Weight Ratings

Topic 30791 | Page 1

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WYATT R.'s Comment
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I have a question regarding weight rating and class. I hold a Class B CDL and primarily drive a Ford F-350 dually service vehicle. My boss is telling trying to tell me that the 23,000 lb gross vehicle weight rating trailer Plus the 12,000 rating of my vehicle does not require a Class A. Has he likes to stretch the truth I thought I would ask some actual professionals. I got all the literature and based on what I'm reading the gross vehicle weight rating combination as well over the mazimum for a CDL class B.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Anne A. (and sometimes To's Comment
member avatar

I have a question regarding weight rating and class. I hold a Class B CDL and primarily drive a Ford F-350 dually service vehicle. My boss is telling trying to tell me that the 23,000 lb gross vehicle weight rating trailer Plus the 12,000 rating of my vehicle does not require a Class A. Has he likes to stretch the truth I thought I would ask some actual professionals. I got all the literature and based on what I'm reading the gross vehicle weight rating combination as well over the mazimum for a CDL class B.

Yessir,

You (not he,) are correct. Any COMBINATION vehicle over 26,000 lbs total GVWR , requires a CDLA. (The trailer would have to be 10k or less to skirt this, but if your truck is that much heavier, what's the point?!?) A 'SINGLE' vehicle (ie: towtruck/rotator) is just that; single.

Here's (perhaps?) what you might have been reading, or are looking for:

CDL and GVWR ratings / classes

I've also had this little 'gem' of a website, bookmarked for quite some time; good stuff:

Performance Trailer Sales

Hope this helps! Trucker's wife of a few (many) years; gotta be in the know!

~ Anne ~

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

CSA:

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)

The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.

What Does The FMCSA Do?

  • Commercial Drivers' Licenses
  • Data and Analysis
  • Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • Research and Technology
  • Safety Assistance
  • Support and Information Sharing

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

GVWR:

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

GVWR is the maximum operating weight of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer, minus any trailers.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Anne A. (and sometimes To's Comment
member avatar

PS; Wyatt .....

If you DO decide you NEED TO GET your CDLA, we have THE BEST training program, right here:

High Road CDL Training Program

You'll know a great part of it, with your CDLB ... but , check this too:

Also, welcome to Trucking Truth!!

~ Anne & Tom ~

Pre-trip Inspection:

A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.

Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Suicide Jockey's Comment
member avatar

I'm simplifying it here, but both a class A and class B allow you to drive a single vehicle over 26k lbs. Class B can only pull trailers up to 10k lbs, while class A can pull trailers over 10k lbs.

A 23k lb trailer requires the driver to have a class A.

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