Questions about what is considered Non CDL transport

[Destroked 450]

Nice discussion.
I hope you don’t feel we are arguing.

The problem I’m having with this is……
Let’s say you are a farmer
I am not a farmer.
We both open a commercial business that needs a piece of heavy equipment.

You as a farmer have farm tags
This affords you special tax advantages
A cheaper farm tag
No ELD
No CDL
Cheaper insurance
And so on

That seems to me an unfair business advantage afforded to you over me by allowing you to haul your equipment on a truck with farm tags.

No argument here
As a 30 year retired truck driver, owner operator and farmer I try to only speak from personal experiences or trusted hear say

We both open a commercial business that needs a piece of heavy equipment, aka John’s Excavating
My name is also John
That statement in itself implies it is to be a commercial business, my understanding of the definition of a commercial business is- it provides a service that generates revenue and must be self supportive, last I checked IRS requires a business to show a profit once every 3 years or else they can classify it as a hobby, that opens a how different can of worms
Since we both open a commercial business all laws, regulations and commercial licensing requirements must apply
In my case as a farmer should I start a side line business to supplement my farm income, yes I can skirt the regulations using my farm exemption, however if that side business continues to grow and generates enough revenue to become self supportive I am required to declare it as a commercial business and meet the requirements for the now commercial vehicles being used to haul said pieces of equipment
3 brothers I know each farm several hundred acres, one brother purchased a dozer and excavator to clean some ground, that lead into some side jobs and eventually into a business of itself. Today his trucks have commercial license and CDL drivers, his two brothers still run farm tags
Many of the local farmers have formed a LLC company for their over 26,000 lb truck in order for them to generate revenue when not needed for their own farming operation
In some cases a farmer will continue to skirt the rules but eventually it will likely get red flagged by IRS, state tax auditors or an inquisitive DOT officer, at that point the snow ball has been thrown off the mountain and that farmer had better get ahead of it before it catches him at the bottom of the hill
The old ignorance of the law deer in the head lights claim isn’t going to stop that snow ball from splattering them when it hits

Hope I didn’t ramble to much

 

[THinAl.]

This is an interesting thread and I enjoy reading a thread about anything that is a discussion and not an argument.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

It’s called a Noncommercial Class A or Class B license.
About 15 states require some form of a special license to drive recreational vehicles.
Other states should follow the rules of your home state not the state you are in.
In other words I don’t need a Noncommercial Class A license to drive in your state but you need a Noncommercial Class A to drive in any state.

Did not know that before this thread. Thought all states had exempted RV ers

 

[john in la]

Did not know that before this thread. Thought all states had exempted RV ers

Wisconsin and DC are not shown on this map as they require a full fledged CDL for RV’s.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Wisconsin and DC are not shown on this map as they require a full fledged CDL for RV’s.

View attachment 100061

NON-commercial, as in, a normal everyday driver's license. I know in NY they don't "require" anything different for an RV until you hit 26,001lbs GVWR. You can take your road test in a Chevy Volt, then jump straight into a 25,999lb diesel pusher and hit the road.

So these other states require no license at all to tow an RV, apparently.

It doesn't make sense, but I have a feeling that if it did make sense, things would be MUCH worse for everyone. Think road tests every time you renew your license. The days of "I'm a good driver, just leave me be," would be over.

 

[Destroked 450]

NON-commercial, as in, a normal everyday driver's license. I know in NY they don't "require" anything different for an RV until you hit 26,001lbs GVWR. You can take your road test in a Chevy Volt, then jump straight into a 25,999lb diesel pusher and hit the road.

So these other states require no license at all to tow an RV, apparently.

It doesn't make sense, but I have a feeling that if it did make sense, things would be MUCH worse for everyone. Think road tests every time you renew your license. The days of "I'm a good driver, just leave me be," would be over.

