I was thinking about buying a ford L9000 semi i want to buy it to drive as a personal truck not for commerical use. i was wondering if i hade to get a CDL to drive it. i know it sounds crazy. i live in missiouri. Just wondering if any body had any info or no where i can find some info

Thanks in advance Tony

 

if it is over 26,000 gvwr than yes and if it has air brakes than a big yes.

 

You'll need the GVWR of the truck, then check with your DOT or Driver's licensing division to see what the requirements are for a truck that size. Most states you're good up to 26000 lbs, but there might be other requirements if it's got air brakes, etc.

 

Just had another thought.....what are you going to do to weigh down the rear? I'm assuming you're not going to be pulling a trailer around 24/7. I've always been told that truckers hate driving just the tractor without a trailer because there's no weight on the rear axles, which makes it dangerous to drive.

Also, have you checked insurance rates?

 

Why would you want to drive a semi around just for *****s and giggles?

 

If I could afford to, I would.....just for ****s and giggles.

Tim

 

If it has AIR brakes, then more than likely you will need a CDL. Who knows what you'll need in MO.. THey have some strange laws in that state.

 

Speaking from experience, bobtails (semi's without trailers) don't handle worth $.02, and they have a longer stopping distance than a fully loaded truck/trailer combo. Even just for ****s and giggles, it is not very safe just to be driving a semi around, especially without any previous semi experience.

 

Hey if I could afford to, I would too. A couple years ago I saw a '91 Western Star with a 22' flatbed in the paper for pretty cheap. Imagine what you could haul with that

Plus, big trucks are just cool.

 

Hey, I drive a deuce and a half for ####s and giggles. its fun just to have something BIG to drive and tell the others on your block you DEMAND to be respected on the road.

 

> i was wondering if i hade to get a CDL to drive it.

Yes, it is a class 8 vehicle and requires a CDL, DOT health inspection, etc.

If you are really going to buy one, then get a tandem axle, and the newer style that looks like an Expedition on the inside.

Then put a camper (think like a RV) or dump bed on the back for some weight if you are not going to be hauling with it.

You could put a front drive axle from Dana in the front and lockers on all three axles.



I would not consider driving it at all on the snow or ice without at least 12,000 pounds on the back.

 

You only need a CDL and all that goes with it if you are driving commercially. If it is for personal use, even with airbrakes, you do not need a CDL. In some states you will need a non-commercial Class A license.

Go to www.truckconversion.net and http://escapees.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x in the HDT forum. There are a lot of people that are doing this.

 

Go to your local DMV and get a CDL manual. If I am not mistaken it states that CDL is NOT required if the OWNER uses the vehicle for HIS/HER PRIVATE use and it is NOT used "FOR HIRE". I take it that you(the owner) can use this vehicle for your own use(riding around,hauling your own stuff) as long as you dont haul stuff for someone else or MAKE A PROFFIT from the "TRANSPORT OF GOODS". I drove trucks for years, A "long nose" turned into a giant pick-up would look Fantastic, but without some real weight on the rear it would be a "dog" to drive. (You can't stop it).

 

Air brakes?? What the heck! All they do is make it very easy to stop all 3 axles from turning. DOT don't care if you have a license or not to run air brakes. You don't need a CDL either, that is unless you hire out. Then everything changes and what the previous posters have said all is true.
Insurance is cheap too if you just use it as a pick-up, probably cheaper than a new SD.
Sounds like fun. Get ya an long nose 8-bag air ride kw, big cam 3 cummins 400 hp, with a eaton 10 speed direct, with 3.55 rears. A real horse, and with the air ride it will really caddilac. Anyone can work on the old cummins, and the parts/filters are cheap- (recon injectors $60 ea!). Pull off the 5th wheel, and mount on a pick-up bed or flat bed.

ps, weigh it, could be 7 tons or more, and then observe and obey the weight limits on city streets.

 

unless, of course, you are a farmer. one of my friends bought a used semi (with over a million miles on it! ) for thier farm and he didnt have to get his cdl, but he may have had to get an air endorsment. i'm sure it varys from state to state.....