BarbaraOK
Livingston, Texas, USA
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Joined: 10/27/2003
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The better question is why is everyone who needs one so afraid of getting the license endorsement? If you can't pass the test, you shouldn't be driving that rig!
Barb
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Silver_Knight
Texas Hill Country
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Joined: 04/12/2004
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WarrenS,
How would you feel if an Class A RVer crashed into you or a family member's car and you found out the driver did not have the appropriate license to drive that vehicle? Insurance company might not care but the plaintiff's attorney and jury will.
Lee & Ren
Bryce: 8
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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Joined: 12/01/2005
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the real issue IMHO is not if your insurance company will cover you, it is will they increase your premium or drop you? once dropped if you try to get from another company they have ways of finding out. My friend had Geico and his daughter had a couple of accidents none of which was she at fault, and they threatened to drop him unless she obtained insurance from somebody else.
Insurance companies are not non-profit organizations, they will get it back over time.
bumpy
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BLUE MARBLE
DUMFRIES, VA
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Joined: 07/03/2007
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Florida specifically permits holder of standard drivers license to drive ANY rv. this is printed on all Florida drivers licenses reverse side.
"we are not stopping 'til they come to take us away!"
1995 Gulfstream 40'Tourmaster Spartan,400hp Cummins turbo,Allison 6spd, towing 2001 chrysler conv. all 4 kids grown, healthy and ...gone
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deandec
El Dorado Hills, CA
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Joined: 09/26/2001
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I do not have a non-commercial Class B CA license. But a friend of mine needed one for his new 45' coach. The coach was out of state.
He passed his written test and showed up at his driving test appointment with a friend's 40 ft coach.
They would not let him take the test until he brought a fixed rig the same length as the one he was going to be driving. His class b license endorsement would cover only that size and configuration of vehicle?
Dean
95 CC Magna Jeep GC
(Vietnam Vets may be eligible for medical care and disability compensation. Contact the VA if you have prostate cancer or type 2 diabetes.)
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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deandec wrote:I do not have a non-commercial Class B CA license. But a friend of mine needed one for his new 45' coach. The coach was out of state.
He passed his written test and showed up at his driving test appointment with a friend's 40 ft coach.
They would not let him take the test until he brought a fixed rig the same length as the one he was going to be driving. His class b license endorsement would cover only that size and configuration of vehicle?
isn't that because california has special requirements for rigs over 40 ft? If he was going for that type of license I can understand them refusing to test him.
bumpy
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WarrenS
Cypress, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/20/2004
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Silver_Knight and BarbaraOK: As I said, it is not my MH but I'll get the license anyway because I'm sure I'll be driving it sometime in the future. Up till now the biggest thing I've driven is a 36' class A (Ford big block V8) towing my 20' trailer. I never had any trouble with that rig and I suspect the difference between 56' and 60' overall will not be too terribly difficult to deal with.
As for why the person doesn't want to get the license, I can only assume they view it as an unnecessary bother. As Deen and Sully2 pointed out some states don't require the license anyway. Does that mean a driver from those states is more likely to have an accident? The CA driver testing is a joke anyway. It amazes me that anyone fails either the written or driving test. I went in to the DMV to replace a lost license and was told my license would expire in a few months. They asked if I wanted to take the test early. Having not read the DMV handbook for either the class C (automobile) or M1 (motorcycle) in at least 15 years, I was a bit hesitant but figured if I failed my license was still valid until my b-day so I went for it. I missed 1 question on each test. When I took the driving and riding tests (early and mid 80s), I only got marked down 4% on each test. At 16, I don't think I was a great driver, but the test is designed for people to pass, not fail. Based on the "professional" bus drivers I see on the road, I highly doubt the class B test is much more difficult.
All that said, I reiterate that I will be getting the class B license myself for those times I need to drive someone elses MH. I certainly don't need one for my 12k# truck camper and 8k# trailer.
Happy Trails,
- Warren
Wife, 6 year old boy, 4 year old girl
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Silver_Knight
Texas Hill Country
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Hi WarrenS,
I was just trying to help with your answer about a claim. I was hoping to spur deeper thoughts of how you would feel in the other persons shoes and let you see that maybe the insurance company wasn't your biggest worry.
Cheers.
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deandec
El Dorado Hills, CA
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Joined: 09/26/2001
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Perhaps the confusion over the Non Commercial Class B license required by CA is because there appears to be no reason to have such a license unless you have a more than 40 foot long motorhome/private bus.
So, you have to take the driving skills test in such a rig. But you are not licensed to drive such a rig to the test. So theoretically you need someone with a qualifying license to deliver the rig to the test site when you take your test.
A CDL class B is required for fixed frame rigs over 26,000lbs and I believe there are special endorsements for firetrucks, hazardous materials, and passenger carrying vehicles. These CDL licenses qualify to drive a 40+ foot MH in CA.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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deandec wrote:snip
So, you have to take the driving skills test in such a rig. But you are not licensed to drive such a rig to the test. So theoretically you need someone with a qualifying license to deliver the rig to the test site when you take your test.
that is exactly the case with every license isn't it? I know when I first took my first driver's license test I drove with my Mom down to the courthouse and parked. she walked to the store and I brought the patrolman out to the car. His first question was how did I get the car there.
and it is not just theoretical, it is actual.
bumpy
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