Non-Commercial Class A?

shawn

shawn

running dog lackey of the oppressor class
Administrator
Joined
Mar 13, 2005
Location
Raleigh, NC
Has anybody tried to get a non-commercial A license in NC?

I figure that's probably more useful to me at this point than my B CDL, but I can't tell what's involved in switching.
 
Yeah, there's CDL A, B, and C

And there's... non-CDL? A, B and C

A regular old driver's license is a non-commercial C license. It lets you drive anything up to 26k gross. If you're over 26k, you need an A or B.
 
Need it if ur trailer is over 10,000 also...
 
No, they actually changed the law a couple of years ago. Class C CDL is 26k straight truck with a 10k trailer. Non-CDL C is 26k GCVW.
 
i got popped back in 2008 for driving my father in laws 3500 truck.... pulling an empty trailer with a GVW of 14,000 lbs.... trooper wrote me a ticket and told me what i needed to pull that set-up....

now i have a class A CDL which states on the back "Class A: any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, provided the GVWR of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds"

also states no tractor trailers or air brakes....

real easy to get, take a written CDL test, then a road test..... which consisted of driving the vehicle/trailer combo i was gonna be operating around town a little bit, a few backing maneuvers (backing 90 degrees in between 2 cones, backing the trailer into a spot and stopping it when the rear of the trailer was between 2 cones a couple feet apart), as well as demonstrate a pre-trip inspection.
 
I asked about this last year when I renewed my CDL. She said there was no non cdl A or B, and they would laugh if you thought you could take a class A road test in a dually with a trailer. She explained that they tried this non com class A/B BS a few years before and it was a disaster, so they stopped.

If you look here though, they have prices for it.

http://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/fees/default.html?s=LF#0
 
I agree with Jim, my camper weighs in at 35,000 pounds empty and has air brakes and will tow 15,000 pounds. It is not a commercial vehicle and any body with a drivers licence no matter if you are 16 years old can drive it legally. Tag is $30.00 a year. But I'm not getting paid to drive it either.
 
Your Hot Dog Guy! said:
I agree with Jim, my camper weighs in at 35,000 pounds empty and has air brakes and will tow 15,000 pounds. It is not a commercial vehicle and any body with a drivers licence no matter if you are 16 years old can drive it legally. Tag is $30.00 a year. But I'm not getting paid to drive it either.
Click to expand...
So do you have the state hold your Social Sercuirty check while you drive???:flipoff2:
 
I tried a few years back to do the same thing you are wanting to do Shawn. I stopped at three seperate DMV offices and not a single one of the employees had a clue what i was talking about.


If you try to explain to them what you are driving/pulling, you will get a different answer from each person you ask. The bad part is i dont think half the time the officer that stops you to check things out truely knows what the law is either. Seems pretty cut and dry to me, but i guess its all in how your interpret it.
 
rockmafia said:
I asked about this last year when I renewed my CDL. She said there was no non cdl A or B, and they would laugh if you thought you could take a class A road test in a dually with a trailer. She explained that they tried this non com class A/B BS a few years before and it was a disaster, so they stopped.
If you look here though, they have prices for it.
http://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/fees/default.html?s=LF#0
Click to expand...

Yeah, and it explains the differences in the Driver's License Manual, too. There's a whole section in the statutes, too.

I don't get her comment about how they'd laugh if you thought you could do the test in a P/U with a trailer.... since that's 95% of the hot shots towing commercially. All you need is a 3/4 ton and a triple axle trailer to be over the legal limit with a regular license.

Terry: you should probably check the laws. That's what brought this whole thing up... driving a motor home and towing a trailer. Turns out, by the laws on the books, there's no exception. And you've got to be over 18 to tow more than 10k under the exception on a regular driver's license.


The classes of regular drivers licenses and the motor vehicles that can be driven with each class of license are:

(1) Class A. – A Class A license authorizes the holder to drive any of the following:

a. A Class A motor vehicle that is exempt under G.S. 20‑37.16 from the commercial drivers license requirements.

b. A Class A motor vehicle that has a combined GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds and includes as part of the combination a towed unit that has a GVWR of at least 10,001 pounds.

