• Under federal rules, pickup trucks are regulated as CMVs if their weight or rating, with or without a trailer, is 10,001 pounds or more or the pickup transports enough hazardous materials to need a placard.

Many people assume that smaller vehicles like pickup trucks are automatically exempt from the rules, especially when they are used by a private company, don’t have air brakes, don’t require a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and stay close to home. But many pickups, especially when used to pull a trailer, are regulated as commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) because they are used for a business and they exceed the 10,001-pound threshold.

Four-part test

Complete this four-part test to see if a pickup is a CMV:

1. Look at the manufacturer’s rating plate. Is the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) 10,001 pounds or more?
2. Next look at the GVWR of the trailer(s) pulled with that truck, if any, and add that to the GVWR of the truck. Does it add up to 10,001 pounds or more?
3. When the vehicle (truck and trailer) is fully loaded with fuel and cargo and/or people and is driven over a scale, does it weigh 10,001 pounds or more?
4. Does the pickup ever transport enough hazardous materials that it needs a placard?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then the pickup — if used in commerce — is a CMV and compliance with hours of service (HOS), and lots of other safety rules, is required, especially if the vehicle crosses state lines. If the pickup stays within a single state, then it may be exempt in that state.

What if the trailer is unhooked and the answer to all four questions is “no”? Then the truck by itself is not a CMV under federal rules and the driver is exempt from HOS rules.