I have not had a claim, but when I got my quote from Progessive 4 years ago for my 40' DP I was not asked about Class B DL. In California DMV only requires Class B licensing for lengths beyond 40'. By the way, I do have Class B status.
Steve,Kathy,Josh & Morpheus the Basenji
2004 40' TSDP Country Coach Inspire DaVinci
350 Cummins, 3000 Allison
2008 Wrangler X Sahara/Blue OX Tow Bar/Apollo Brake
First, I do have a class B. Second, I have not heard of any denial of a claim by an insurance company because the driver did not have one. Come to think of it, I wonder what insurance companies do with a claim where a commercial vehicle is operated my a driver without a commercial license. I haven't heard of any denials in those case either, but I have no data on it.
I do know that the aviation insurance providers go out of their way to find ways to deny claims. Not being certified or licensed to operate the aircraft is a big one. Weight and balance is another. Night and IFR currency are also biggies.
All that said, I got the class B to make sure that I wouldn't be denied. It sure wasn't hard to do and in Texas you only have to do it once.
There are two subjects that get batted around on this board almost daily. Once is Class B drivers license and the other is toad brakes. Normally the best place to get information is from your local DMV. Many states to include PA never seem to be able to give a straight answer to either question. You will find many different opinions and some good information and a lot of bad information in these forums. I would call my insurance company for a better answer to your question. Chances are your agent may not know either.
John, Connie and Miles!
1998 Winnebago Adventurer
1999 Ford V10 chasis
2004 Jeep Liberty
jjhamick:
The Calif. DMV website has all the relevant information including the requirment and how to get the appropriate license. My question is regarding how the insurance companies handle it.
SemperFiCop:
I was asked by someone who recently bought a 40'DP.
doc brown:
How difficult were the tests to get the class B? I'm thinking of getting it in case I ever need to drive one.
Bumpyroad wrote: as an aside, that is the second question I am asking the investigating officer when somebody hits me, "doesn't a unit that weight require special licensing, and does that driver have it?" right after, "doesn't their owner's manual say that toad braking is required?"
bumpy
In WA state RV drivers are SPECIFICALLY exempted from needing anything but a standard car license and there is reciprocity on DL's so I'm good in every state.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor Life Member
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam, Newmar DP Owners Group
51st yr of RV'ing
For an insurance company to deny a claim, there has to be language in the policy that they give you, which specifically excludes coverage for a given event, circumstance, or situation. There is NO policy language (in a non-commercial RV policy) which talks about driver licensing. In fact, coverage exists even if a driver has no license at all. For example, your unlicensed adolescent child can assume they know how to drive your motorhome and pull out of the driveway (even without your permission) and cause an accident. Are they properyly licensed? NO! Is the claim going to be covered? Assuming there are no other problems, like the premium not paid, YES the claim will be covered!
Will they issue a new policy to someone without a driver license? Yes, under some circumstances they will. Financial responsibility laws in every state require the VEHICLE OWNER to provide insurance. So if a motorhome owner is not licensed, (perhaps medically unfit) the insurance company will require a licensed driver (no mention of license class) to be listed on the policy. But suppose that unlicensed owner decides he or she can move the motorhome around in the driverway to wash it or something and somehow causes an accident. There would still be coverage for that claim.
Now, that I have made those statements describing very liberal coverage, I will also say that it is possible, but very very very rare for an insurance company to exclude some of those situations. However, most states would require the policy owner to specifically sign any such endorsement which would restrict coverage. This restriction would HAVE TO BE SPECIFICALLY ADDED to a standard policy.
It is very unlikely that you would see any such thing from one of the mainline RV insurance companies, like Progressive, GEICO, GMAC, etc. Driver exclisions, and driver warranties are very difficult to uphold in court, so the companies just don't bother. They try to prevent those claims as much as possible when the policy is initially being underwritten, but after the policy is issued there is very little they can do to restrict coverage other than cancel or non-renew if they find information which puts the policy outside their underwriting guidelines.
RVs titled and/or used in business fall under different rules, and are not included in this discussion.......
Me, the DW, 2 dogs and more.
1998 Overland Larado, 41', one slide, 325 Cummins, '02 Jeep Liberty with SMI-Air Force 1.....
Bumpyroad wrote: as an aside, that is the second question I am asking the investigating officer when somebody hits me, "doesn't a unit that weight require special licensing, and does that driver have it?" right after, "doesn't their owner's manual say that toad braking is required?"
bumpy
In WA state RV drivers are SPECIFICALLY exempted from needing anything but a standard car license and there is reciprocity on DL's so I'm good in every state.
Same in Ohio
2000 Country Coach Allure; Cummins ISC 330 HP; 71/2 - 8 MPG regardless
2002 Jeep Liberty
Good discussion, MH4Two. One of the biggest urban myths around here is if you don't have the proper license and have an accident, you will not be covered by your insurance.
You can have NO license and your insurance will pay.
2008 42' Foretravel Nimbus CE
2007 Chevy Tahoe toad
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