F550 possible oops....licensing question

redneckjeep87

redneckjeep87

Landscaper Extroidanaire
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Location
Woodleaf, NC
I just recently purchased a 2001 f550 cab and chassis 4x4 with 9'flatbed for work and play duty. Full kelderman airride and 37 super single setup, 135k miles, banks intercooler, big head waste gate, banks wheel, transcommand and banks chip in computer. It also has a buckstop bumper with 15k winch. Its a pretty sweet truck other than being a little large at full ride height.

The trucks gvwr is 17,500lbs and i tow several trailers, two that are in question. I have a 14' load trail dump trailer with gvwr at 14,800lbs and a 20' 7ton gvwr flatbed equipment trailer. That puts total gvwr at 32,300 and 31,500 respectively. I currently have the truck tagged at 26,000 and have a standard license.

My 1st question is this....do i need to get my cdls to legally run this truck even with just truck and trailer empty, or up to 26k lbs?

2nd......If that is the case, what exactly do i need to do to go about this. Obviously i dont have a semi truck nor a dump truck. I do have commercial insurance on the truck already.

3rd....... will i need to then have the tag upped to 33k to cover the gvwr of truck and trailer
 
My 2 cents on this from going through this for a non-commercial class A (for my 3500 an fifth wheel trailer) is your drivers license needs to cover the GCVWR. That means whatever the door tag and trailer tag say added together (the actual scale weight it irrelevant for your DL, it's all about those rating numbers added together). If >26001 and a 10K trailer then you need a class A either CDL or non-commerical depending on if this is just for play or for business. I think class A since you have a truck and trailer. If only a truck probably just class B but that's not your situation. Your plates though just need to cover whatever it really weights when you get pulled. At least this is my understanding of the NC laws. I have a non-commerical class A. Took the test at the DMV then scheduled a driving test (you have to take the truck and trailer for the test. My test was just once around the block, no backing etc. I think CDL is more rigorous. The written is simple, just read the book that is available. If you have air or tanks etc there are other supplements to get those endorsements). Others can correct me but many folks doing non-commercial driving (campers especially) running on just a normal class C license are illegal and don't even know it especially if a 10K or larger trailer and present day DRW pick-ups (mine is 14K gvwr).
 
1. Yes
2. If it’s for commercial use you need class a cdl. I got mine at Charlotte truck driver training school. Cost 4K. But I have heard of folks just studying the cdl handbook and taking test on their own.
3.tag only needed for as much as you will max weight
 
I'm not an attorney, but I used to work for a place that bought 33k gvwr trucks and tag them at 26k so that class c drivers could run them.

They had a full time DOT compliance person on staff as well.

YMMV, etc.
 
jankoid said:
Campers are exempt from CDL requirements and weight restrictions.
Click to expand...

I agree on tag weighted and cdl as you say but are they exempt from needing a class a non-commercial DL if gcvwr is north of 26k? Please provide reference. I'm happy to be proven wrong but my understanding was it still requires the class a if trailer is over 10k and combo is over 26k. Tags just need to cover actual truck axle weights when pulling the camper but not trailer axles.
 
shawn said:
I'm not an attorney, but I used to work for a place that bought 33k gvwr trucks and tag them at 26k so that class c drivers could run them.

They had a full time DOT compliance person on staff as well.

YMMV, etc.
Click to expand...

His company must have had a very good dot safety score, which would help greatly with his drivers not getting pulled.

If you are a class c driver and the door tag in the truck says >26,000, you are not legal.

Maybe he had the trucks de-rated also? A former employer of mine had a bunch of Hinos box trucks that were de-rated at the factory to have a 25,950 GVWR.

edit: OP you can go to the dmv and ask for a (free) cdl study guide. It has a flow chart that will answer your questions. I wish I could find mine to take a picture for you.
 
Google nc cdl manual. Third result down is a pdf of it. Page 1-4 has the flow chart.
 
I found the flow chart but keep having issues uploading the file. It still isnt completely clear. I assume that the majority of all the f450s and up running around are illegal in this aspect, as well as all of the f250s and 350s running large goosenecks.
 
72Rockcruiser said:
His company must have had a very good dot safety score, which would help greatly with his drivers not getting pulled.

If you are a class c driver and the door tag in the truck says >26,000, you are not legal.

Maybe he had the trucks de-rated also? A former employer of mine had a bunch of Hinos box trucks that were de-rated at the factory to have a 25,950 GVWR.
Click to expand...

Door sticker said 33k.

Trucks got pulled over all the time.
 
@paradisePWoffrd
CB57A983-7C54-42FF-8725-7EFF9190E1BE.jpeg

Here’s the flow chart and I’m still confused. According to this I’m legal with a truck rated for 10K and a trailer rated for 16K. That clause for a trailer over 10K appears to only apply if your GCWR exceeds 26,001 pounds.
 
BigSouth said:
Here’s the flow chart and I’m still confused. According to this I’m legal with a truck rated for 10K and a trailer rated for 16K. That clause for a trailer over 10K appears to only apply if your GCWR exceeds 26,001 pounds.
Click to expand...

That's correct. It used to be that you needed a CDL for any trailer over 10k, but the legislature changed the law about 10 years ago after the DOT took to setting up shop outside of fishing tournaments and ticketing everybody as they left.
 
Go to DMV, get a CDL written test practice guide. Study it and do the free online pre-tests as well.
Get a class A non-commercial CDL.
Keep ALL motorsports related decals and magnets off said truck
Buy NOT FOR HIRE decals for trailers

Congrats. You should avoid most run-ins with the DMV folks
 
Jody Treadway said:
Go to DMV, get a CDL written test practice guide. Study it and do the free online pre-tests as well.
Get a class A non-commercial CDL.
Keep ALL motorsports related decals and magnets off said truck
Buy NOT FOR HIRE decals for trailers

Congrats. You should avoid most run-ins with the DMV folks
Click to expand...

Why can’t I just keep my trusty flow chart in my glove box and make them show me where I’m wrong? That sounds way cheaper.
 
Good info in here. That flow chart reads differently than the one i found, it didnt say anything about combined. Would therw be any benefits if getting commercial over non commercial cdl?

I do tow outside of state sometimes, as well as work out of state occasionally. Would i still be g2g with the not for hire decals in that aspect?

Also what is the reasoning of not having any motorsports decals, not that i do, just curious. I dont have anything on the 550 yet, but will have logo on the doors, and may have a SCAG logo and perhaps some fishing related stuff.
 
I hear that the big corporate logos make it look like you’re hauling commercially. No bling = less attention.
 
When I had my Chassis Cab , I registered and insured it as an RV , put "not for hire" on the doors , it was about 9700 lbs empty .
Dont know if that helps
 
That truck is tough as shit.
 
Not a Ford fan.... But damn... That is sick! Nice rig man. Good luck with the DMV

Side note... Those new eld bullshit is really going to fuck all of this up. According to the thread on pirate... If you cross state lines for any type of monitary gain you are required to have a CDL and abide by all the rules. 8 hrs Max run without a break. 10 hrs Max driving in a 14 he period... 10 hrs mandatory rest after your 14 hr period is over. Apparently the cattle farmers and rodeo crowd are hit hard by this. If you rodeo or show livestock, you have the chance to win prize money and fall into this. Race teams and fishing teams also fall into this but not sure if they have been hit yet. It is a mess out west, apparently.
 
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