Truck and trailer rules in New Jersey: licence classes, name plate and trailer routing
What the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the Department of Transportation say about commercial licence classes at 26,001 pounds, the name plate on commercial vehicles, the 102 inch width and 53 foot trailer routing, and who issues oversize and overweight permits.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are pages of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) freight and trucking office. They name statutes and rules by number. Federal background and the other places are on the parent page, trucks and trailers for tree work.
At a glance
| Item | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Commercial licence | Class A at a combination rating of 26,001 pounds or more with a towed unit rated over 10,000 pounds; Class B at a vehicle rating of 26,001 pounds or more |
| Before a CDL | A basic New Jersey licence (Class D) first |
| Trailer brakes | Not published on the pages read |
| Safety chains | Not published on the pages read |
| Name plate | Owner or lessee name, municipality of main place of business and rated weight, letters at least 3 inches tall |
| Width, trailer length | 102 inch trucks and trailers over 48 feet up to 53 feet are routed by NJDOT; 96 inches or less has no statewide routing rule |
| Oversize, overweight | Permits issued by NJDOT for the MVC under N.J.A.C. 13:18, Subchapter 1 |
| Carrier number | A USDOT number for interstate travel |
Licence classes
The MVC says a person who wants to drive a truck or bus needs a Commercial Driver License, and must first hold a basic New Jersey licence (Class D). Renewal of a commercial licence must be done in person at a motor vehicle agency. The MVC lists Class A as any vehicle with a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 26,001 pounds or more that includes a towed unit rated over 10,000 pounds. Class B is any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, going by the rating, the registered weight or the actual weight, whichever is greater. Class C covers vehicles that carry placarded hazardous materials, vehicles built for 16 or more passengers including the driver, and certain school and for-hire passenger vehicles. The page defines the rating of a combination as the rating of the power unit plus the rating of the towed units. See the MVC page on the commercial driver licence.
NJDOT gives the same line in its licensing page: a commercial licence is required to drive a tractor trailer, or any truck or trailer with a combination rating over 26,001 pounds, or any vehicle carrying a placarded hazardous material. It adds that a USDOT registration number is required for interstate travel and that federal motor carrier safety regulations apply to both interstate and intrastate operations. The MVC page on eligibility lists the immigration documents it accepts for commercial permits, and says that under a federal rule effective March 16, 2026 a non-domiciled permit or licence is open only to certain holders of H-2A, H-2B and E-2 status.
Name plate, width and length
The NJDOT operating requirements page says a commercial vehicle must show the name of the owner, lessee or lessor, the municipality of its main place of business and its gross vehicle weight rating, in plain view and in letters at least 3 inches tall. Fleets of 50 or more commercial vehicles may show a corporate identification number instead. The page cites N.J.S.A. 39:4-46 for this. It also lists the permanent weigh stations on I-78, I-80, I-287 and I-295 and says portable scales are used.
The NJDOT routing FAQ says 102 inch wide trucks and double trailers are on New Jersey roads because of the federal Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, which required each state to designate a network for them. It says the state has never had statewide routing rules for trucks 96 inches wide or less, and that NJDOT has regulated trucks wider than 96 inches, trailers longer than 48 feet up to 53 feet and twin trailers since the early 1980s. A traffic order of December 11, 2002 restricts vehicles over 13 tons gross registered weight or gross vehicle weight rating from the Route 29 tunnel and from Route 29 between I-95 and Route 129. The page exempts emergency and government vehicles. For the section between Route 1 and I-95 it also exempts vehicles with an origin or final destination within three miles of Route 29, and vehicles making a pickup, delivery or service call on or within three miles of that section.
The page on oversize and overweight vehicles says NJDOT issues the permits for oversize vehicles, overweight vehicles, Code 23 registered trailers and annual ocean borne container permits on behalf of the MVC, under N.J.A.C. 13:18, Subchapter 1, through an online system called SUPERLOAD. The pages read give no fee or weight figure.
Sources
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, commercial driver licence classes, read October 9, 2026
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, getting your commercial driver licence (eligibility), read October 9, 2026
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, trucking licensing and registration, read October 9, 2026
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, trucking operating requirements, read October 9, 2026
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, truck routing frequently asked questions, read October 9, 2026
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, oversize and overweight vehicles, read October 9, 2026