Is a 1 ton truck a commercial vehicle in Texas?

[geotex1]

That said, to your point, no matter what your towing with, you really do need to think about the liability of damages you could cause. Get an umbrella policy, they are cheap, and, god forbid the worst happens, they take your limits way up.

Exceptional advice.

I'm not looking for a keyboard debate over what should be a campfire discussion nor to divert the point of the thread. Understand my perspective is a little more personal because it is experience. 22 years ago my sister and then 13 year-old nephew were wrecked by a truck driver without the proper license and did not know how to properly drive the truck and load. Seven years of he!! through insurance companies and the courts to try get $1.7M (1998 dollars!) in medical bills paid, and my nephew's life was permanently and forever altered by the driver's negligence. Never will he be able to drive himself, never will he be able to live alone, never will he be able to play sports again (he was a gifted athlete), never will he be able to study and earn a degree to achieve his dream... His life is full of "never will he be able" because of the negligence that damaged his brain. Fact of the matter, that driver's insurance company did leave him high and dry, my sister's insurance company paid to limits and went after his insurance and him, and we (as the family) went after him as well. A very unfortunate circumstance all the way around that ruined lives all the way around... My nephew is a gift regardless, and it is a gift he survived and came out of the coma, and he is blessed by a large, loving family that is tirelessly there for him, but the tiny amount of money taken from the driver's paychecks does not even cover the monthly medication bill for what he must take the rest of his life. So, you can believe it fear mongering, but my experience is otherwise because we know every single action and consequence on the driver.

For everyone, take it or leave it advice. If you've been with an insurance company a long while and only file the renewals without looking at them, pull them out or ask your agent to provide you a complete copy of your policy. You might be surprised by what you have silently agreed to as the companies have changed a lot of their stance and fine print over the last several years... One of the most common things overlooked - maintaining income in the event of a life-changing accident. Standard values in automotive polices aren't sufficient for most salary earners let alone those considered highly compensated. You might need to make a adjustment...

[Overtaxed]

You might need to make a adjustment...

Here we agree completely. No matter what you're towing with, you really need to examine and contemplate your limits. And, while it sounds like we're at odds, we're really not; it's dead simple in my eyes, tow with a truck big enough that, if you got in an accident, your conscience would be clear. For me, it was an easy decision, I could spend some money and buy safety (and a clear conscience) by going from a 250 to a 450. For some people, they won't stop there, they'll go up to a HDT (semi) and that, to them, gives them the "I did everything I could to avoid this accident/hurting someone else" feeling. For others, it's less than that.

Honestly, IMHO, if you're going to tow anything a lot, and especially if it's heavy/big, you really should be truck shopping from the aspect of "can I make a dually work for me" rather than "can this SRW vehicle hack it". Having owned both and towed extensively with both, duallies are just much better at it than a SRW truck. They're better with a little 7K landscape trailer, and they're better with a 20K dump trailer. The more weight you put on it, the bigger the gap; but they are built to tow, and the difference is immediately noticeable. I'm sure a HDT is better still, but, unfortunately, I just can't make that work for my application; I do a lot of hiking and driving on very poor/unimproved roads when we camp, a HDT just will not work for my application, just like a dually won't work for other people who do most of their camping near cities and who want to go into town with the TV. Duallies suck in a city, HDT's suck most incredibly in a city! Honestly, the best config in that case is a MH with a toad, that's the "right" setup for someone who's going to be camping in/near cities a lot, followed by a TT that can be towed well behind a smaller truck. Anything that can tow is 5'er is going to suck; it's just a matter of how badly. The one thing my 250 had going for it, because it wasn't as wide or long, there were some places to park it in a city, the 450? I'd hazard a guess that 95%+ of all parking places in big cities aren't going to take a 450. And a HDT? ROFL, try 0%.

Are there accidents I can imagine where I'd hurt/kill someone with my 450 and not get into the accident at all in a HDT? Absolutely. Anything that requires quick braking, for example, a HDT is going to smoke my truck towing a trailer. Bigger, more powerful brakes, no contest. Any kind of crazy wind situation, my 450 could get kicked out and cause a terrible accident where a HDT would not. If any of those things were to happen, at least I can look back at it and say "I did what I could do", I had an oversized TV and still lost control. If that happened with my 250, I couldn't say that, I knew I could buy "better" for a reasonable price without removing the utility of the truck and that's what I did.

I carry a 5M dollar umbrella. It's about 1500/yr, IIRC. Really cheap insurance that picks up where your home/auto policies leave off. In my state, min bodily injury is 25K. That probably doesn't cover the ride to the hospital! If you have substantial assets (as most of the member here likely do), you really, really need to have insurance at least to a few 100K, better off a few M. I don't care what you're towing with, you hurt someone, you're going to need it.

[TheLexx]

Definitely carry an umbrella!

The F450 can work in cities so long it's not San Francisco or Manhattan. I can pull head first in to one of those canted parking spaces on city streets so long as I have enough room on either side. I just need to pull in my mirrors. I can also park it in a parallel parking space so long as it's not one of those tiny spaces. Growing up in San Francisco taught me to really learn how to parallel park. The 360° camera really helps with that!

[Cenerus]

For me, I always try and follow the law. If the law here in Texas says you need an exempt class A license to pull an RV bigger than 26k GCVW, then I’ll get that license. It’ll also be good additional safety training that I’m happy to know. I stepped up to the 1 ton truck even though a 3/4 ton can tow pretty much any reflection 5th wheel because I wanted adequate left over capacity in every number on the truck to be a safe driver. If the price I pay is an extra license then it’s all part of the adventure of RV’ing for me.

[Overtaxed]

For me, I always try and follow the law. If the law here in Texas says you need an exempt class A license to pull an RV bigger than 26k GCVW, then I’ll get that license. It’ll also be good additional safety training that I’m happy to know. I stepped up to the 1 ton truck even though a 3/4 ton can tow pretty much any reflection 5th wheel because I wanted adequate left over capacity in every number on the truck to be a safe driver. If the price I pay is an extra license then it’s all part of the adventure of RV’ing for me.

I'm still trying to get through the SC except class A process. First off, nobody knows what it is. Next problem, to take the test, you have to be in a vehicle >26K GCVW which, begs the question.. How do you get there? I guess I could hire someone to drive me there, but, that's pretty ridiculous. I just hope they don't check. Now, the test itself, which involved backing down a loading dock and putting your trailer within 1ft (IIRC) of the dock. No way I'm doing that in my RV; thankfully I have a big trailer that will get me over 26K with a 450 and I can use that. And then the fact that the entire test is geared towards semis; setting an using an air brake, stuff like that. When I called DMV, they had to look it up "never heard of it".

So, given all that + COVID, for now, I'm risking it. I'm almost never in SC anyway towing, and the chances a cop in VA is going to know you need a special license for >26K in SC I figure is about 0. I'm going to do it eventually, but I'm not risking COVID for it, and even when I do it, I'm not risking the rear end of my RV to take the test. If you're going to do it in SC, get a buddy with a small but heavy trailer, or, even better, a class A with a toad, you don't have to back up the toad (obviously) so it's much easier than trying to back down an alley with a massive RV back there.

[SleepsInLakes]

"So, given all that + COVID, for now, I'm risking it. I'm almost never in SC anyway towing, and the chances a cop in VA is going to know you need a special license for >26K in SC I figure is about 0. I'm going to do it eventually, but I'm not risking COVID for it, and even when I do it, I'm not risking the rear end of my RV to take the test. If you're going to do it in SC, get a buddy with a small but heavy trailer, or, even better, a class A with a toad, you don't have to back up the toad (obviously) so it's much easier than trying to back down an alley with a massive RV back there.

Here's where I get confused with these discussions. It's my understanding license classes are universal across the states. In other words, a Class C drivers license- aka a "normal" or "run of the mill" drivers license is the same everywhere. In Pa (and in Md) it is for "single or combination less than 26,001 lbs GVWR". How is that Va cop going to know? He's going to look at your license just like our police in Pa. It's one reason I was careful in the combination I bought. I am right in the sweet spot, for me, of 23,495 lbs GCVWR.

The discussion really comes down to CDL versus non-commercial, Class B, air-brake endorsement, etc. I don't believe PA requires the loading dock test for a non-commercial license but I am no expert.

[Overtaxed]

Here's where I get confused with these discussions. It's my understanding license classes are universal across the states. In other words, a Class C drivers license- aka a "normal" or "run of the mill" drivers license is the same everywhere. In Pa (and in Md) it is for "single or combination less than 26,001 lbs GVWR". How is that Va cop going to know? He's going to look at your license just like our police in Pa. It's one reason I was careful in the combination I bought. I am right in the sweet spot, for me, of 24,495 lbs GCVWR.

The discussion really comes down to CDL versus non-commercial, Class B, air-brake endorsement, etc. I don't believe PA requires the loading dock test for a non-commercial license but I am no expert.

