On October 26, 1986, Congress passed the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. This law requires each state to meet the same minimum standards for commercial driver licensing. The standards require commercial motor vehicle drivers to get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). You must have a CDL to operate any of the following commercial motor vehicles:
Class A Any combination of vehicles with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more provided the GVWR of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds. May also operate a three-wheel vehicle (excluding a two-wheel motorcycle with a side car).
Class B Any single unit vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR. May also operate a three-wheel vehicle (excluding a two-wheel motorcycle with a side car).
Class C Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that are not Class A or B vehicles, but either designed to transport sixteen or more passengers including the driver, or is used in the transportation of materials found to be hazardous for the purposes of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and which require the motor vehicle to be placarded under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR part 172, subpart F). May also operate a three-wheel vehicle (excluding a two-wheel motorcycle with a side car).
South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 56-1-2030, Item 16, defines gross vehicle weight rating as:
Gross vehicle weight rating means the actual weight or the value specified by the manufacture as the maximum loaded weight of a single or a combination vehicle. The gross vehicle weight rating of a combination vehicle (referred to as gross combination weight rating) is the gross vehicle weight rating of the power unit plus the gross vehicle weight rating of the towed unit.