John’s map shows states that require a non commercial drivers license for operating a RV over 26,000 lbs, it is not the same as your normal license for driving a car that is good for RV’s that are 26,000 lbs or less

 

[DRussell]

John’s map shows states that require a non commercial drivers license for operating a RV over 26,000 lbs, it is not the same as your normal license for driving a car that is good for RV’s that are 26,000 lbs or less

I believe they are called a non-commercial Class A or Class B license. A for towing an RV over 10,000 lbs. B for an RV over 26,000 lbs. I say RVs as that is what these are mostly used for, but they really are for any vehicle that has the weight but is used for personal use only.

 

[Welding man]

Wisconsin and DC are not shown on this map as they require a full fledged CDL for RV’s.

View attachment 100061

I know several people that have big RV's that travel through NC and SC going to Florida for the winter. I doubt that any of them have this license or endorsement. Won't that be a surprise when they get pulled over. North Carolina was one of the worst states I ever trucked in, back when I was trucking. Wife and I both got shut down for 8 hours more than once in Mt Airy NC. Glad I'm out of the business and don't travel any more.

 

[Destroked 450]

I believe they are called a non-commercial Class A or Class B license. A for towing an RV over 10,000 lbs. B for an RV over 26,000 lbs. I say RVs as that is what these are mostly used for, but they really are for any vehicle that has the weight but is used for personal use only.

You are probably correct on this, I was only thinking about over 26,000 lbs
I don’t live in any of those states so that requirement doesn’t apply to me, thus I haven’t given it much thought till now

 

[300jk]

You are probably correct on this, I was only thinking about over 26,000 lbs
I don’t live in any of those states so that requirement doesn’t apply to me, thus I haven’t given it much thought till now

I live in Ny. I’m getting more and more confused by the replies I have read. Normal non commercial license to me in Nys is a class D. That is a basic car/ pickup liscense. I had always thought that with a class D one could drive a truck OR truck trailer combo under 26,000. I currently have a class B cdl. Which I thought was also good for truck/trailer combo as long as under 26,000 and straight truck such as tri axle dump. I was and am still under the thought that a class A is required for truck/trailer combo over 26,000. I use my cdl at work although we have a 14,000 total weight gooseneck pulled by a one ton truck at the farm. If this truck and trailer combo is not used for hire what is the required license since it is under 26,000 and does not have DOT numbers ? Next week at work we have our yearly company safety meeting. I have been told the Nys troopers along with DOT will be there. I have lots of questions.

 

[DRussell]

I live in Ny. I’m getting more and more confused by the replies I have read. Normal non commercial license to me in Nys is a class D. That is a basic car/ pickup liscense. I had always thought that with a class D one could drive a truck OR truck trailer combo under 26,000. I currently have a class B cdl. Which I thought was also good for truck/trailer combo as long as under 26,000 and straight truck such as tri axle dump. I was and am still under the thought that a class A is required for truck/trailer combo over 26,000. I use my cdl at work although we have a 14,000 total weight gooseneck pulled by a one ton truck at the farm. If this truck and trailer combo is not used for hire what is the required license since it is under 26,000 and does not have DOT numbers ? Next week at work we have our yearly company safety meeting. I have been told the Nys troopers along with DOT will be there. I have lots of questions.

My understanding is as follows.
Class B CDL is for a straight truck over 26000 lbs GVW.
Class A includes Class B in that it allows you to drive a straight truck over 26000 lbs GVW, but also allows you to pull a trailer that weighs over 10000 lbs GVW.
If the combined gross weight of truck and trailer is under 26000 then a class A or B is not required.
Commercial Class A or B (What most think of as a CDL, technically it's a CDL Class B or CDL Class A) allows you to drive the associated weight class in a commercial capacity, i.e., make money doing it.
Non-commercial class A or B allows you to drive the associated weight class in a non-commercial capacity, i.e., it's for your personal use only. Think of big motorhomes and big RV trailers for Non-commercial class A or B licenses.

