What is MC?

 

A Chauffer's liscence in Michigan is a short multiple choice test that is given at SOS office at any time. It requires basic knowledge of operating a commercial vehicle. I t has been a few years since I took my test but I would guess there were only 15 to 20 questions. As far as the CDL req's, if the trailers gross rating is over 10,000 and the gross combined rating is over 26,000 then you need a CDL - 16,000 lb. trailer rating pulled by a 12,000 lb rated truck as an example.

 

MC stands for Motor Carrier.

 

In Fl to drive any vehical over 10.000 gross you need a Class D which is no bigie here just ask for it at Motor vehical.Since my F 250 is rated for 10,000lbs ( door sticker) I would need one and since I tow a trailer rated at 15,000lbs (Fifth wheel RV) I maintain a class A cdl ( had to for work) with DOT med card.I keep up my CDL but no longer need med card since I no longer work.And no longer considered a comercial driver

 

That's true in ALL states... the only difference is if they specify commercial trailer vs rec trailer.

 

Have you pulled your hair out yet? It is way more complicated than I think it should be. All this regulation is basily seperated into to parts
1. Saftey, Drivers lic., driver logs, health cards, equipment inspections, roadside saftey gear, and the list goes on.
2. Operating authority. This stems from when trucking was even more regulated.

If you are just using the equipment to support your carpentry business, not hauling stuff for hire, you will mainly be focused on the saftey part of the equation which if you think about it, having safe well prepared equipment for the road is not the worst thing.

 

If that's the case, 90% of the trailers being pulled in ND are done so illegally.

 

Hence why DOT is stepping up regulation In ALL states if you are towing a trailer over 10k you qualify for DOT problems... some states allow PERSONAL towing of that weight with a standard Opperator's license... other states require all use of 10k+ trailers be regulated by commercial standards. So far most states don't bother with making rec drivers conform to commercial standards.

Many, MANY people out there hauling large trailers ARE doing so illegally. If you are driving a Kenworth tractor pulling horses for a ranch you are commercial, period. It doesn't matter if you put "not for hire" on the side, that just excludes you from MC rules, not DOT rules. You still need a CDL and a DOT number, you just don't have to carry the huge insurance a MC number requires. If your business OWNS the rig you drive, even if it does so just for tax purposes, then you are commercial! They don't CARE if you are driving it for your personal entertainment and vacation, if a business owns the trailer than you are commercial. People don't understand this! It is soooo easy to be DOT approved and licensed. If you don't haul goods for profit than you get a FREE DOT number, make sure you have commercial insurance, buy your safety gear that YOU SHOULD HAVE ANYWAYS, get your physical exam (which just costs you the standard doctor's visit fee), and get your CDL. That's the most expensive part, and its still relatively cheap. If you are driving a $80,000.00 truck/trailer, what's $500 in one time fees?

 

I agree whole heartedly when it comes to Tractor/Trailer. It shouldn't matter if you are Private, Commercial or Ag you should have a CDL, safety gear (that's a no brainer) and physical exams (should have them regardless of your CDL status).

But when we are talking stock, horse, utility, cargo, RV's, I think 10k is jumping the gun. That is my personal opinion. Even at 14k (your standard stock/horse trailer) that seems excessive. But I can't argue with safety either. What needs to be done is a standard straight across the board. How is it fair that a 15 year old can tow up to 50k if its ag related and they are within 150 miles of home? (At least this is in ND) Sorry, but the danger is there no matter how far away from home you are.

I also think saying it is ok for Joe Banker who just retired, sells his Mercedes for a Powerstroke and is going to buy himself a 36' RV and also pull a boat behind the RV without any special licensing is complete bull. In my opinion he is more of a safety hazard than a majority of the "commercial drivers" out there.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

BTW, I just checked ND DOT's website. It's 10k plus needs a Class A with the exception of Ag, RV's, Certain Construction Equipment or Emergency Vehicles. I didn't really remember that, probably because I got my Class A with Double/Triple endorsement years ago so I could pull for the parent's business (trailer sales).


