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MDT in Florida


DIESELSUBMARINER

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Hello Guys,

I'm still relatively new here, so please excuse the question, if it has been asked on here before.

 

From what I found out, Florida does not allow any HDT Trucks to be registered as a RV with a fifth wheel hitch.

So my second choice is a MDT.

I'd like to find a Peterbilt 330 crew cab conversion, rated at 26K gross weight. Alternative a Freightliner FL60...

Do you guys have any input in regards to regulation/ title/ 5th wheel in Florida ?

btw, I will be pulling a 40ft Teton

 

thanks a lot

 

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Remember that 26000 is GCWR (Truck And trailer) for class E license

 

The restrictions of an RV having a fifth-wheel is not a Class 8 issue, it is a truck issue in Florida.

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You have to be careful on how state laws relate to each other. FL 320.02 exempts all RVs from from anything more than a Class E License, or no weight considerations. It is in the definitions of what an RV is.

 

However a truck with a fifth-wheel falls under FL 320.01 2(11) (11) “Truck tractor” means a motor vehicle which has four or more wheels and is designed and equipped with a fifth wheel for the primary purpose of drawing a semitrailer that is attached or coupled thereto by means of such fifth wheel and which has no provision for carrying loads independently.

 

And Florida TL-13 goes into details as including photos of what can be licensed as an RV or not.

 

To summarize, in Florida you can drive a 32,000 motorhome with a Class E license. And you could license your truck separately as a truck under 26,001 lbs and drive it with a Class E license. But stick a trailer over 10,000 lbs or have a GCWR over 26,001 and a CDL becomes needed.

 

Some people have licensed HDTs in Florida because they found a clerk who didn't know what was going on. And again, MDTs and HDTs are treated the same in Florida. In fact LDTs can get into the same drivers licensing classes.

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Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
www.dmbruss.com

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Thanks for that info. I wonder then, how some people get way with pulling a large fifth wheel. If I for example take a 9000lbs f350 and hokk behind a 20.000lbs toy hauler rv, that would mean I would have to carry a CDL to pull it ?

So anybody that has a LDT 1 ton truck and pulls a larger fifth wheel over 17000lbs would be illigal ?

That don't make much sense to me, but I guess that's how the law reads ....

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Thanks for that info. I wonder then, how some people get way with pulling a large fifth wheel. If I for example take a 9000lbs f350 and hokk behind a 20.000lbs toy hauler rv, that would mean I would have to carry a CDL to pull it ?

So anybody that has a LDT 1 ton truck and pulls a larger fifth wheel over 17000lbs would be illigal ?

That don't make much sense to me, but I guess that's how the law reads ....

They are not illegal if they have a CDL - at least from the sections quoted in this thread.

 

I do not have any experience with Florida, but in California you can only tow a trailer up to 10000 lbs with a normal driver's license. You can drive any motorhome up to 40 feet in length, regardless of how it is equipped (ie air brakes) or how much it weighs on that same normal driver's license. It is all about how the law is written and who influences the people who write those laws.

 

In CA you can get an endorsement on your normal driver's license to tow a 5th wheel travel trailer up to 15000 lbs. However, if your 5th wheel grosses out more than 15000 lbs you have to have a Class A license no matter what. California does offer a non-commercial version of the Class A though. You don't have to go the full commercial license route because of this. Many people are unaware of these towing laws until they get stopped and cited by a LEO who does know.

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Does reciprocity with other states apply in the above examples of FL and CA?

 

I live in Idaho and have my rig licensed in ID. My MDT weighs 13K, I am licensed for 16K. My trailer weighs 17K with a gross weight of 22K. As I travel down the road with the RV, I weigh 30K. My drivers license is the standard issue, no special endorsements.

 

I buy a 16K license annually for my MDT. According to the DMV clerk, Idaho isn't concerned about my overall weight when I pull the RV because my RV license is considerably more expensive (due to value and weight considerations). She said if I pulled a trailer of ATVs that weighed 3K I would be OK because my weight would be within the 16K overall weight limit of my truck license. She advised if I pulled a load of ATVs weighing 4K, I would have to buy a higher weight license for the truck.