Then to make it even more complex, throw in endorsements and restrictions such as air brakes, doubles/triples, haz-mat, glasses, etc.

 

[DRussell]

I use my cdl at work although we have a 14,000 total weight gooseneck pulled by a one ton truck at the farm. If this truck and trailer combo is not used for hire what is the required license since it is under 26,000 and does not have DOT numbers ? Next week at work we have our yearly company safety meeting. I have been told the Nys troopers along with DOT will be there. I have lots of questions.

As far as I'm aware, a class D license (In PA they are class C) is sufficient for this truck because the combined GVW is under 26,000.

I hope you come back and post the answers to your questions at your safety meeting next week from the NY State Troopers and NY DOT. If you do, please start a new thread so the answers aren't lost in the middle of this one.

 

[john in la]

Wisconsin and DC are not shown on this map as they require a full fledged CDL for RV’s.

View attachment 100061

Here is a link to the website.
You can find your state in the list to find what the state requires.

Simple Guide to RV Driver's Licenses by State [2023]

Do you need a special license to drive an RV in the United States? RVezy's guide explains the requirements for an RV driver's license in each state.

www.rvezy.com

 

[john in la]

I know several people that have big RV's that travel through NC and SC going to Florida for the winter. I doubt that any of them have this license or endorsement. Won't that be a surprise when they get pulled over. North Carolina was one of the worst states I ever trucked in, back when I was trucking. Wife and I both got shut down for 8 hours more than once in Mt Airy NC. Glad I'm out of the business and don't travel any more.

A non commercial person from say Virginia driving through NC or SC on their way to Florida does not have to follow NC or SC laws. They follow Virginia laws.
This is why they get away with breaking the laws. The SC cop doesn’t know Virginia laws and even if he did he can’t write a ticket for them breaking Virginia laws.

 

[john in la]

John’s map shows states that require a non commercial drivers license for operating a RV over 26,000 lbs, it is not the same as your normal license for driving a car that is good for RV’s that are 26,000 lbs or less

A RV is a purpose built vehicle that has sleeping quarters.
A non commercial is a homeowner pulling his tractor to his property in the country.
A commercial is a driver using the truck to make money.
Some states require the non commercial license to drive a RV.
Some states totally exempt RV’s but require a non commercial license to pull your tractor.

 

[300jk]

A RV is a purpose built vehicle that has sleeping quarters.
A non commercial is a homeowner pulling his tractor to his property in the country.
A commercial is a driver using the truck to make money.
Some states require the non commercial license to drive a RV.
Some states totally expect RV’s but require a non commercial license to pull your tractor.

And we wonder why everyone gets confused ?

 

[showcrop]

And we wonder why everyone gets confused ?

But hey, don't forget that we all want our state's rights!!!!

 

[sandcastle1]

John that is interesting, I looked into getting a Class A license, and in Pa you have to go to driving school, the cheapest I could find was $800 and the normal price was closer to $4,000.

it is a federal requirement, went into effect a couple of years ago

 

[ss55]

I recently acquired a 10K lb Bobcat, trailer and truck to pull it all. I am in Michigan. Before I acquired these I talked to state police and they told me I did not need a CDL for self hauling and If do not make money. I may like to make money with my Bobcat, The question is can I self transport and make money with the Bobcat at a destination without a CDL OR does the term "not make money" apply to the bobcat at the final destination as well? I am under impression that "not make money" applies to the hauling only not the activity at the destination. Is that the proper interpretation?

I would trust the latest version of your states CDL manual. It is probably available free on line or any of your state's drivers license center.

 

[RCP]

After reading these posts and looking online at the Pa DOT website, I have decided to obtain my Non-Commercial class A license. As I read the information on the Pa DOT website, a permit is $6, there is no requirement for training, and it does not raise the cost of my driver's license (as opposed to a CDL). This will allow me to legally pull my camper and my equipment trailer. FWIW husbandry items can be hauled or transported with a Non-commercial Class A in Pa.