Pennsylvania DOT Truck Regulations

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) issues regulations and guidelines for carriers and commercial vehicle operators in the Keystone state. These standards also to apply to commercial vehicles that transport goods and passengers in and out of state.

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania follows the U.S. Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act’s National Commercial Driver’s Licensing Program, as licensing standards in every state must comply with federal requirements. These requirements apply to drivers of interstate or intrastate commercial vehicles and their employers. The act affects commercial drivers who drive:

• Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of over 26,000 pounds.
• Vehicles designed to transport at least 16 people, including the driver.
• School buses.
• Commercial vehicles used to transport hazardous materials needing placarding.

Commercial drivers and their employers must meet certain requirements:

• Commercial drivers may have only one license. A Pennsylvania truck driver who has a license from another state violates state and federal law and must surrender it to PennDOT.

• Commercial drivers must inform PennDot and their employer of any out-of-state traffic convictions (no matter the vehicle they were driving at the time) within 30 days following the conviction.

• Commercial drivers must inform their employer if they’ve lost their driving privileges due to disqualification, suspension, revocation or cancellation by the end of the business day after the day they received notice of it.

• Anyone applying for a job as a commercial driver must notify their prospective employer of any employment as a commercial driver in the past 10 years.

Pennsylvania law specifies that commercial drivers have these license classifications:

• ‌Class A:‌ Issued to individuals at least 18 years old to operate any combination of commercial vehicles having a GVWR of at least 26,001 pounds if the GVWR of the towed vehicle is at least 10,000 pounds.

• ‌Class B:‌ Issued to individuals at least 18 years old to operate any single commercial vehicle with a GVWR of at least 26,001 pounds or a vehicle towing another that is not greater than 10,000 pounds.

• ‌Class C:‌ Issued to individuals at least 18 years old to operate any single commercial vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds if that vehicle transports hazardous materials and requires a placard, transports 16 or more people (including the driver), or is a school bus.

Drivers behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle weighing more than 10,000 pounds when conducting interstate commerce or 17,000 pounds when conducting intrastate commerce must have a valid medical examiner’s certificate. To drive a commercial vehicle interstate or with placarded hazardous materials, the driver must be at least 21 years old.

Commercial drivers in Pennsylvania must meet specific physical requirements. Non-Excepted Interstate Drivers (NI) operating a motor vehicle with a GVWR or gross combination weight rating (GCWR ) gross combination weight or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds must carry a medical examiner’s certificate or photocopy that states they are physically qualified to drive a commercial vehicle.

This medical certification must have occurred within the past 24 months.

If they are Non-Excepted Intrastate Drivers (NA) operating a commercial vehicle with a GVWR or gross combination weight rating (GCWR), gross combination weight, or gross vehicle weight of at least 17,001 pounds they must carry a medical examiner’s certificate or photocopy that states they are physically qualified to drive a commercial vehicle.

This medical certification must have also occurred within the past 24 months.

Driving while sleepy causes many crashes, injuries and fatalities. The FMCSA mandates hours of service (HOS) requirements preventing drivers from operating a commercial vehicle being fatigued.

FMCSA requirements are:

• Drivers can have 11 hours of driving time in a 14-hour driving window, which begins after they have 10 consecutive hours of not driving.
• Drivers must take a half-hour break when operating a commercial vehicle for eight consecutive hours.
• Drivers can operate a commercial vehicle for 60 hours in a seven-day workweek or 70 hours if the work week is eight days. The driver’s week is reset after they take at least 34 hours off.

Companies operating commercial vehicles when hauling cargo or transporting passengers interstate must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and have a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) number.

This identifies the commercial vehicle when monitoring the carrier's safety information during audits, inspections, accident investigations or compliance reviews.

Certain vehicles require USDOT numbers. They are vehicles that:

• Have a GCWR, gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight of 10,001 pounds or 4,536 kilograms, whichever is higher.
• Are used or designed to carry at least eight passengers, driver included.
• Are used or designed to carry at least 15 passengers, driver included, but do not collect compensation when transporting passengers.
  
• Are used to transport hazardous material in a quantity requiring placarding, per the Secretary of Transportation.

Interstate commerce is U.S. traffic, trade or transportation between a location in a state to a location outside of it; between two locations in a state but through another state or country; or between two locations in a state where traffic, trade or transportation originates or terminates outside of the state or country.

The FMCSA requires carriers and drivers to acquire a USDOT number and show compliance with all federal regulations.

Pennsylvania’s maximum gross weight allowed for all vehicles is 80,000 pounds of any weight combination. This weight limit is subject to the registered gross weight of the vehicle, as well as axle weight and wheel load requirements.

Additionally, Pennsylvania commercial vehicle drivers must be cognizant of road and bridge weight limitations in the state, which vary from place to place.