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So, I would like to get a stacker and something like a freightliner sport to pull it, but my best information right now says that if I go over 26k lbs even with the private Costco labels on the doors then the driver needs a cdl.
And not just a cdl, but a class a combination license.
Is this the case. Is there an easy way to get one.
So, I would like to get a stacker and something like a freightliner sport to pull it, but my best information right now says that if I go over 26k lbs even with the private Costco labels on the doors then the driver needs a cdl.
And not just a cdl, but a class a combination license.
Is this the case. Is there an easy way to get one.
Thanks.
Short answer: no.
Even if your state provides for a noncommercial class A or B license, they often don't have clear guidelines about actually obtaining one. For laughs, call your states DMV and ask how to get one. Chances are whoever answers the phone won't even know a noncommercial class A or B license is even a thing.
No CDL required, just a Class A (any combination of vehicles 26,001+lbs GCWR). Easy to obtain through the DMV, but DTMiller is right, there are so many shades of gray that you may need to call a couple of offices to find someone who knows what you're talking about.
Keep in mind (and this advice came directly from a Sgt. with the NC Highway Patrol) if you are engaged in racing where you receive anything more than bragging rights (this includes trophies, plaques, prize money, etc.), you can be considered commercial at that point and a highway patrolman having a bad day can cite you and park you for not having a CDL. If you have sponsor stickers or numbers on your car and they ask to see the car, that's another place they'll try to get you.
There are some hilarious threads on the RV forums about people trying to comply with the law (most state's RV exceptions are actually meaningless as they exclude from the exception vehicles exceeding 26,000# GVWR, which is the limit of what a class C license (what you already have) permits. The real kicker is that you need someone with the appropriate license to go with you in your vehicle the day of your road test. So you need to know someone with a class A who has time in the middle of the day i the middle of the week to ride along with you to the testing site. At which point 90% of those trying, probably more, are then given the Class A CDL test, which has tons of stuff in it that you aren't going to know unless you took a CDL class. The other 10% have to prove they know how to put it in gear and the test agent just says whatever and gives them the license.
california wont let you have a rig over 65 feet. commercial or Rv.
toters and stackers in cali have to be less than 65 feet long and then you might be ok but if you get stopped for speeding, cali is 55 with a trailer, then they will pop you if the trailer is rated over 10k (that is a fed law), if it is not registered as a rv trailer
If a trailer is rated over 10k and is not a recreational trailer, then you have to have a CDL.
Ask me how I know that. Been popped several times with a simple 24 foot trailer.
I run no decals no race decals.
Oh and by the way, the "not for hire" decal is a sucker bet. In florida, they pulled us over cause we had those on our trucks because Illinois told us to put them on.
Stujelly is right, had the SportChassis/stacker under 65' and got popped in CA, needed a CDL, went dually/44' route and mechanic got popped in Texas, needed a CDL.
You really need to research what state(s) your towing in and be sure you are compliant.
By the way both times we were popped, they were "nice enough" to let us drive to the nearest hotel and park the rig there until we had a driver with a CDL show up.
In most states you can use a short Toterhome and trailer if it is under 65' tip to tip and be legal.
I actually had a a California Highway Patrol pull me over, as he walked up behind me he had a magnetic tape measure that he attached to the back of the trailer, walked past the passenger door to get an overall length, I was 64'6", he just waived at the cabin as he wound up the tape and went back to his cruiser!!
The rig was a 12' box Renegade Toter and a 36' Stacker.
Overall, sounds like the risk and questions are not worth the reward. Unless I am going to actually get a CDL (which I do not see in the near future). I will just stick with my 3/4 ton diesel and 28' tag.
It's not for everyone, but the approach we took was to buy a class 8 truck that could be registered as an RV. While every state is different, RV regulations tend to be the easiest to deal with.
A used class8 tractor will be cheaper than a new sportchassis, and will likely have more power and more room. Ours has a 465HP/1800 ft pound 12L engine.
I'd be happy to share more about our experience buying the truck and trailer. They are often used by serious RV'ers to pull large 5th wheel trailers. The place to go to learn about them is:
I dug back into my archives from when I was researching this prior to purchasing the truck/trailer. In MA, RVs are called out as exempt from the CDL requirements:
540 CMR 2.00: MOTOR VEHICLE REGULATIONS
Section 2.06: Operator Licensing Requirements
(d) Special CDL Exemptions.
5. Recreational Vehicle Operators. Any vehicle operated solely as a personal or family
conveyance for recreational purposes may be operated with a Class D License. To be
exempt from CDL requirements, the vehicle must be used exclusively to transport family
members or personal friends and/or their effects.
It falls under federal DOT requirements and again depends on what each state law is and if they enforce fed DOT. I have a 40 foot motorhome that is licensed as a RV but when I pull my alum stacker trailer (that weights only 15k loaded) but the trailer is rated over 10k, it requires a CDL.
I would stop and ask a commercial enforcement state trooper what the law is and what they enforce. In Cali they drive trucks, so they are easy to spot Going to the highway patrol office is a waste of time. Find one taking a break somewhere, and if they are a decent guy they will tell you exactly what they are told to enforce.
Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.
What does this mean to drivers and vehicle licenses?
The Full Faith Clause means that every state has to accept a drivers license or vehicle registration issued by any other state.
In more direct terms, if your registration state says you have a HDT registered as an RV and that vehicle can be driven by a Class C license, then every other state has to accept that combination of vehicle registration and drivers license.
Some caveats, it is really smart to have your drivers license and vehicle registration from the same state to preclude question on the combination for and Law Enforcement Officer.
What about Commercial?
By definition Commercial vehicles are uniformly registered in all states. The standards for a Commercial registration are established by the Federal Government since the late 1990's to facilitate Interstate trucking.
Commercial licenses (CDL) are like the Commercial registrations. The rules are exactly the same in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. When you get a CDL, all the other states are notified that you have a CDL. This prevents a driver from having more than one license as was a common practice before the late 1990's.
Why is the Full Faith Clause a Consideration?
The states have no options with the Commercial licenses and registration. But they have a lot of flexibility with non-Commercial. That is why a HDT can be registered in one state as an RV and not in another. The license to drive a 26,000+ vehicle can be done with a Class C as an RV in one state and with a CDL Exempt license in another..
Without the Full Faith Clause, you could have to register in each state you travel through and get a drivers license. The Full Faith Clause was created in the Constitution to allow numerous activities to happen between the states, not just vehicle registrations and driver licenses , but it is a good example why it was needed.
The Net
However you can register you HDT in you residence state, you can drive it through the United State.
East Cost guys, I might end up with a 40ft. RV that can tow 17K, is a 22ft stacker going to land me under 65ft? ATC spec sheets don't talk about total length.
The experience and collective wisdom of the RV world (I have a 43 foot tag axle diesel pusher that is 32,000+# empty) is that if you are compliant at home your license is good everywhere.
That is a separate and distinct issue from max length laws which vary from state to state and as noted in this thread are ignored at your peril.
08-03-2016, 05:17 PM
Stacker trailers and CDLs. How to deal with it.
