I am thinking about picking up a 3 car hauler to move cars, trucks, motor cycles ect to pull behind a one ton truck. In process I am trying to get all my ducks in a row of all the rules, regulations and requirments.

I have found some government web sites that is nothing but 100 pages worth of lawyer talk. Does anyone know a good easy to understand place to read up on this? Some of the things I would like to know are

-hours allowed to drive
-insurance requirments
-equipment requirements
-driver license requirments
-general regulations

Also if a truck has and GVWR of 10300 and a tow rating of 13500 do you add those two numbers together to get a total combined legal weight or is is figured different from that.

Thanks in advance for any direction

I am thinking about picking up a 3 car hauler to move cars, trucks, motor cycles ect to pull behind a one ton truck. In process I am trying to get all my ducks in a row of all the rules, regulations and requirments.

I have found some government web sites that is nothing but 100 pages worth of lawyer talk. Does anyone know a good easy to understand place to read up on this? Some of the things I would like to know are

-hours allowed to drive
-insurance requirments
-equipment requirements
-driver license requirments
-general regulations

Also if a truck has and GVWR of 10300 and a tow rating of 13500 do you add those two numbers together to get a total combined legal weight or is is figured different from that.

Thanks in advance for any direction


I have a friend that does car hauling..I believe he said he can not exceed 26k total with his 1 ton and can go a bit more with his F450 I think 28k..I do know you have to have 1 million in insurance coverage rated commercial..I wish you the best if you do this...right now the repo buisness is booming..:D I put a few calls in the the banks that finance planes here locally...I might be fetching a few here shortly..:yes:

The federal rules for CDL driver's license are this........

You can not exceed 26,000 pounds G.V.W.
26,001 requires a class B CDL.

If you pull a trailer in excess of 10,000 pounds, you will be required to have a class A CDL

Most of these car haulers are overweight when they haul three cars. You are NOT required to keep a log book or stop at weigh stations if you don't have a CDL. The DOT cops have little say over these trucks (which is why they are more popular than a 10-12 car hauler) I'm not sure about insurance on these trucks. I used my standard auto insurance when I hauled cars for the business. I was playing with fire and was pretty darned lucky nothing happened. I don't recommend you do this.

Check with you insurance carrier to see what exactly will be involved with getting commercial insurance. It wasn't a big deal as I recall, just more money I didn't have to spend at the time. Good luck!

You do have to have a Physical if your truck is plated for 10,000 lb or more. I just paid a $150 fine for one of our guys driving a 1 ton with an operatore license. Laws been on the books since 1988 never inforced til now. (this may be specific to Indiana).

The federal rules for CDL driver's license are this........

You can not exceed 26,000 pounds G.V.W.
26,001 requires a class B CDL.

If you pull a trailer in excess of 10,000 pounds, you will be required to have a class A CDL

Most of these car haulers are overweight when they haul three cars. You are NOT required to keep a log book or stop at weigh stations if you don't have a CDL. The DOT cops have little say over these trucks (which is why they are more popular than a 10-12 car hauler) I'm not sure about insurance on these trucks. I used my standard auto insurance when I hauled cars for the business. I was playing with fire and was pretty darned lucky nothing happened. I don't recommend you do this.

Check with you insurance carrier to see what exactly will be involved with getting commercial insurance. It wasn't a big deal as I recall, just more money I didn't have to spend at the time. Good luck!

I never understood this..If I pull a trailer weighing over 10k, I have to have CDL...my fifth wheel camper weighs 14320 dry weight..but because it's not for COMMERCIAL use and has private tag I don't need CDL..I comment on this because there's alot of dumb@sses out there that pull these things down the highway and don't even have clue of the risk and dangers envolved if something where to happen..:(

Most states have begun to crack down on this industry. Being in the trucking industry, I see a lot more "hotshots" at weigh stations getting scrutinized by DOT than I do big trucks. As far as requirements, If you pull or drive a vehicle in a commercial capacity, whether it be a pickup or an 18-wheeler, you are required to stop at weigh stations and follow all DOT regulations, including log books. If you cross state lines in a commercial vehicle, you are required to have a current DOT physical. You will also need an IFTA permit and be apportioned, which requires you to prorate mileage per state and pay appropriate fuel taxes due to each state quarterly. You will also need a DOT number which gives you authority to operate your commercial vehicle in other states. You can also visit the USDOT website. They will give you a shopping list of requirements needed to start. You could also get around all of this by putting "Private Carrier Not For Hire" on your truck, but you are playing with snakes as far as insurance and the DOT goes. As far as hours, you are allowed a 14 hour day, which consists of 11 driving and 3 hrs on-duty/not driving. The 3 hrs. is for loading cargo and fuel stops. After 14 hrs., you must be off duty for 10 hours. You can work up to 70 hours/wk before tou have to take a 34 hour restart, which means you cannot drive your commercial vehicle during this time. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

good info guys keep it comming

Most states have begun to crack down on this industry. Being in the trucking industry, I see a lot more "hotshots" at weigh stations getting scrutinized by DOT than I do big trucks. As far as requirements, If you pull or drive a vehicle in a commercial capacity, whether it be a pickup or an 18-wheeler, you are required to stop at weigh stations and follow all DOT regulations, including log books. If you cross state lines in a commercial vehicle, you are required to have a current DOT physical. You will also need an IFTA permit and be apportioned, which requires you to prorate mileage per state and pay appropriate fuel taxes due to each state quarterly. You will also need a DOT number which gives you authority to operate your commercial vehicle in other states. You can also visit the USDOT website. They will give you a shopping list of requirements needed to start. You could also get around all of this by putting "Private Carrier Not For Hire" on your truck, but you are playing with snakes as far as insurance and the DOT goes. As far as hours, you are allowed a 14 hour day, which consists of 11 driving and 3 hrs on-duty/not driving. The 3 hrs. is for loading cargo and fuel stops. After 14 hrs., you must be off duty for 10 hours. You can work up to 70 hours/wk before tou have to take a 34 hour restart, which means you cannot drive your commercial vehicle during this time. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

I didn't know all that. I guess it has been a while since I made any big runs. Whew, I guess I was luckier than I thought!

Most scales I,ve seen have sign "if over 10000lbs must weigh" (only rvs excluded) even saw some sign 8000 must weigh. If the scales do a random check you should also have fire extinguisher, and reflective triangles for if any breakdown. Go to DMV and get a CDL book for drivers liscense that will also give you alot of info.

All this, but my one eyed wheelchair riding grandma can fly down the interstate in a 45' class A motor home, eating a sandwich and drinking a coffee, with her ugly little dog on her lap and nobody cares. Go figure.:wacko: