Speccing talent trailers for a production?
Send the location, dates and how many rooms you need. We quote the unit and tell you plainly what licence class moving it requires, so the driver is in the budget from the start.
The cost question about star wagons is almost always asked as a day rate, and the day rate is the part that behaves predictably. The line that moves budgets is who is legally permitted to tow the thing, because under federal rules that is frequently a Class A CDL holder, and that is a person you hire rather than a task you assign.
Why this page has no price list
An earlier version carried twenty-one separate cost ranges. None of them came from a published rate card, because there is no published rate card for star wagon rental. Rates move with market, season, distance, unit configuration and production type.
So instead of reprinting invented ranges, this page covers the part that is fixed, published and checkable: the federal licensing thresholds that decide who may move the unit, and the cost lines that follow from them.
The two numbers that decide the licence
49 CFR 383.91 sorts commercial vehicles into three groups. Group A, the one most star wagon setups land in, is defined as "Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds)."
Two conditions, both required. The combination has to reach 26,001 pounds, and the thing being towed has to exceed 10,000 pounds on its own rating. A large talent trailer behind a heavy tow vehicle typically satisfies both without difficulty.
| Group | Trigger, per 49 CFR 383.91 | What it looks like on a production |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | GCWR of 26,001 lbs or more, AND towed unit(s) over 10,000 lbs GVWR | The typical star wagon on a heavy tow vehicle. This is the licence most production trailers actually require. |
| Group B | Single vehicle of 26,001 lbs GVWR or more, or that vehicle towing 10,000 lbs GVWR or less | A heavy straight truck, or a heavy truck pulling something light. A Group B holder cannot take a Group A combination. |
| Group C | Neither A nor B, but designed for 16+ passengers including the driver, or carrying hazardous materials | Large crew shuttles. Catches you on seat count rather than weight. |
Do this before you book anything
Read the GVWR off the plate on the trailer and the plate on the tow vehicle. Add them for the combination figure. If the total reaches 26,001 and the trailer alone exceeds 10,000, you need a Class A holder, and nobody on the crew with an ordinary licence can legally move that unit even across a car park. Two numbers, two minutes, and it is the difference between a plan and a problem.
Class B is not a near-miss, it is a different licence
Group B covers "Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) GVWR." A driver holding Class B can move a heavy straight truck, and can tow something light behind it.
What that driver cannot do is take a combination where the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds. The two groups are not a scale of experience, they are separate authorisations, and a production that has "a CDL driver" available has not necessarily got the right one.
The question to ask, precisely
Not "do you have a CDL" but "do you hold Class A." A driver answering yes to the first question in good faith may be a Class B holder, and the trailer sitting behind their truck is the thing that makes the difference. Confirm the class, not the acronym.
Sixteen seats catches your crew shuttle too
Group C is the one nobody expects, because it has nothing to do with weight. It covers a vehicle that meets neither Group A nor Group B but that "is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or is used in the transportation of hazardous materials."
A large crew shuttle can therefore require a CDL on seat count alone. Worth noting that sixteen is the same threshold major venues use to classify a vehicle as oversized for parking purposes, so a shuttle at that size tends to create a licensing question and a credentialing question simultaneously.
What actually drives the cost
With the licensing settled, the budget breaks into one line you can fix now and several that depend on your specific production.
| Line | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unit rental | Quotable now | Firm for stated dates and configuration. The one number that will not move on you. |
| Licensed driver | Open line | Class A where the combination requires it. On union productions the classification is set by the applicable agreement, which is not published. |
| Transport distance | Open line | Depends on where the nearest suitable unit actually is, not on a mileage table. |
| Power and fuel | Open line | Generator hours against the shooting schedule, or a tie-in if the location supports one. |
| Location access | Site specific | Whether the combination can physically reach and turn at the basecamp, which is a scout question. |
What most people get wrong: treating the driver as transport
Star wagons are frequently budgeted as equipment, with delivery folded into the rental as a flat transport charge. That works right up until the unit needs to be repositioned during the shoot, which on a location production it almost always does.
A repositioning move requires the same licence class as the delivery did. If the licensed driver went home after drop-off, the unit stays where it is until one comes back. Productions that move basecamp between locations should be budgeting a driver across the shoot rather than a delivery at the start of it.
On union productions there is a further layer, because who may drive production vehicles is governed by the applicable agreement rather than by federal licensing alone. Those agreements are not public, so we are not going to characterise their terms here. Confirm the classification with your production accountant or transportation coordinator before you build the line.
"The conversation I have most often on production work is somebody asking for a day rate and me asking who is driving it. They usually have not thought about it, because on paper it looks like a trailer and trailers get towed. Then we read the plate together and it turns out they need a Class A holder for the whole shoot, not just for the delivery. That is not a surprise anybody wants in week one."
— Ben Kiser, Co-Founder, EventFleetRV
Budget it in this order
- Read the GVWR plates on the intended trailer and tow vehicle and work out the combination figure.
- Check that against 26,001 lbs combination and 10,000 lbs towed. If both are crossed, you need Class A.
- Check any crew shuttle against the sixteen-passenger threshold separately.
- Decide whether the driver is needed for delivery only or across the shoot, and budget accordingly.
- On a union production, confirm the driver classification with the applicable agreement before pricing.
- Get a firm unit quote for your dates, then hold transport, fuel and driver as named open lines.
- Scout the basecamp for whether the combination can physically reach and turn there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CDL to tow a star wagon?
Usually yes, and usually a Class A. Under 49 CFR 383.91, Group A covers "Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds)." Most star wagon and tow vehicle combinations cross both thresholds. Read the GVWR off the plate on each unit, add them, and check the result against those two numbers rather than assuming.
What is the difference between a Class A and Class B CDL for production vehicles?
Group B in 49 CFR 383.91 is "Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) GVWR." So a heavy single truck, or that truck towing something light, is Group B. The moment the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds GVWR and the combination reaches 26,001, it becomes Group A. A Class B holder cannot lawfully take that combination.
Does a crew shuttle need a CDL?
It can, on passenger count alone. Group C in 49 CFR 383.91 covers a vehicle that meets neither Group A nor Group B but "is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or is used in the transportation of hazardous materials." A large crew van can therefore require a CDL regardless of its weight, which is a licensing question to settle before the vehicle is booked.
How much does a star wagon rental cost?
There is no published rate card for this, and any single figure quoted online is an estimate rather than a published price. What can be quoted firmly in advance is the unit itself for stated dates. What varies by production is the licensed driver, transport distance, generator fuel, and on union productions the driver classification set by the applicable agreement, which is not public. Build the budget as one fixed number and a set of named open lines.
Sources
- 49 CFR § 383.91 — Commercial motor vehicle groups — the Group A, B and C definitions, the 26,001 lb and 10,000 lb thresholds, and the 16-passenger threshold. Checked September 7, 2026.
Union driver classifications on production are set by the applicable collective agreement. Those agreements are not published, so this page does not characterise their terms. Confirm with your production accountant or transportation coordinator.
Related Production Guides
Ben co-founded EventFleetRV and oversees all fleet operations and logistics. With extensive experience coordinating RV deployments for NASCAR events, major festivals, and corporate productions, he ensures every fleet delivery exceeds client expectations.
Talent Trailers, With the Driver in the Quote
We tell you the licence class the combination requires before you build the budget, not after. One request, one contact, one invoice.