The 26K GCWR is more geared towards a straight truck, as once your towing a trailer over 10K GVWR, your already not legal. My old hauling setup was a 84' Chevy C-70 rollback truck. It weighed 12K, My old 873 weight 7300lbs putting me up to 19,300lbs. I was legal but was hard to get the truck inspected and it wouldn't get out of its own way. Wish I still had it for moving dead things though. Don't miss the $100 a month insurance for it and registering it as a flatbed and not a tow truck. DOT could of had a ball with me if I had gotten stopped.
It's interesting that NYS has taken that view, as that would not be true in many states following the FMCSA. From the FMCSA:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pursuant to Federal standards, States issue CDLs and CLPs to drivers according to the following license classifications:
Class A: Any combination of vehicles which has a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) whichever is greater, inclusive of a towed unit(s) with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) whichever is greater.
Class B: Any single vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 11,794 or more kilograms (26,001 pounds or more), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight that does not exceed 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds).
Class C: Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is transporting material that has been designated as hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 and is required to be placarded under subpart F of 49 CFR Part 172 or is transporting any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My state (MO) follows this scheme for interstate commerce but actually is even less restrictive intrastate for certain categories- for instance if a vehicle is MO farm-tagged, I believe the limit is 36,000 pounds before a CDL is required.