ok let me start out by saying nice forum and glad to be a new member....ok so i just picked up a lil bobtail dump truck carries around 7 yards or so. the problem is it has air brakes and im confused about which license i will need an was hoping some of you all could help lead me in the right direction (i dont wanna stand in line at the dmv for hours to get told this stuff). i looked on the inside of the door an the gvrw or what ever it is says 33 or 36,000 lbs on it but the tittle say the unladen weight of the truck is 14,560 and is about 19 feet long. along with the truck i bought a tilt bed trailer aproximatly 26 feet from tounge to the end of the deck and a small case 850 c dozer that weighs i was told around 15,000 lbs.... i have a couple buddys who truck and they tell me diff things one tells me i need a commercial A license and the other tells me i will be fine with a commercial B license so im confused if all else fails its off to the dmv for me...to add i live in california if any of u are fimmilular with ca dmv requirements any help appreciated thanks

Who Needs A CDL?
To operate commercial vehicles, you must apply for a CDL. Only California residents may obtain a California CDL. Residency is established by any of the following: registering to vote here, paying resident tuition at a public institution of higher education, filing for a California homeowner’s property tax exemption, obtaining a license (such as a fishing license), or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents. You need a CDL if you operate a vehicle or combination of vehicles which requires a Class A or Class B license or Class C license with endorsements.

A commercial motor vehicle is a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles designed or used for either the transportation of persons for compensation or property and:

•Has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more.
•Tows any vehicle with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more.
•Tows more than one vehicle or a trailer bus.
•Has three or more axles (excludes three axle vehicles weighing 6,000 pounds or less gross).
•Is any vehicle (bus, farm labor vehicle, general public paratransit vehicle, etc.) designed, used, or maintained to carry more than 10 passengers including the driver, for hire or profit, or is used by any nonprofit organization or group.
•Transports hazardous materials requiring placarding.*
•Transports hazardous wastes (Health and Safety Code §§25115 and 25117).*


You have the equipment to get your A class. I would recommend that as its never bad to get more then you need just incase one day you want to have your A class for Class 8 trucks. Get a manual from dmv and study study study, then study and go take your test!

i dnt need trucking school to obtain the A license? i have the book an have been studying

You'd have to check with the CA dmv as I'm licensed out of Tx. I THINK most states just make you prove you know what your doing. I got my B class with the help of a friend and his truck back in va when I was 18 and went through a company training program at 21 to get my A class. I read the book, he taught me to pre-trip and I made an appt with dmv. I did a pre-trip and once I passed that we went on a road test. 1 hr later I held a class B. I don't think CA requires schooling, but then again I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if they do, I know to repo in that state you have to apprentence for 1 year before they will allow to repo. It's worth calling or standing in line to find out.
You honestly have the hard part covered, the equipment.
GL

for some reason i think the easy part was the equipment that was only money lol

its a small truck smaller than anything most people on here drive has an allison automatic tranny easyer to drive but i know it should be a standard tranny but i got a good package deal i couldnt pass up

Ain't no shame to that. Good looking "little" truck. As far as the tranny goes, just with dmv there!! Most states now a days don't care of the tranny, the KEY for CDL's is the GVWR. If the gross of that thing is 33k then your well over the legal limit for testing. If you take just the truck you can only get a B, if you hook the trailer to it then you can earn an A class. I don't see any problems at hand, but maybe a CA CDL driver will throw his 2 cents in to back up the info I've given you.

GL, let us know how you do!

If it were me I would go ahead and get my class A CDL. I have spoken to some who have used a dump truck with a trailer to get their license. It is technically a combination vehicle with the trailer and also has air brakes, which meets the criteria. Should you later decide to buy an 18 wheeler or seek a job pulling one you won't need to worry about getting your license.

well i will buy a transfer truck later in the future but when i do i will employ a driver because i will be busy doing the work and not able to drive the truck. this truck is mainly to pull equipment and do the smaller jobs but im thinking i might as well get the A license. now all i need to figure out is if i need schooling or can i just walk in an take the test.

While I was issued my CDL in WY, I currently live in CA. With my previous job, I drove a transfer truck and hauled their paving and excavating equipment to and from the job sites. With the weight you are capable of hauling, I would definitely get your class A. Shouldn't be much harder than the class B, just another test (combination vehicle) and then your pre-trip, skills test, and road test will be with the truck and trailer.

Although with the truck being an automatic, I believe you may have a restriction on you license for "Automatic Only." I would hate to see you get busted later on if you are driving another truck with a stick.

The schooling is usually a requirement of the carrier and the insurance companies. Like supertrucker said the hardest part is usually finding the equipment to take the "hands-on" parts of the testing with. Just make sure you have someone with a class A to get your equipment to the testing facility.

On a side note, I would recommend finding out exactly what that the truck, trailer, and dozer weigh both together and individually. That way you know exactly what you can haul legally. Only reason I mention this is because my previous job sometimes would have me take the extra material at the end of a job while pulling their equipment and it can put you over weight pretty quickly. I found out a few months ago with my new employer that the set-up they use to transport their paver and skip loader together is 6000 lbs. over on the trailer axles, because I had to go to the scale house to take the skip loader to the job.