Hey, German here. What the f*** are Americans doing at the other side of the Atlantic? Some of you already know this monstrosity. I did’nt. This is a Ford F650 Truck and when I stepped out of my Youtube Bubble I realized, it was marketed as the “biggest, baddest Truck on the road” for the everyday American. Are you guys serious?! Is the end goal really to drive a Monster Truck to McDs to get a McFlurry? Americas bloodiest wars have been fought in the middle east to secure oil, bombing nations to rubble. And all, for this bullshit? The excess, waste and decadence is mind boggling to me and people on Reddit seriously justifying this by “you know dude I’m 6,4ft. I don’t fit in any other vehicle” makes me go up the wall.
An F650 has a GVWR of 26-29k lbs. A CDL is required for any vehicle over 26k
The GVWR varies, as it’s a modular truck, but the lowest is 25,600 according to Ford. Yes it can be higher and need a CDL, but that’s due to accessories.
Edit: That’s for the 2023 model. Previous model years, such as the 2022 have a GVWR of 22,000 - 26,000
Factory gvw doesn’t matter. What does matter is whether or not it has air brakes, the actual weight of the vehicle including what you are hauling, and the weight range you have insured it for. Your average F350 is legally capable of towing a combined weight of over 25000 lbs also, but you don’t need a CDL till you exceed 25000.
You don’t need a CDL if it’s 26,000lbs or lower. That’s the point I’m making. Just driving it, unloaded, without any heavy accessories like a dump bed or a rollback, a CDL is not required. So yes, someone could buy one of these and use it as their mall-crawler without a CDL. That may not be the intended use of the vehicle but it’s possible.
Requirements for the CDL vary by state. Don’t know what yours says, but in my own state of Wisconsin, it’s any one of:
Air brakes don’t enter into it, at least not here.
If you intend to operate a commercial vehicle with air brakes, you do have to take an air brake skills test in Wisconsin.