As was stated in most states pulling over 10,000lbs (10,001 and up to be exact) you'll need extra cred on your driver's license. BUT, in PA for instance, 10,000lbs and under DOES NOT get added to the truck in a GCWR. In fact, in PA 10,000lbs and under and the state practically doesn't care it's there...aside from licensing. 10,001lbs and up and it gets added to the truck in GCWR which is where people get in trouble. If you have a choice of a 10,000GVWR trailer or a 12,000lb trailer and 10,000 will do ...GET THE 10,000 and breath a sigh of relief. As states get more and more broke, they'll start looking at little BS like this harder and harder to get that extra coin coming in.
I told a certain place for two years that their dually truck and 12,000lb trailer combo wasn't registered right...they just got nailed for over $700 in fines and fortunately for the driver the cop put the fine on the company not him.