So i bought this 1968 F800 And was wondering if i need a cdl to drive it it has air brakes and it says its 30,000lbs but i know it doesn't weigh that much because it doesn't have a dump box on it or anything. I've looked it up online and got contradicting answers so i came here to try and figure it out. Any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. -Isaac

 

Yes, with some limited exemptions for farm use within 150 miles of your farm, for your own equipment and products, or for an RV for personal use.

You also need to test with the air brakes, or you will be restricted to non-air brake vehicles on your CDL.

I suggest you read this site start to finish on the CDL, the IFTA, vehicle registration and inspection, and anything else that you see that may be remotely related.

State of New Jersey - Motor Vehicle Commission

I would guess that NJ is going to be pretty hard core in dealing with the CDL and HD vehicle rules, as they should be.

Now all you other fellers from the west and south and great white north or dry sandy desert areas: OP is in New Jersey--it don't matter how you do it in BumChuck, it only matters how they do it in NJ.

And Crete, if you happen by, check out how they talk about air brakes under "Endorsements", even though they say it is a "Restriction" if you don't test on air brakes. You ought to write to 'em and straighten them out.

 

Commercial Truck = CDL. even if used for personal use.
Air Brakes = CDL.




my opinion.

 

PA and NJ are pretty similar I believe, the truck says 30,000lb because that's what the gross weight is. A CDL is required for anything that grosses over 26,001lb, so yes, a CDL would be required to drive this truck. It appears to be a semi-tractor.

I am not sure, but PERHAPS if you legally registered it at 25,999, you MIGHT be exempt, however the air brakes kind of give it away. If you plan on never towing a trailer with it, you'd only need a Class B CDL, although if you want to tow, you'd probably have to go Class A, because that trailer would add to the gross weight and would likely have a very high Gross Combination Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR), likely 50,000lb+.

PS, that is one sweet truck. Hopefully it all works out for you, you don't see beauties like that on the road too often especially here in the east!

 

Awesome truck Isaac.

 

There are some RV exemptions.

In Maryland you would need a non commercial CDL for that...with air brakes endorsement.

 

What is your intended use for the truck? That makes all the difference in the world. Are you intending to restore it as a show truck and just run it to shows, or are you planning to hitch a trailer to it?


If you are only using it as a show truck, register it at just over whatever it weighs and run it without a CDL. CDL is NOT required just because it has air brakes, as long as the registered weight is under 26,001. I drive a Pete (with air brakes) registered at 26K every day with a class C (no air brake endorsement), and yes, I've been stopped by DOT. It's legal. Of course for a show truck it could be registered as and antique and probably skate the rules that way.


If you're going to tow with it, I guess we need to know what state you are in, as rules may vary.

 

Above posts say he is in New Jersey.

 

All CDL info on the NJ and other sites says "26001 GVWR". You can license it for more or less, but if it's 26001 GVWR or more, you need a CDL. Now if you've gotten away without one, good on you, but remember, that's just because the people you've been dealing with are too dumb to understand written english.

 

In most states you will need to get it inspected before getting plates. Might be too costly.

 

If the 30,000 is the GVWR, you'll need either a CDL or one of the "non" commercial CDL driver's license (don't know if NJ offers the non-commercial one or not). NJ may also take into consideration whether or not there is a fifth wheel mounted on the frame. That may throw it into a combination vehicle situation.

Air brake restriction comments in other posts are correct. If you have to upgrade your license to operate this truck, don't borrow someone else's hydraulic brake vehicle to do the driving test. You'll end up with the air brake restriction.

You can get your license plate registration for any weight class you want to, just don't ever get caught exceeding that registered weight amount.

The IFTA registration applies only if you use the vehicle in interstate commerce (unless NJ hammers it's own for the fuel registration).

If you're going to use the vehicle for farming operations, do a Google search for MAP21 and read up on your exemption possibilities (providing NJ participates).

As far as how it's done in BumChuck, well we do it the way the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has it laid out in Title 49 of the Federal Code of Regulations. I ain't gotta clue how NJ does it........

 

Isaac hasn't been back since he posted.... a troll??? Or did we all scare him off?

 

Good question. Maybe he got more info than he bargained for? What the heck, someone else may read the thread and gain some insight without even having to ask.

On he other hand, maybe I'm just a thread killer !

 

Probably thought....wasn't worth it.

 

OP first posted 9/28/15 saying he just bought the F800 and an F150. Perhaps he is not the kind of feller that jumps into things.