Do I need a CDL to haul cars? Check your truck and trailer.
Put in the weight ratings from the truck's door sticker and the trailer's VIN plate. The calculator applies the federal thresholds and shows what your setup needs: CDL, USDOT number and medical card, insurance minimum, IFTA and IRP, and the heavy vehicle use tax.
Updated 6 October 2026·Federal rules: 49 CFR 383, 387, 390, 391
Your setup
Combined weight is the larger of the two ratings added together and the weighed weight. If the truck's manufacturer lists a GCWR, use whichever is higher. A guide to the federal rules, not legal advice; intrastate rules are set by your state.
How the rule works
- Class A CDL: the combination is rated or weighs 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb. Both conditions, not either.
- Class B CDL: a single vehicle rated 26,001 lb or more, towing a trailer rated 10,000 lb or less.
- The weighed weight counts too. A setup rated under 26,001 lb that actually weighs more on the scale needs a Class A.
That is why the trailer's rating decides most hotshot setups: a 14,000 lb trailer behind an 11,500 lb truck is 25,500 lb and non-CDL; an 18,000 lb gooseneck behind the same truck is 29,500 lb and Class A, even with one car on it. Trailer types and their ratings.
Non-CDL is a number on two plates, not the size of the truck.
Without a CDL you still need
A truck or combination of 10,001 lb or more hauling cars for hire across state lines is a commercial motor vehicle: a USDOT number and operating authority, a DOT medical card for the driver, logs on an ELD if the driver has to keep them, and $750,000 of liability on file. Hotshot car hauling and how to start a car hauling business go through each one.
Common questions
Do I need a CDL to haul cars with a pickup?
Only if the truck and trailer together are rated or weigh 26,001 lb or more and the trailer is rated over 10,000 lb; then it is a Class A. A pickup rated 11,500 lb with a 14,000 lb trailer is 25,500 lb and non-CDL, as long as it never weighs more on the scale. The same truck with an 18,000 lb trailer needs a Class A.
What is the maximum weight for a non-CDL car hauler?
Under 26,001 lb combined, counting the larger of the two ratings added together and the actual weight, unless the trailer is rated 10,000 lb or less, in which case no Class A is needed whatever the combination.
Does a non-CDL hotshot need a DOT number?
Yes, if the truck or combination is 10,001 lb or more and you haul for hire across state lines. It also needs operating authority, $750,000 of liability insurance on file, a DOT medical card for the driver and logs on an ELD if the driver has to keep them.
Know the setup. Now know what each load nets.
Free for one truck, forever. Board, dispatch and the driver app, no card.