Community Forums

M2D · 01-24-2014, 10:00 AM

If your home state where your trailer is registered does not require a "higher" license for a trailer over 10,000 pounds will you be in trouble for having only the usual driver's license in states that require the higher level license?

Thanks,

Michele

Pigman1 · 01-24-2014, 10:09 AM

Nope. Driver's licenses are one of the few things that all states recognize based on your home states rules. Live in X, have X license following their weight rules, you're legal in the other 49.

gggplaya · 01-24-2014, 02:39 PM

RV's even have more relaxed laws. If you are under 26,000lbs GCVWR, i think all states don't require you to get any special kind of license.

Pigman1 · 01-24-2014, 03:16 PM

I think the OP is pulling a trailer so the 10,000 break point is correct, but regardless, home state rules apply.

RustyJC · 01-24-2014, 03:43 PM

At least in Texas, the 10,000 lb trailer break point only differentiates the requirement for a Class A versus a Class B non-commercial license, but the A or B are required ONLY if the GCWR/GVWR of the tow vehicle is 26,001 lbs or more. If 26,000 lbs or less, then a standard Class C is all that is required.

Because of reciprocity between states spelled out in the Driver License Compact, if a driver holds a valid license in his home state, the other states will honor that license when traveling through them.

Rusty

Wayne M · 01-24-2014, 10:23 PM

Just some clarification:

Class A, Texas, Gross COMBINED Vehicle Weight Rating is 26,001 pounds AND the trailer is greater than 10,000 pounds.
Class B, Texas, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 26,001 or greater and trailer is less than 10,000 pounds.

So on a Class A, if you had an RV that weighed 17,000 pounds and a trailer with a car in it weighing 11,000 pounds you would require a Class A because the combined weight is 28,000 pounds.

And on a Class B, if you had an RV that weighed 32,000 pounds and a trailer that is 10,000 pounds or less you would require a Class B. (20,000 pounds if it is a farm trailer.)

(They keep changing the manual, so read your State's current manual.)
=================

To answer Michele's question, all states have a reciprocity agreement. Whatever you are legal to operate in your state you are legal to operate in all other states. You still have to abide by the rules of the road for the state you are traveling through, like road restrictions, width, length, height, etc.

RustyJC · 01-25-2014, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Just some clarification:

Class A, Texas, Gross COMBINED Vehicle Weight Rating is 26,001 pounds AND the trailer is greater than 10,000 pounds.
Class B, Texas, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 26,001 or greater and trailer is less than 10,000 pounds.

So on a Class A, if you had an RV that weighed 17,000 pounds and a trailer with a car in it weighing 11,000 pounds you would require a Class A because the combined weight is 28,000 pounds.

And on a Class B, if you had an RV that weighed 32,000 pounds and a trailer that is 10,000 pounds or less you would require a Class B. (20,000 pounds if it is a farm trailer.)

(They keep changing the manual, so read your State's current manual.)

For further clarification, if you had an 8,000 lb truck pulling a 16,000 lb 5th wheel, only a Class C is required if the truck's GCWR is 26,000 lbs or less since the combined weight is only 24,000 lbs. Notice that the fact that the trailer weighs over 10,000 lbs is irrelevant in this case.

Rusty

dbear · 01-25-2014, 06:37 AM

You guys talking actual or spec'd weight? I've heard internet stories (yeah, I know so don't bash me) where LEOs have taken the trailer's gvwr instead of actual numbers. The particular case that I recall dealt with a 1 ton dually pulling an at the time empty gooseneck equipment trailer rated for about 20k. That, coupled with the truck's stated gvwr, put him well over.

Also, it strikes me that the folks making the rules have a serious case of head up their butts. Why else would they design laws that encourage folks to pull heavy trailers with the lightest tow vehicle they can find? Not to mention that aside from gas powered 1 tons and lighter, the latest models' gcw ratings are all over 26k, so that pretty much guarantees folks, especially rv'ers, are breaking the law.

RustyJC · 01-25-2014, 06:42 AM

In the case of Texas, the truck manufacturer's GCWR governs for a Class A. If the manufacturer hasn't specified a GCWR, then they use the sum of the GVWRs (which, in the case of a 5th wheel, is grossly inaccurate since it double-counts the pin weight of the trailer.)

Note: I'm only addressing a Class A since that's the license that would be required to tow a large 5th wheel IF the truck's GCWR is 26,001 lbs or greater, and since this discussion is in the Travel Trailer, 5th Wheel and Truck Campers forum.

Rusty

dbear · 01-25-2014, 07:37 AM

I gotta move. NYS no longer offers non-CDL licenses. I recently gave up my CDL B as I no longer drive, and haven't driven, a truck in a long time; and I got tired of the additional costs, not to mention the extra hoops necessary to maintain it. I had it converted into a D (normal license) with R endorsement. This allows me to drive anything 26k and under, tow more than 10k (provided gcwr is under 26k), and operate a motorhome greater than 26k & 40' with or without air brakes. At the time I did this, even a CDL B was restricted to 10k trailer weight, despite that the gcwr could be greater. That has since changed.

So now, if you're looking at gvwr's, I'm kind of screwed. The setups I've been considering are all, at a minimum, class 4 (16.5k gvwr with gcwr's of 26k to 35k) pulling 5er's in the 15k (+/- 500) gvwr. My actual calculated load, minus driver & passenger(s), puts me darn close to that magical 26k (how'd the DMV pick that number anyway?), sort of forcing me to opt for a higher gcw vehicle if I want any level of safety margin, and consequently, make me illegal.

Wayne M · 01-25-2014, 09:52 AM

dbear,

If you are legally licensed to drive any vehicle in NYS, you are legal in all the other states. It is a reciprocal agreement between states.

dbear · 01-25-2014, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

dbear,

If you are legally licensed to drive any vehicle in NYS, you are legal in all the other states. It is a reciprocal agreement between states.

That's not what I was talking about.

Wayne M · 01-26-2014, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbear

That's not what I was talking about.

Yeah! we all go OFF TOPIC occasionally. Sorry I mistook your post as such.

My post was more in line with the original poster. My bad.

Jack Mayer · 01-27-2014, 09:42 AM

In reading through this tread, I became somewhat confused. Not even sure what the original question is at this point.

In all states you can drive on a license from your home state that is legal in the home state. License and registration is reciprocal. Those are the only things you can count on being reciprocal.

Most states that have upgraded licenses use GVWR of the combination of the vehicles to determine the license class. Not actual weight, and not GCWR of the truck.