Do you need a CDL to drive any vehicle under 26000 pounds in North Carolina?

Answer 1

If it's a bus designed to transport more than 15 persons (including the driver), it requires a CDL appropriate to the weight rating of the vehicle with a P (Passenger) endorsement. For a school bus, the passenger endorsement must first be obtained, then a background check must be completed for the "S" - school bus - endorsement.

If it's a vehicle transporting any quantity of hazardous materials which requires the placards to be displayed (in accordance with CFR49), then the vehicle requires a CDL with a H (Hazardous Materials) endorsement. If it's a tanker vehicle hauling hazmat, the X endorsement must be held (X is a combination of "H" - hazmat - and "N" - tanker... some states show these endorsements separately, but North Carolina combines them into the X endorsement, although, IIRC, you still pay for two endorsements).

For a vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 26,000 lbs. or less which requires a CDL under the conditions described above, there is the Class C CDL. Likewise, a holder of a Class B or Class A could operate such a vehicle, provided they held the endorsements.

These laws do not vary between states - CDLs are federally regulated, and those regulations blanket all US states and territories.