(2) Class B. – A Class B license authorizes the holder to drive any Class B motor vehicle that is exempt under G.S. 20‑37.16 from the commercial drivers license requirements.

(3) Class C. – A Class C license authorizes the holder to drive any of the following:

a. A Class C motor vehicle that is not a commercial motor vehicle.

b. When operated by a volunteer member of a fire department, a rescue squad, or an emergency medical service (EMS) in the performance of duty, a Class A or Class B fire‑fighting, rescue, or EMS motor vehicle or a combination of these vehicles.

c. A combination of noncommercial motor vehicles that have a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds but less than 26,001 pounds. This sub‑subdivision does not apply to a Class C license holder less than 18 years of age.
Click to expand...
 
We are required to have a non cdl A licenses (Classified A) at Greensboro Fire Department. The reason being is that, we have tractor trailers used for special team deployments. We are exempt from the Commercial Driver's License because we are not driving for Hire (but the city of Greensboro is paying us to get the rigs to the call) go figure).

We still had to take the air brakes test, common knowledge test, and pre-trip inspection.

Good luck.
 
Now, I'm Really confused, & I been driving commercial as long as Terry! [ dont tell him ] Jim states his class A-CDL, says NO trailers, or air brakes. WHAT. That 's what class A-CDL is for; I'm holding mine in my hand. Mine gives the poundage ratings, as he stated, by says nothing about combinations/trailers, or air brakes. This is the DOT replacement for Chauffeur, back when the US went to CDL. Perhaps we are mixed up between CDL & [if there is] non cdl. :confused:
 
You can get a CDL without air brakes. They do it as a restriction. Same for "no tractor and trailer".... not sure exactly WTF that means. I can't find an explanation on it. But there are three restrictions listed in the CDL manual, and those are two of them.

Here are the exemptions listed in the CDL book:
The type vehicles listed below do not require the operator to possess
a CDL. However, a non-CDL Class A or B license may still be
required:
1.8: Exemptions and Waivers
• Vehicles used for personal use such as recreational vehicles.
• Vehicles owned or operated by the Department of Defense,
including the National Guard, while they are driven by active duty
military personnel, or members of the National Guard when on
active duty, in the pursuit of military purposes.
• Any vehicle when used as firefighting or emergency equipment for
the purpose of preserving life or property or to execute emergency
governmental functions.
• Farm vehicles that meet all of the following criteria:
- Controlled and operated by the farmer or the farmer's
employee and used exclusively for farm use,
- Used to transport either agricultural products, farm machinery,
or farm supplies, both to and from a farm,
- Not used in the operations of a common or contract motor carrier,
and
- Used within 150 miles of the farmer's farm.
Click to expand...
 
rodney eppes said:
Now, I'm Really confused, & I been driving commercial as long as Terry! [ dont tell him ] Jim states his class A-CDL, says NO trailers, or air brakes. WHAT. That 's what class A-CDL is for; I'm holding mine in my hand. Mine gives the poundage ratings, as he stated, by says nothing about combinations/trailers, or air brakes. This is the DOT replacement for Chauffeur, back when the US went to CDL. Perhaps we are mixed up between CDL & [if there is] non cdl. :confused:
Click to expand...

I have a regular class A CDL, air brake, trailers and all. I just asked while I was at the dmv about the non-comercial class A, and the DMV lady you don't need one.
 
DOT HANDBOOK

O K, you got the book, starting to understand the confusion, now. And Farmers get alot of exempts people don't know about.
Had a DMV officer check me one day near Startown. I was driving a tri-axle. He told me the "grain" haulers, get to gross 90,000 lbs. on a straight truck, with [i forget] 5 or 6 axles. :driver:
 
rodney eppes said:
states his class A-CDL, says NO trailers, or air brakes. WHAT. That 's what class A-CDL is for;
Click to expand...

i just needed my CDL for driving what my father in law had.... was a regular occurance to roll down the road at 28,000-30,000 lbs..... had no intentions of driving a tractor trailer or anything with air brakes....
 
Had a Class A CDL for years, hell I was in California when the CDL's went into effect on April 1st. At one time I was endorsed for Hazmat, Poison-A and Poison-B, Explosives-A-B, Bus, Doubles, don't know anything about the other stuff they got out now. I'm with Rodney and Jim.
 
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