Hotshot GCWR Calculator and CDL Checker

How to read the result

• CDL verdict. "No CDL needed," "Class A CDL needed" or, for a truck rated 26,001 lb or more towing a light trailer, "Class B CDL needed."
• GCWR as the CDL rule counts it. Either the GCWR from your sticker or the ratings added up, whichever is higher, with actual weights used where they exceed the ratings.
• Ratings check. The loaded trailer against its GVWR, the truck plus estimated pin weight against the truck's GVWR, and, if you entered one, the combination against the sticker GCWR.
• Freight room left. How much more freight fits before the first rating is reached, and which rating that is.
• Headroom to Class A. On non-CDL setups, how much combination rating is left before the 26,001 lb line.

How it's calculated

• Trailer loaded = trailer empty weight + load weight
• Estimated pin weight = 15% of trailer loaded
• Truck loaded = truck weight + pin weight
• GCWR for the CDL rule = the greater of the sticker GCWR, or (the greater of truck GVWR and truck loaded) + (the greater of trailer GVWR and trailer loaded), per 49 CFR 383.5
• Class A when GCWR is 26,001 lb or more and the trailer's rating or weight is over 10,000 lb, per 49 CFR 383.91(a)(1)
• Class B when the truck alone is rated or weighs 26,001 lb or more, towing 10,000 lb or less
• Freight room = the smallest of: trailer GVWR minus trailer loaded; (truck GVWR minus truck loaded) ÷ 0.15; sticker GCWR minus combined weight

Assumptions

• Ratings come from the labels. Truck GVWR and any GCWR from the driver's door-jamb certification label; trailer GVWR from the trailer's VIN plate. Our weight limits guide shows how to read both.
• Weights come from a scale. Brochure curb weights are often lighter than a working truck with fuel, tools and a driver.
• Pin weight is an estimate. 15% follows Ford's 2026 towing guide for fifth-wheel trailers (Ford). A load placed forward raises it.
• Axle ratings aren't checked here. Check the rear axle's GAWR separately; it can bind before the truck's GVWR.
• Commercial status. At 10,001 lb or more in interstate commerce, any hotshot is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5, CDL or not.

How to use it before you accept a load

1. Enter your ratings once and copy the link; it saves them in the address.
2. When a load is offered, enter its weight. If the posting gives a range, use the top of it, or ask the shipper for the scale weight.
3. If the result says over a rating, pass on the load or ask for a lighter one.
4. If you're near a limit, weigh at a certified scale before you leave the shipper.

The rules behind the CDL line, and everything else a non-CDL setup still needs, are in the non-CDL hotshot requirements guide. Our dispatchers run this check on every load before it reaches you; see how hotshot dispatch works.