The Heavy-Duty Truck Towing War Just Got Serious: 2027 GM HD Takes On Ford and Ram

Cory Fourniquet   |  

Sep 24, 2026

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Call it a grudge match. Call it a measuring contest. Whatever you call it, the heavy-duty truck towing fight between GM, Ford, and Ram just escalated again, and the figures have officially left the realm of anything most families will ever use.

General Motors just introduced its 2027 heavy-duty lineup, headlined by an all-new Duramax 8.3L turbo-diesel V8, and it walked straight into a segment where Ford and Ram have been trading haymakers for years. The result is a spec-sheet arms race that is equal parts impressive and, frankly, a little ridiculous.

Here at GT: Garage Talk®, we love a good torque war as much as anyone. But we also think somebody should ask the obvious question: who actually wins, and do you even need a special license to pull these kinds of numbers? Let’s break it down.

The 2027 GM HD Just Rewrote Its Own Spec Sheet

GM’s headline act is the available Duramax 8.3L turbo-diesel V8, nicknamed “Mongoose” and billed as its first clean-sheet HD diesel designed, developed, and built in-house. It makes a class-leading 555 hp and 1,230 lb-ft of torque, paired with the proven Allison 10-speed transmission.

Those are not typos. GM’s outgoing HD diesel made strong power too, but the Mongoose’s 1,230 lb-ft now vaults GM past both rivals on paper. The gas crowd is not forgotten either. The enhanced 6.6L gas V8 now delivers 412 hp and 472 lb-ft, which GM calls best-in-class standard torque among 2027 gas HD trucks.

Towing is where the bragging rights live. GM says properly equipped models will handle up to 20,000 lbs conventional and up to 38,000 lbs on a gooseneck, with a maximum GCWR of 46,500 lbs. In plain English, that is enough truck to move a loaded car hauler, a big fifth-wheel camper, or a skid steer and then some.

For a closer look at the redesigned trucks these powertrains land in, see our first looks at the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and 2027 GMC Sierra, how the Silverado’s interior has evolved, and where Silverado pricing is landing.

Heavy-Duty Truck Towing: How GM, Ford, and Ram Stack Up

Here is where the friendly trash talk meets the tape measure.

A few things jump out. GM now owns the torque and diesel horsepower crowns, at least until someone answers back. Ford still holds the outright towing title with its 40,000 lb gooseneck rating and a GCWR that climbs to 48,000 lbs on the F-450. Ram trails on the headline numbers, but Cummins loyalists will tell you the inline-six has a following no spec chart captures.

The bigger story is the trend line. Not long ago, Ram’s 1,075 lb-ft felt untouchable. Then Ford pushed to 1,200 lb-ft. Now the Mongoose answers with 1,230 lb-ft. Each round raises the ceiling, and nobody looks ready to blink.

Do You Need a Special License to Tow 30,000 Pounds?

This is the part almost nobody talks about, and it matters more than the horsepower headline. Short version: for personal, non-commercial towing, you do not need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) no matter how heavy the trailer. Federal CDL rules only kick in when you are hauling “in commerce.”

Here is the catch, and it is a big one. A CDL is not the same thing as a special license. Many states, including Texas, require a non-commercial Class A driver license once your truck-and-trailer combination has a GCWR above 26,001 lbs and the trailer’s rating tops 10,000 lbs. Your everyday Class C license does not cover it.

Do the math and it gets real fast. Any of these trucks pulling near its rated max blows past 26,001 lbs combined without breaking a sweat. So the family towing a big gooseneck camper or a loaded equipment trailer in Texas is legally supposed to hold a non-commercial Class A, even though it is not “commercial” driving at all. California, Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida have their own versions of the same rule, so where you live changes the answer.

Bottom line: before you fall in love with a 38,000 lb tow rating, check your state’s license classes. We are car reviewers, not lawyers, so confirm the current rules with your state’s licensing agency before you hitch up.

What the Numbers Actually Mean for Families

Let’s be honest. The overwhelming majority of families shopping an HD truck will never see 38,000 lbs behind them. Most are towing a travel trailer, a boat, a car hauler, or a horse trailer, usually somewhere between 8,000 and 20,000 lbs.

For that reality, all three trucks are wildly overqualified, and that is actually good news. Towing well under a truck’s max is where these rigs feel most confident and relaxed, with cooler temperatures, stronger brakes, and more stability. We felt exactly that in our week with the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Denali Ultimate, which shrugged off everything we hooked to it. The spec war you are watching is really a durability and comfort dividend for the person hauling half of what the truck can handle.

So which one wins? On paper, GM takes this round for raw torque and diesel horsepower, Ford keeps the heavyweight towing belt, and Ram remains the Cummins believer’s pick. For most families, the smarter move is to match the truck to the trailer you actually own, then let badge loyalty and driving feel break the tie.

The Bottom Line

The heavy-duty truck towing war is not slowing down, and the 2027 GM HD just made sure of it. GM landed the biggest torque number in the class, Ford answered with the biggest tow rating, and Ram is surely cooking up its next reply. It really is a great time to be shopping a work truck.

Just remember the unglamorous homework: know your real trailer weight, know your state’s license rules, and buy the truck that fits your life, not the one that wins the internet argument.

We put every vehicle through a real family lens, from car seats to cargo to road trips. Want to see this fight play out on video? Watch our latest truck coverage on YouTube.

We will have full walkarounds and family-friendly breakdowns of these trucks as we get seat time in them. Subscribe on YouTube and sign up for the GT: Garage Talk newsletter so you never miss a review.