As truck owners and operators, we're awkwardly stumbling over outdated legislation, which simply doesn't fit today's reality. The current rule requiring a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) for vehicles with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) of 26,000lb or more is simply outdated and doesn't reflect the capabilities of modern vehicles. Passenger type trucks like a Ford F-250 are today built with higher GVWR's with higher towing capacities and are now becoming constricted by these dated regulations. Today a Ford F-250 Powrstroke has a safe towing capacity of 22,000lb with a GVRW of 10,800lb. limiting you trailer to a GVRW of 15,200. That is barley enough to accommodate a truck and trailer needed to pull a skid steer loader across town. We are now faced with the possibility that we will be required to have a class A CDL to pull a skid steer loader!

These regulations were conceived at a time when vehicle capabilities were significantly lesser than what they are today with advances and improvements in technology, making it safer for a non professional drivers to pull loads. This has resulted in truck and trailer combinations that were once never considered for CDL requirements now falling within that GCWR range. For example, a 2000 F-250 Powrstroke had a GVWR of 8,800lbs allowing a driver to pull a trailer with a 16,500lb GVWR for a GCWR of 25,300lbs without a CDL, but a 2022 Ford F-250 Powrstroke has a GVWR of 10,050 putting that same same trailer at a GCWR at 26,550lbs requiring a Class A CDL. As a result, numerous drivers find themselves inadvertently breaking the law as they get cited by state law enforcement for pulling loads that, by reasonable standards, shouldn't require a CDL.

We belive that there is no substantial argument to say that it is safer to pull a 14,000lb skid loader with a 2000 model truck vs a 2022 model, but that is what the outdated laws are forcing drivers that have no other reason for needing a CDL to do. We are advocating for a change so as to update the legislation and reflect the reality of modern vehicle capabilities. We need to revise the outdated weight limit that requires a CDL for vehicles with a GCWR of 26,000lb or more to a range closer to 37,000lbs, or concider a separate class of CDL. We need a revised law that will accommodate the local, non professional use of these types of vehicle combinations that is easier to obtain and maintain. It is overly burdensome to require a driver to possess the same Class A CDL, and be required to conform to the same operating regulations as a professional driver of a semi truck pulling loads across country. This isn't only about appropriateness but also about saving drivers from unnecessary legal issues. 

We urge every relevant authority to revisit and revise these outdated rules to fit today's standards and technology. Your support can make a significant difference in aligning laws with current vehicle capabilities and preventing drivers from unwarranted penalties. Please sign our petition to update the CDL weight limit laws.