 

I asked for a copy of the weight ruling. I carry the ruling in my truck binder of official stuff. I have traveled extensively to other states (but not FL and CA). Never been stopped.

 

Do the states recognize licensing regarding RV weights of other states?

Warren & Sandy

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Does reciprocity with other states apply in the above examples of FL and CA?

 

I live in Idaho and have my rig licensed in ID. My MDT weighs 13K, I am licensed for 16K. My trailer weighs 17K with a gross weight of 22K. As I travel down the road with the RV, I weigh 30K. My drivers license is the standard issue, no special endorsements.

 

I buy a 16K license annually for my MDT. According to the DMV clerk, Idaho isn't concerned about my overall weight when I pull the RV because my RV license is considerably more expensive (due to value and weight considerations). She said if I pulled a trailer of ATVs that weighed 3K I would be OK because my weight would be within the 16K overall weight limit of my truck license. She advised if I pulled a load of ATVs weighing 4K, I would have to buy a higher weight license for the truck.

 

I asked for a copy of the weight ruling. I carry the ruling in my truck binder of official stuff. I have traveled extensively to other states (but not FL and CA). Never been stopped.

 

Do the states recognize licensing regarding RV weights of other states?

Generally yes, other states will recognize your home states licensing. In another thread I have going, I was stopped crossing into North Dakota for window tint being to dark of all things. Part of the roadside conversation was about my standard license issued by South Dakota to a PMB address. ND evidently has the 26001+lb rule that requires a class A or something license. The officer went to his computer and did a search on SD licensing.

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Licensing and registration are reciprocal between states. If your home state says you are legally licensed to drive your rig and your rig is properly registered in your home state, then you are good in all states.

2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift
2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard
2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan
2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage)
2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)
My First Solar Install Thread
My Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the build
My MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet!

chadheiser.com      West Coast HDT Rally Website

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I have never seen a tint meter and I don't think our department owns one. In CA it is illegal to apply any tint to the front passenger windows or the windshield. In other words, no aftermarket tint at all so no need for a meter. (There are a couple of exceptions to this, but none that really apply to everyday people.)

2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift
2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard
2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan
2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage)
2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)
My First Solar Install Thread
My Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the build
My MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet!

chadheiser.com      West Coast HDT Rally Website

event.png    

AZCACOIDIAKSMNMOMTNENVNMNDOKSDTNTXUTWYxlg.jpg

 

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  • 4 months later...

Don't get your apples confused with your oranges. What is being discussed here is a "drivers" license, not a towing license. When registered my rolling stock in the state of Florida I had a motor home. I was issued a license with the following endorsement: Class E - Any non-commercial vehicle with a GVWR less then 26001 lbs., or any RV.

 

I sold the MH and bought a 5th Wheel. The tag was based on "actual cost of the trailer". Two months later I bought a used truck and went down to register and tag it. I was asked "how much weight will you be carrying with this truck"? I started adding up the weight of my hitch, generator, hoses, ladders, etc and came up with "oh, about 300#'s". She sent a Deputy out with me to find "the sticker on the pillar post" and "see how much the truck can haul". Of course all the Deputy could find was things like GXWR, etc. and I just stood there pretending I had no idea what was going on, not offering any help. We went back inside and he told the clerk he couldn't find any information except axle weights. so she said that she would just charge me the least amount possible.

 

But I have heard of stories where guys have had to take "a different exam" for F350's, so in Florida, since you can tag your vehicles in any county my advice would be to call different offices and ask questions. When you find one to your liking, get your tags with them.

 

The first step should be to get a mailing address, mail forwarding company, campground, etc. then get your drivers license. Later, register your vehicles... and it doesn't have to be in the same county. Note: the first time you get a motorized vehicle registered, you have to take it down to the office so they can check the VIN number or get a cop to come out to your campground to verify the number. That takes some sweet talking but it can be done.

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