Drivers License

[RickO]

Originally Posted by Big B

To me, the language is very clear in SD. Read below. This is taken directly off their DMV website.

Who must have a South Dakota Commercial Driver License?
You must have a South Dakota Commercial Driver License to operate any of the following Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV’S):
• A single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 or more pounds.
• A trailer with a GVWR of 10 ,001 or more pounds if the gross combination weight rating is 26,001 or more
pounds.
• A vehicle designed to transport 16 or more persons (including the driver).
• Any size vehicle which requires hazardous materials placards or is carrying material listed as a select agent or
toxin in 42 CFR Part 172, Subpart F.
Who Does Not Need A South Dakota Commercial Driver License to Drive a Commercial Vehicle?
• Operators serving in the United States military, operating commercial vehicles in pursuit of military purposes. • Operators of emergency firefighting equipment necessary to the preservation of life, property, or the execution
of emergency governmental functions performed under emergency conditions when operated by members of
a fire fighting agency.
• Operators of rental transporting equipment used as personal family use vehicles.

• Operators of recreation vehicles used as personal family recreational use vehicles.

• Operators involved in farm to market transportation movements, at least 16 years of age holding a valid
operator’s license, limited to those operators of a farm vehicle:
(a) Controlled and operated by a farmer,
(b) Used to transport either agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm, and (c) Not used in the operations of a common or contract motor carrier,
(d) Used within 150 miles of a person’s farm.

Sure seems clear to me as well. Like all other states, SD does not require a Commercial Driver's License to operate an RV .

Rick

[12 Tires]

Key word is "commercial"

[Cigar]

In SD, you do not have to have a COMMERICAL DRIVERs LICENCE to operate a motorhome over 26,001 lbs or a trailer over 10,001 lbs, BUT, you do have a class B or class A drivers license for motorhome over 26,001 lbs and a class A drivers license to tow a trailer over 10,001 lbs. Check with SD class license rules.

[rollondown]

Originally Posted by Flyboy46

In SD, you do not have to have a COMMERICAL DRIVERs LICENCE to operate a motorhome over 26,001 lbs or a trailer over 10,001 lbs, BUT, you do have a class B or class A drivers license for motorhome over 26,001 lbs and a class A drivers license to tow a trailer over 10,001 lbs. Check with SD class license rules.

I tow our 18k 5'th without a class A, DMV said there was no need.


This is an old and dead thread....

[Cigar]

Jim, print this take to the DMV and tell them to take the writing off the web for the regulations if this is not correct. Taken from the SD Dept. of Public Safety.

Class [A] License - Combination Vehicles - Any combination of vehicles with gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds falls in Group A, providing the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds. Most Class A vehicles are trucks such as tractor-trailer or truck and trailer combinations. Driving a Class A vehicle requires considerably more skill and knowledge than driving vehicles in Classes B and C. Because these skills include those required to drive a Class B and C (with appropriate endorsements) vehicle, a driver who has a Class A license also may drive vehicles in Classes B and C.
[B]Class License - Heavy Straight Vehicles - Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds falls in Group B, or any such vehicle towing another vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR. Class B includes straight trucks and large buses. Safely driving these heavy vehicles requires considerably more knowledge and skill than driving the small trucks and buses found in Class C. Because they include the skills required to drive Class C (with appropriate endorsements) vehicles, drivers who have qualified for a Class B license may also drive vehicles in Class C.
Class [C] License - Small Vehicles - Any single vehicle with a GVWR less than 26,001 pounds falls in Group C, or any such vehicle towing another vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR. However, vehicles of this size are included in the Commercial Driver License (CDL) program only if they are: 1) designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, or 2) used to transport hazardous materials in quantities requiring placarding under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Part 172, Subpart F).

http://http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/d...sing_info.aspx

[Cigar]

http://http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/d...sing_info.aspx

[MnTom]

Those are CDL requirements. This is copied and pasted from their manual:

Who Does Not Need A South Dakota Commercial
Driver License?
•
Operators serving in the United States
military, operating commercial vehicles in pursuit of military purposes.
•
Operators of emergency firefighting equipment necessary
to the preservation of life, property, or the execution
of emergency governmental functions performed under emergency conditions that aren’t subject to normal
traffic regulation.
•
Operators of rental transporting equipment used as personal family use vehicles.
•
Operators of recreation vehicles used as
personal family recreational use vehicles.
•
Operators involved in farm to market transportation movements, at least 16 years of age holding a valid
operator’s license, limited to those operators of a farm vehicle:
(a) Controlled and operated by a farmer,
(b) Used to transport either agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm, and
(c) Not used in the operations of a common or contract motor carrier,
(d) Used within 150 miles of a person’s farm.

[Cigar]

SD class a, b, @ c drivers license can be a COMMERICAL drivers license but can also be just a class license.

[spinn]

As Flyboy46 said you can have 2 types of class A and class B licenses. One is commercial and one is general. If your vehicle meets the requirements noted above you need the appropriate class (a or b) license. If you are using your rig for business purposes then you need a Commercial A or B.
If you are unsure have your insurance company confirm they will be the final arbiter in handling a claim if you have the wrong license

[rollondown]

Since this thread has been reivived, let me add this...

In 4 pages of posts, I only count 5 owners of a HDT that pull a heavy 5th behind it and not sure how many are actually licensed in South Dakota.

SO-

Please answer if HDT and a RV that weighs more than 10k.

What the SD Highway Patrol told me was that "NO" I did not need any specific license other than a class C- normal- to operate a HDT converted motor home and pull a 5th wheel behind it.

If your experience is different, then lets discuss it.

[wa8yxm]

License requirements vary state to state. SOME states like Texas you need a special license for larger vehicles even if they are non-commercial personal use type.

Others, you are good with just a standard operator's license you likely got when you were around 16 years old.

HOWEVER: some insurance companies will discount your rates if you have a CDL (you have to chat with your agent on that one).

From the original post I assume the O/P is a resident of SD and carries an SD license, thus only SD law applies in regard to his license.

All 51 (yes 51) states accept your "home state" license if it is the proper one for what you are driving. You do not need to upgrade because you are driving in a state that requires their citizens to upgrade.
(51st state is Washington D.C.)
(52nd state, where most of us live, is CONFUSION)
(53rd, where some of us live is DENIAL)

(The last two are jokes)

[Granada]

I recently acquired my South Dakota drivers licence. My classification on the back of my licence says ' class-2', not A,or B,or C. Am I to assume the '2' is 'class B' ? Thank you for a reply.

[Scottybdivin]

As mentioned before the key word is "Commercial". Throw the word commercial out because we all know that a CDL is not required for a RV. The gotcha is when you read what your normal Class C allows you to drive. In my state, it says you are only qualified to drive a vehicle or combination of vehicles up to 26K, and pull a trailer up to 10K or 20K for farm use. Period. This is the reason a Class A or B Operator's license exist in some states. If your state has it, then it is probably there for you. If it doesn't, then you are probably OK.

[cwsqbm]

Originally Posted by Granada

I recently acquired my South Dakota drivers licence. My classification on the back of my licence says ' class-2', not A,or B,or C. Am I to assume the '2' is 'class B' ? Thank you for a reply.

Class 2 in South Dakota means you have not only a car/light truck license but also a motorcycle. Class 1 doesn't include the motorcycle, and Class 3 is motorcycle only. The one good thing is that it will stand a better chance of confusing out-of-state police.

South Dakota doesn't have any way to get a non-CDL class A or B, and generally is considered not to require one even though the wording of their laws is vague at best.