Class of Licence and Doubles Endorsement Clarification
| Entry Date | August 30, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Issue Number | 11-045-DRV |
| Name | Lt. Russ Christoferson |
| Agency | MT Dept. of Transportation - Motor Carrier Services Division |
| Address | 2701 ProspectHelena, MT, 59620United StatesMap It (opens in a new tab) |
| Phone | 406-431-1269 |
| [email protected] | |
| Committee | Driver-Traffic Enforcement Committee |
| Status | Closed |
| Summary of Issue | A truck tractor with a trailer (5th wheel attachment) is pulling a pickup with a GVWR of 8,000 lbs behind the trailer, attached by a towbar. The truck tractor and trailer are company owned vehicles being driven across country on the way to North Dakota to work in the oilfields. The pickup being towed is owned by the driver of the vehicle, and it is his personal pickup that he uses while off duty. |
| Justification or Need | Need clarification on whether or not the driver would require a doubles endorsement along with the Class A CDL. Interpretation Q2 in 383.93 talks about articulation points (2 in this case) and combined GVWR of the two trailers (trailer and pickup). So with this info, we contend that a doubles endorsement is required. The pickup however is a personal pickup of the driver and the question becomes whether it is a commercial vehicle or not. So the issue of whether or not a doubles endorsement is required, hinges on how to define the pickup. This is not just one isolated incident, but has been happening on a continuous basis with a large amount of trucks from all over the US heading to the oilfields in ND. |
| Request for Action | Just need some quidance. |