comply with all the list of requirements.

That's true, but for some reason, if you need a CDL, you need to pass the air brake part of the test if you drive with them. If you have a truck with air brakes but not heavy enough to require a CDL, you don't need to get one because of the brakes.
I wonder who came up with that rule.

Maybe you didn't need catchin'

You got me. I ran a legal book. Not worth it to do any other way.