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If you have air brakes on your rig you have to have an air brakes endorsement on your driver's license..This is a Federal requirement..doesn't matter if you have a CDL or not..As alot of folks have found out, air brakes don't work like hydraulic brakes..

Stick,
I live in California. We have an old International Loadstar 1700 at work. It has air brakes. The clean-up man was required to drive this rig and the endorsement wasn't something management wanted to deal with. This whole issue was related not to the fact the rig had air brakes, but to it's GVW. I took the truck to our tire shop where they replaced the front tires with a tire of a lower rating, thus reducing the front axle capacity,which in turn reduced the GVW of the truck. The truck was then taken to a repair facility that had a state issued license to re-certify the the GVW and restamp the tag on the door.

I have used the term GVW, but I don't know if that is the proper name for the value that was changed. In this case, the different tires made the max capacity of the truck less which negated the need for an endorsement.


Stuart.

I'm unclear here I thought air brake endorsement was required even if a cdl was not. So this is interesting.

kb3csw,
I am as unclear as you and I posted the darn info! I facilitated the deal with the derating of the truck, and I know how it was accomplished, with the tires etc, but now I'm not sure why we did it! I might have been mistaken and it was to bring the GVW down to circumvent the need for a class A license which would require the yearly physical. The truck was derated but still has the air brakes. I am it's only driver now and I don't have a commercial license. I have been stopped by the CHP and they were not concerned about the class of my license.

Stuart.

That's how I read your "de-rating" of the truck-to lower it's actual weight rating to a point where it wouldn't require a CDL. Good thinking! I'll have to try that on the '41 Mack tractor/trailer I recently found. And I think it's still hydraulic brakes,so the air brake endorsement won't be an issue.
BTW-what do you haul on that rig? It occurred to me even if I get by the CDL issue with that Mack,it's likely to stir things up for me to be seen hauling a bunch of old cars around on it.
Speed

speed,

We haul "hogfuel", which is scrap wood that has been through a hog. This material is burned at a cogeneration facility to produce electricity.


Stuart.

Hogfuel???!!!!learn something new ever day,Brian

The laws here in Canada might be different than in the U.S. but this is what we have in the province I live in. Our "National Safety Code" is supposed to standardize things across the country. Some day.

-anyone operating any vehicle equipped with air brakes must have their licence endorsed. Obtaining the endorsement involves a written theory test and a practical exam on the vehicle. Also requires demonstrating a brake adjustment on a manual slack adjuster, verbal only on an automatic slack adjuster.
I've seen lots of new motorhomes etc. which are now equipped with air brakes.
Vehicle GVW, number of axles etc. is not a factor.

- the only exceptions are farmers with 2 or 3 axle trucks only ( power unit/semi trailer must test), fire apparatus, and "air assisted hydraulic' systems.

In some jurisdictions a "CDL" type licence includes the air endorsement, some do not and it must be obtained separately although usually done as part of the CDL test.

Don't just guess at what your jurisdiction requires and don't take chances you aren't properly licenced. Fines here for out of adjustment slack adjusters start at $150 per wheel. ( 3axle power unit/2 axle semi trailer= 10x $150= $1500.00). Any investigation of a collision involving an air brake equipped vehicle will start with the brake adjustment.

Its not difficult or expensive to get an air endorsement here. $25.00 in test costs and the practical exam is less than 1/2 hour of your time.

Don't be afraid to call your local driver examiner for information.

The GVw of the vehicle has nothing to do with the air brake endorsement..If the vehicle has air brakes, you have to have the endorsement on your license, even if it's not a CDL...

The reply from Dave64 pretty well sums up the requirements here in the states, except the test is only a written one down here...

If you do have an accident and your rig has air brakes, the adjustment iof the brakes will be checked first and if youn don't have an air brake endorsement , the fines can run into several thousand $$, depending on where you have the problem..

To get the endorsement, you read the book, take the test, its not a major deal...

Geoff

I was wundering about that Hog Fuel myself so I did some poking around online:

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Hog Fuel

Biomass fuel that has been prepared by processing through a "hog" - a mechanical shredder or grinder. If produced by primary forest industries, it usually consists of a mixture of bark and wood often with sawdust, shavings or sludge mixed in and is generally wet and fibrous with a high ash content. Also produced from secondary materials such as pallets, construction or demolition wood yielding a dry, mostly wood fuel but often with significant contaminant inorganics.

http://www.canren.gc.ca/prod_serv/index.asp

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A specific grade of ground up wood and bark. It varies in size but is generally between ½” and 6” screen size. In the Pacific Northwest, hog fuel from CDL recycling facilities is generally used to fuel boilers for the wood and paper processing or other industries.