Edit: I take it back. In ND, if the tow vehicle has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, you cannot tow more than 10k without a Class A. Here is what their website says about Class D
To me it sounds like if you are pulling a trailer and your tow vehicle has a GVWR less than 26,001 pounds you can pull a trailer up to 16k as long as the tow vehicle and trailer GCWR isn't more than 26k. I think I got it now

 

US DOT numbers are free, there is no charge for them. It is required by Michigan now for a commercial/company used vehicle to have a dot number. It is required that you have the correct number if you cross state lines, I had to change the regulations on my number when it got to the point where I was trucking out of Michigan.

As described for DOT numbers, it is required to have numbers on all commercially used vehicles even if personally owned. If you dad owns the business and uses the trailer to haul tools and material to job sites it is a commercial vehicle at that point.

You definatley need to go to the website listed earlier, all the information you need is there. It took about a 1/2 day for me to get everything done and I had my DOT number when I got off the phone with them.

These laws for this just changed for Michigan a couple years ago, but they are enforcing them more this year due to the people that aren't complying. Total cost to my company was $0. You do need to follow all the driver rules for working, so many hours per week, keep records of the truck (drivers log), have to do daily inspections on the truck/trailer when it moves anywhere. When you get yourself set up there is a window of inspection that they will send somone out to your office and inspect your vehicle record. Basically it is a trial period and if you get pulled over repeatedly you can lose you DOT number and not be allowed to do your job.

Sorry for the log post, but I just did all this earlier this year for my excavating company.

Toyman

 

From what you wrote it sure looks like you can tow NOT in excess of 10k.

My stock trailer is 14k gvw... pulled by my F150. Yeah... THAT requires a CDL :P Technically it does! IF I'm doing commercial work, which I do from time to time... its kinda sad when my half ton truck has plates for 26000lbs, lol.

 

I want to clarify one thing that I didn't see anyone clear up and that is the log book issue (the rest seems fairly well covered although there are times the physicals are also not needed)
Anyway if your driving is limited to a max of 100mile air mile radius from home, and you return to home base or terminal everyday you do NOT need to keep a log book. IF you do have to keep a log book remember you have to log ALL your working hours not just those that you are driving (this can cause major headaches in the construction industry) you are limited to max of 14hrs on duty then you must take a 10hr break. What this means is if you drive 2hrs to get to a job site then you work 12hrs you would not be legal to drive home until you took a break for 10hrs. Also you have to log EVERYDAY for the rest of your working life even ALL your days off.

 

I don't know about other states but here in Iowa you will get your F150 impounded for Lic it like that especially if you try to tow a 14k trailer lic or not. Actually that is federal law, you can lic for any amount you want (the state will gladly take your money) but they can stop and ticket you anytime (and this is nationwide) if either your vehicle GCWR or your tires weight ratings are exceeded and put out of service forcing you to call someone else with proper equipment to come haul the load off and yes you WILL sit there until that time or they will impound your vehicle.

 

Right... but for those fines they WEIGH you. I don't exceed the 7500lbs recommended tow rating, but the gross weight of the trailer is 14000lbs. Because the GROSS weight is 14k, and the truck's normal registration is 7000lbs, I'd be fined for towing in excess of registration. But I don't get any fines as long as my registered weight covers the MAX combined weight, and my truck weight doesn't exceed the guidelines for standard driving.

The reason its so high (26000lbs) is because I run farm plates... the only two options for my type of registration is 7000 or 26000. Since I'm WAY over the 7000, I have to go with the 26000. The cost is actually the same; they don't up the charges for farm plates. I could do with a lot less... 14k for the trailer plus 7000 for the truck would be 21000 max. Of course, if my truck HAD 10.5 tons on it it'd be squashed flat

 

grafekie - That's what I originally thought too. But that quote I put there says if you are towing a trailer (not a "vehicle") you can tow up to 16k if your tow vehicle GVWR is under 26,001 and the combination of the tow vehicle and trailer does not exceed 26k you can tow up to 16k.

Then of course you have different interpretations at every scale and with every HP officer you talk to. Commercial Driving is oh so fun. Which is why it's just easier to take the test and get it overwith. Even if you don't test with tractor/trailer and air.