Hauling a four wheeler behind a fifth wheel

[surfbeetle]

The advice to check with the states you plan to go through is the best advice. I can tell you in CA you do in fact need a commercial class 1 with double and tripples. I know because I have the license and pull a utility trailer behind my fifth wheel. I also have read that if your license from your home state allows a certain combo, it may be allowed in a different state, provided that state also allows that type of combo. This means that if you can pull a double trailer and not have a class 1 in your home state, it may be allowed in a state you are visiting, only if they allow doubles also. But you should check first.

 

[HBarlow]

1st I dont know what a class 1 lic is and Ive been in the transportation industry and licensed to drive ANYTHING for over 20 years. I have a class A commercial with all endorsment except hazmat. 2nd DOT laws dont apply to recreational vehicles used for personal recreational use. Now if you are a RV puller and try to pull two trailers then you best be properly permited. What you are asking about is perfectly legal to do and is done on a regular basis. DOT cops don't ever look twice at RVs. You can drive as big an RV as you can afford pulling as many ATVs as you can, with no med card, no large vehicle driving test, no eye or hearing test, and there is not a DOT out there that could care less, except in Calif, all bets are off when you cross that line!

You are wrong about your own home state!

Texas requires a Class A Operator license for towing RVs or driving motorhomes with GCW or GCWR exceeding 26k lbs. Look it up online or in a copy of the Texas Driver Handbook.

 

[surfbeetle]

More than 20 years ago, in my home state, California, the Class designation for licenses was 1,2,3. Then about the time that all of the states started to attempt to standardize licensing, it went to A,B,C so excuse my use of Class 1 instead of Class A. Yes here in Ca, if you want to tow a fifth wheel RV that is over 15,000 pounds, you need a medical card. If that trailer is over a certain length, then I think you need the non commercial class A. Since I have a commercial Class A and doubles and triples, I two a fifth wheel and a utility trailer behind it. But I have only done so in my state.

 

[Grizzly]

I am planning an elk hunt to colorado and am wondering if I can tow a 5x10 trailer with a four wheeler on it behind a 28ft fifth wheel. I will be going from Arkansas though oklahoma, texas, and new mexico to reach colorado. What do ya'll think.

Go for it. Just don't back up.

 

[BIGNASTY]

More than 20 years ago, in my home state, California, the Class designation for licenses was 1,2,3. Then about the time that all of the states started to attempt to standardize licensing, it went to A,B,C so excuse my use of Class 1 instead of Class A. Yes here in Ca, if you want to tow a fifth wheel RV that is over 15,000 pounds, you need a medical card. If that trailer is over a certain length, then I think you need the non commercial class A. Since I have a commercial Class A and doubles and triples, I two a fifth wheel and a utility trailer behind it. But I have only done so in my state.

This was about the same time that I had to drop ALL of my OTHER licenses and just get one. Dam DOT took all the fun out of trucking with the CDL crap.

 

[GAmes]

Yes here in Ca, if you want to tow a fifth wheel RV that is over 15,000 pounds, you need a medical card. If that trailer is over a certain length, then I think you need the non commercial class A. Since I have a commercial Class A and doubles and triples, I two a fifth wheel and a utility trailer behind it. But I have only done so in my state.

Just to set the record straight, In CA for TTs over 10,000 GVWR and 5ers over 15,000 GVWR residents are required to have a non-commercial class A. No med card required. You do have to have a CDL-A to pull recreational doubles, so you are good there. If you go to AZ or NV the doubles are legal, but not in OR. Doesn't matter what kind of DL you have.

 

[BIGNASTY]

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648.pdf This is the info I found online looks pretty self explanatory to me Page 2 So to get a comm. Class A you WILL need a med card. or cirt. dont know the difference and it dosen't matter I have the reg comm. lic. and Double/triples endorsement/air brakes/tanker/ la de la de la de daaaa Its all a joke anymore. There are people that should not be permitted to walk and they can drive anything.

 

[surfbeetle]

So in CA, as Bignasty pointed out via the link to the PDF, you need medical form DL 546 to be filled out for your Non Comm Class A. Form DL 546a I believe is the number used on the medical form for commercial classes that has to be filled out by a doctor. Since I have had my commercial license for 22 years, I didn't pay all that much attention to the difference between the two forms, 546 and 546a, I thought they were one and the same. In any event, the doc that Bignasty linked to also states in it that if your 546a form is not updated every two years, then you are restricted to a class c. Either way, if you are worried about what you can tow/drive, just get the highest license level and be done with it.

 

[BIGNASTY]

So in CA, as Bignasty pointed out via the link to the PDF, you need medical form DL 546 to be filled out for your Non Comm Class A. Form DL 546a I believe is the number used on the medical form for commercial classes that has to be filled out by a doctor. Since I have had my commercial license for 22 years, I didn't pay all that much attention to the difference between the two forms, 546 and 546a, I thought they were one and the same. In any event, the doc that Bignasty linked to also states in it that if your 546a form is not updated every two years, then you are restricted to a class c. Either way, if you are worried about what you can tow/drive, just get the highest license level and be done with it.

The problem with attaining the highest license is that ITS A BITC* TO GET THEM. And costly Im glad I got mine way back. They made me take the test drive to an old dock back to it drive back to the DMV . IM A TRUCK DRIVER !!!!! Now I dont think I could pass the test the written is no problem ANY ILLEGAL CAN DO THAT it's the pre and post trip and all the other BS and the cost for a school if you dont have someone that has a truck.

 

[surfbeetle]

I hear you on that one. My first commercial license was driving a school bus and in California, you get to take the written and driving test with the highway patrol every renewal plus you need several hours of classes every year to stay current. You get pretty good at doing the pretrip and airbrake tests with all of that.