Advice on 3 car trailer for non CDL?

A 3 car with a driver in it is bankruptcy waiting to happen.

 

If your doing interstate commerce, you need to check on the CDL even under the 26K. Never been a car hauler, but where are you going to find 3 cars that weigh less than 18K? whats the truck & trailer weigh?

 

Curb weight is irreverent. It's based on Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The F-350 will have something between 12.5k and 14k GVWR, which puts it in CMV territory. You will need DOT number (or lease to someone that does), commercial insurance, driver qualification file. The driver will need a med card and keep logs (even if not needing a CDL, which he will)
I did a quick search, and the 3 car trailers I'm finding have a GVWR of 14K-18K lbs. If the GCVWR (C is combined, meaning trailer and truck) is more than 26k lbs, that puts it in Class A CDL needed.

Heck, I was kinda mislead at the beginning. Curb weight does matter, but only if it's more that the weight rating. Say you find a lightweight trailer, and the truck is on the lighter side too. Say both GCVWR is 26k or less. Well, if, once you load 3 cars on the trailer, you are over the GCVWR, not only do you trigger the full must have for license and the like, you also will be overweight and put OOS until that is fixed.

 

North Carolina requires CDL class A if the trailer rating is 10k lbs or more regardless of Gross combine weight. Even if it is empty, you still need Class A. There are signs saying this at all of their DMV and I confirmed it with a few of NC State troopers.

Other states may be different. It is much much easier to just get irp plates, and get Class A license.

My previous 1 ton pickup and 3 car wedge setup was as light as it can be and still weigh in at almost 15k empty. Putting on the 3rd car will get it over 26k. My setup was 2002 ford f350 with no truckbed and stock fuel tank and Kaufman 3 car wedge trailer with only 2 single tire axles. I was shocked that the actual weight was so high.

 

No I cannot. I simply don't know what is required. OOIDA will be a good place to find the answers. You might have to become a member to get everything you need, but they do have a lot of free information available at their website of Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, Trucking Association

Because they are like locust. By the time one gets shut down 10 more pop up, Usually the same ones with new numbers. But DOT does pull them in all the time, when they are found. It's just most know not to go near the scales.

They might not enforce it at the DMV, but their CDL manual follows federal regs and requires the GCVRW to be 26k.
Here is a link to the CDL manual, it's on page 8. https://www.ncdot.gov/download/dmv/handbooks_CDLmanual.pdf

Class A Combination Vehicles. Any combination of vehicles with gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds falls in Group A provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is more than 10,000 pounds.

 

DOT seems to be targeting the duallies finally. Checking licensing, IRP, IFTA(where required) gross & axle weights. Which would think should trigger an audit if enough is found road side?
But you are correct. As soon as one gets out of business, 10 more pop up. New numbers, different logo, same bs.