http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/construction-recycling/cdl-definitions.asp

This topic is very interesting... I have air brakes on my 1945 GMC COE and don't have and never have had to have a CDL or air brake indorsement. I have 'Farm tags' on it and it has always been licensed that way. I use it to haul my D4 cat and have crossed the scales carrying 36,000 lbs. of green myrtle wood logs. The weighmasters only concern was as to whether my tires would hold the weight. I've always contacted the Farm Bureau, local DMV and have shown the truck to many weighmasters and State Police, all of them have never mentioned anything special about having an 'air brake indorsement'. My COE is set up as a flat bed with beavertail and also as a tractor to pull a trailer with air brakes. The only thing about 'Farm tags' is I can't haul anything for hire. Can someone point me to the Federal law that is being talked about? I live in Oregon and have never heard of this.

As I said before, check with your local DMV to be sure. I did check out the Oregon DMV website and found this about farm vehicles with air brakes.........

"Farm Endorsement




Persons may obtain a farm endorsement on a Regular Driver License (non-commercial Class C), Provisional (non-commercial Class C) Driver License, or any Commercial Driver License (CDL).
This endorsed license authorizes the operation of commercial motor vehicles when:

Controlled or operated by a farmer;
Used to transport agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to and from a farm;
Not used in the operation of a common or contract motor carrier; and
Operated within 150 miles of the farmer’s farm.
A farm endorsement does include vehicles equipped with air brakes and/or hauling hazardous materials.

A farm endorsement does not allow the transportation of farm workers or other passengers. If the driver transports passengers, a CDL with a passenger endorsement is needed."

This sounds like it covers you but again. check with your DMV!!

Hey Oly,
Got any recent pictures of the old girl doin' her thing?
Scott

This is what I was questioning. As I said, no one has ever mentioned this requirement to me.

48bigtrucks, sorry but I don't have any pics. I have had the truck and worked it since 1980. I'm the second owner and driver. The orignal owner bought it and drove it home in 1945. He died while sleeping in 1960. It set in a corner of his truck and cat shop until I found it in 1980. All I wanted it for was for hauling cats, skidders and logs. Although it has hauled firewood, small cabins, burls and anything else I want to throw at it. I've always considered it to be the best work truck ever, bar-none.

I should have it back to 'working condition' by this next summer (I will need it) and will have Cindy take some pics for ya then. I have never thought of it as a show rig, just a work rig.

Just recently, a fellow with an old fire engine with the 308 engine in it, that heard about my truck on another truck site, sent me an email about a complete gasket set for the 308 on E-bay. I got it and it an original gasket set. Whew, thought I would never find one. I also had an air can that was real bad and grumpy GL sent me two. What a great guy for sure.

This old truck will still be running when we are all long gone, that's for sure.

Thanks Oly,
I'm looking forward to the pictures. I would rather see pictures of work trucks over beauty queens anyway. I got a soft spot for the big trucks, especially the really big trucks.
Take care,
Scott

remember the cdl requirements start at 26,000 unless you are exempt. (agriculture, etc.)

be sure to check state laws, and perhaps the cmvsa website for exemptions. even if your truck does not have air brakes, but weighs in over 26,000, you MAY have to have a cdl.

i can't see anybody hassling the owner of a classic truck, but i'm sure they are out there.

there ought to be an exemption for classic vehicles.

I am by no means a CDL expert, I would suggest checking with your local DMV also. Here in Maryland, I hold a Non commercial B drivers license. Maryland will allow two classes of motor vehicles (trucks) exempt of CDL. Farm trucks and Fire Trucks. I am a driver to the local FD and drive trucks that if they were registered as regular commercial truck I would need a CDL to drive. I just purchased a 1966 GMC 8500 w/ air brakes and I asked about the air brakes on the truck and the MVA office told me that is not a problem in the state of MD. As a matter of fact the GVW of the truck was dropped to “N/A” once I registered it as historic, and the anyone with a valid MD drivers license could drive the truck. Maryland has a "Historic Vehicles" class tag if makes no difference if the vehicle is a semi or bug as long as it is 25 years old or older the tag and the tag fee are the same. That is not to say that if my truck is involved in a accident that the brakes will not be looked at, I am SURE that they will be looked like any other truck on the road.

Where is Stick with the federal law?

I have been hassled by the local cops before about stupid stuff, like mudflaps (not required here for over-55 yrs old non-commercial) and turnsignals (not required until 1955). I try to be polite, but cops never like it when they are wrong.

My boss has an old MCI bus motorhome that he had to get an endorsement for the air brakes, but no CDL since it's a lightweight

I would be interested to know the federal law, even though I have juice brakes and a GVW of 16,000.

Reuben