Drivers Licenses

Last Changed 8/18/2012

There are 50 variations on driver’s license requirements as each state has its own viewpoint on the issue.

First off some basics; your driver’s license should come from the same state as where your vehicles are registered and this should be your residence state. That may seem an unnecessary statement but many people think they can mix and choose. All these factors interplay and should come from the same state.

Truck Registration

Depending on the GVWR, the maximum weight of the truck and load, your state may require your truck to be licensed as a commercial vehicle. It may only take a GVWR of 10,001 lbs. to make a truck Commercial. That is the normal dually pickup GVWR. It all depends on your resident states definitions. Some states require commercial registration only if the truck is used in a commercial way, making money. The state you register your vehicles in set the rules. It does not matter what other states do.

A quick statement on definitions. Many believe a sticker saying that a truck is “Private, nor for Hire” exempts the truck from commercial rules. It does not. A truck can be Private, not owned by a corporation, and Not for Hire, the owner uses the truck only for his business. Such a truck is commercial because it is used for business. We will use the word Private to mean for personnel non-business use from here on.

Commercial Registered Truck

If your truck has to be registered commercial, a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) becomes necessary when the weight of the rig, truck and trailer, exceeds 26,001 lbs. Some states may have a CDL Class C license, but very few do. Less than 26,001 lbs., a regular driver’s license is enough.

Over 26,001 lbs., there are two classes of CDL licenses. A CDL Class B is used when the truck itself exceeds 26,001 lbs. or if the truck and a trailer combination exceed 26,001 lbs. and the trailer weighs less than 10,000 lbs.

If the trailer exceeds 10,001 lbs. or if the truck is considered a Tractor, then a CDL Class A license is required. By definition, a Tractor is a truck designed more for pulling weight in a trailer than carrying weight on its own wheels (A Semi versus a Cargo Van truck).

The issues of truck or tractor determine your truck registration plates. Some states want to say any truck with a fifth wheel is a tractor. There are only 50 variations of this and sometimes there are variations within a state depending on who you talk to.

We have heard statements that some states allow usage of a commercially plated truck for personnel purposes and then a CDL license is not requires. We have yet to see this is any state codes.

Non-Commercial Registered Trucks

The ideal is to have your truck registered as a non-commercial vehicle. If the motorhome registration for your truck is available in your state, then that is a good option because generally a motorhome is considered non-commercial.

But the motorhome registration of a truck is not always going to work as a fifth-wheel tow vehicle. For example: Maryland motorhomes are restricted to a maximum trailer of 10,000 lbs., not enough for the type of fifth-wheel trailers we are concerned about.

Some states require a Non-Commercial Drivers License (non-CDL) for Recreational Vehicles. There may be two Classes of non-CDL, Class B and Class A.

In Maryland, a RV rig (truck and trailer or motorhome and trailer) over 26,001 lbs., requires a non-CDL Class B license. That includes a motorhome over 26,001 lbs. without a trailer. There is not a RV requirement for a Maryland non-CDL Class A because the trailer on a motorhome can’t be over 10,000 lbs. and truck with a trailer over 10,000 lbs. has to be a tractor which does not fall into the RV consideration.

But that is Maryland. In Texas a trailer over 10,000 lbs. is allowed on a motorhome registered truck and does require a non-CDL Class A license.

South Dakota allows for private trucks and when they are used to pull recreational trailers, a standard Class C (car) driver’s license is all that is required.

Confused Yet?

Yes this is a very confusing subject. You will find a lot of generalized statements floating around like “as long as you are not making money, you do not need a CDL.” The only valid statements are those from your residence state’s vehicle codes.

The good thing now is that states are requirement to put their codes on the internet for the public to see. As you would expect, the vehicle and drivers licensing codes are not always laid out is an easy to find manor but as you did around, you will start to understand the layout. Usually there is a Department of Transportation that sets the vehicle and road rules.

The best source for drivers license info is your states Drivers Manual.

CDL Licenses

CDL licenses are for all intents, a Federal license. The rules are set by the Federal Government and are uniform across the 50 states. Likewise, if a state requires a Commercial registration of a truck, then the rules for the truck are uniform across the 50 states. But there are exceptions where a state may require a Commercial Exempt registration. That registration does not have to fulfill the Federal requirements, only the state’s.

The rules for getting a CDL are tougher than a regular license. The testing is harder, both written and driving. You are required to have a medical certificate that says you are healthy enough to drive. You only have half of the allowed alcohol level (.04) and you get 1 & 1/2 to 2 times the number of points for a violation. The rules are tough but then again a CDL driver is handling very heavy and dangerous vehicles.

Exempt-CDL (Non-CDL) licenses

Exempt licenses are state options and the rules vary. For some states, the testing is almost as rigorous as a CDL. Some states, the testing is easy.

In general, if your resident state requires a Exempt-CDL for your RV, the steps to getting one are usually easy to perform.

More Information

See State Listing of RV Drivers Licenses in respect to driving HDT trucks.

Conclusion

Check the codes for the state you choose as a resident state. That will determine what vehicle and driver’s licensing is required.

Disclaimer: The information in this site is a collection of data we derived from the vendors and from our personal experiences. This information is meant as a learning guide for you to make your own decisions Best practices and code should always be followed. The recommendations we make are from our personal experiences and we do not receive any compensation for those recommendations.

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