In Jersey you can operate a MV with air brakes under 26,001 w/o a CDL.
Not sure about towing though. I drive a 21,000 lb bucket truck with air and never had a problem.

When I lived in North Carolina I remember reading the back of my standard driver's license, it specifically says "not legal for towing over 10,000 lb". Who ever reads the back of their license? :rolleyes: . It was very clearly stated right on the driver's license. You had to apply for a different license (CL-A ??) which I think was a non-business CDL. Never saw that on an OH or PA driver's license.

I have a class A cdl out of Illinois. A class A is needed to tow over 10,000 with a 36,000 gvw truck. You do not need a cdl to tow over 10,000 with a dually pickup.

I am glad I am not the only one not understanding. What has started this was my son and I talked about letting him take the boat to the local lake ( hr away ) using a legal 1 ton or more. But we are reading he needs his CDL's too. We are wanting to do everything right just trying to figure it out. He just might have to get his CDL's.

As many have posted, the rules are confusing. If you are towing a 10,000lb trailer, you only need a CDL if your GCVWR is over 26,000lbs. As sean posted to, there are other exceptions for RV's. I also agree with Sean, just get the CDL. It can save you a lot of headaches if a cop with a headtrip decides to keep you on the side of the road because they misunderstood the rules to.

I went through this all last year here in Pa. If the trailer is over 10000 rated you need a class A. There is a non comercial class A. It wasnt anywhere in the book that i found but if you type it in a search you should find something on it. You can take the test with your boat trailer and your truck. I would assume all the weights and capacities would have to be correct. Check into that.

what the hell is that alien thing on my post
Dave

Pa's laws are based on the Federal regs. You only need a Commercial Drivers License if the GCVWR is over 26,000 lbs. There is a non commercial CDL, but I never met anyone that had one.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms.../section_1.pdf

In Illinois, you need a class A CDL if the trailer you are towing weighs more than 10,000 lbs. and you are towing for hire or commercial purposes. You also need a CDL if the combined weight is over 26,000 lbs. or has air brakes.
If the combined weight is under 26,000 lbs. and you are towing for personal use, you do not need a CDL;however, in one of the towns in Illinois with access to Lake Michigan, the local police department is misinformed. Several years ago, I got a CDL to avoid any problems. I had to drive a semi for the test. The above requirements are clearly stated in the manual used to study for the written test.

The way I understand the law is you do not have to have a cdl over 10,000 but you do have to carry a med card. I got that from a group of DOT guys in a meeting I attended.

As said earlier...Just get your CDL if you tow a big trailer... What's the big deal????
Getting it is incredibly easy...
The biggest pain is remembering to get your med card done every year...