No, he's going to look at it like a VA cop. I don't know if VA has a over 26K non commercial license, but, if they do, he's going to look for it on your out of state license. If not, he won't. The rule is basically this, if you're legal in your home state, you're legal across the country. So if you're home state doesn't have a problem with 26K+ on a standard license, well, you're golden everywhere. If they require a CDL or non-commercial CDL, well, you need to get that and then you're legal everywhere.

I wouldn't base my buying decision on the license requirements though. Honestly, even DMV doesn't know (at least my local DMV doesn't), what are the chances that a cop does, pulls you over, and then is looking at stickers to make sure you have the right license? Yes, I will get one just to cover my bases (but no way I'm risking my life to get one during COVID, that's ridiculous), but, honestly, I'd be shocked if it EVER gets checked; like, ever, in my life checked. I've towed heavy for years; because you're very rarely going above the speed limit towing, your chances of getting pulled to begin with are wildly small. Then getting pulled by someone who happens to know your home state requires a non-commercial CDL AND feels like writing a ticket for it? We're talking 1-million here, it's just not something that I'm worried about.

[falconhunter]

I had a non-commercial class A Texas drivers license for the last 11 years because I had a 4500 flatbed and a very heavy Carriage fifth wheel. My combined was well over 26,100 pounds. I recently in the last month dropped back down to a class C due to the fact that we are no longer full time and have a much lighter combined weight of 24,000 pounds. The class A was a pain for me. We changed our address 3 times in the last 11 years and also had to renew. All 4 times I had to either go in and personally get this done or send it in by mail. My wife who has a class C was able to do all this on line in a matter of minutes. No more class A for me but I'm 100% legal.

[SleepsInLakes]

No, he's going to look at it like a VA cop. I don't know if VA has a over 26K non commercial license, but, if they do, he's going to look for it on your out of state license. If not, he won't. The rule is basically this, if you're legal in your home state, you're legal across the country. So if you're home state doesn't have a problem with 26K+ on a standard license, well, you're golden everywhere. If they require a CDL or non-commercial CDL, well, you need to get that and then you're legal everywhere.

Yes, I am quite aware of all of that. What I said is my understanding is a Class C license is a Class C license whether you're from SC, VA, PA, MD or any number of states. That allows you to drive a single or combination of vehicles under the 26,001 limit. If your truck and trailer puts you over that limit then perhaps you need to upgrade. That's where it gets fuzzy. You seem to want to do what you want without considering what's required and that is your perogative for sure. If you know of a state that allows combination vehicles over 26k on a Class C license, I'd like to know of one. I'm always interested in learning more about this.

I wouldn't base my buying decision on the license requirements though. Honestly, even DMV doesn't know (at least my local DMV doesn't), what are the chances that a cop does, pulls you over, and then is looking at stickers to make sure you have the right license? Yes, I will get one just to cover my bases (but no way I'm risking my life to get one during COVID, that's ridiculous), but, honestly, I'd be shocked if it EVER gets checked; like, ever, in my life checked. I've towed heavy for years; because you're very rarely going above the speed limit towing, your chances of getting pulled to begin with are wildly small. Then getting pulled by someone who happens to know your home state requires a non-commercial CDL AND feels like writing a ticket for it? We're talking 1-million here, it's just not something that I'm worried about.

As for purchasing decisions, that's your right. I only know what I did. I simply didn't want the hassle of securing a PA Non-Commercial License for a weekend+ avocation. We don't full time.

I don't know why SC DMV doesn't know. A 3 second Google search leads to what appears to be their own website.

Looks like a Class F license would be required in SC to me, but again - I did not research heavily.

"A Class F license is required to drive non-commercial combination vehicles with a GVW more than 26,000 pounds. Class F vehicles are the same as Class E vehicles plus a towed trailer or vehicle. When you practice driving, you must be accompanied by an experienced licensed driver.

You must have prior driving experience, or have held a beginner's permit for the license you're interested in earning for at least 180 days, to apply."

6 months on a learner's permit! Holy crap. No thanks.

http://scdmvonline.com/Driver-Servic...---Classes-E-F

[mcrider2]

Hey all,

I live in Texas and am planning to purchase a Silverado 3500 as my new TV. Does Texas fall into the category of state that treats 1 ton trucks as commercial vehicles? Do I need a CDL if the truck is pulling a big 5th wheel?

Sorry if this question is naïve, but I'm new to HD trucks.

Thanks

I'm under the weight restrictions because one my 3500 GVWR is 13,025 lbs and my trailer's GVWR is 11,995 lbs combined GVWR is 25,020. So depending on the what the rating of your trailer and truck you may or may not need to get a Class A license. Currently I have a class C with motor cycle endorsement and that's all I need.

Hope this helps.