Drivers License

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Dom

Ignorance is no excuse. Its up to the operator to know what licencing you need to drive the vehicle. Insurance is void without the proper licencing

If what you state is true, why did the auto insurance company pay claims resulting from my SIL driving without a license?
Can you link us to case law backing up your statement- in any state?

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by Clemson

follow this guys advice and end up in jail....

Man no kidding. What an id... Oops sorry .

[2lgdterrier]

Hi I live in BC Canada here you are required to have an air endorsement if you drive a vehicle, any vehicle with air brakes. If you do not have that endorsement believe me ICBC will not cover any accident, your fault or not. This is not common knowledge.

[dbteam]

Originally Posted by Filthy-Beast

Nobody has mentioned the biggest issue, it's not the ticket or if insurance will pay. After a serious accident, after your ticket, and after insurance has paid comes the civil law suit for additional damages, pain and suffering. Since they can easily prove willful negligence, driving without a proper license, you lose.

Police databases in US can now access Canadian Driving records without much effort so just hope some idiot doesn't run into you where you would have to provided you DL at the scene.

Or move to the US where there are less regulations. We're always looking for nice RV owners.

[Marshalone]

Am I safe in assuming that you can drive anywhere in Canada and/or the US on the driver's license required in your home state/province? We don't require anything here in South Carolina and I have been told by my better half that I am driving my Jayco Precept to Ontario next summer.

[Marshalone]

Some states are not part of the compact so they are unable to run out of state DLs. Virginia just elected to get out of the compact. Dangerous decision but it's their choice.

[cvbdsl]

I too live in Ontario and had to have the medical etc. I am also diabetic and had a PE 8 years ago.
Did the Z endorsement at Algonquin college on a weekend). MOT did not accept by doctors statement that I was OK to drive and had it "reviewed" by their doctor.
I turned my medical in at the local MOT office who determined it should be reviewed (solely based on one box being checked that I was diabetic) and they assured me they would fax it to head office for review and I should hear back in 3-4 weeks.

I never heard back in six weeks and called MOT,found out my local office had never faxed the medical report. Luckily I had gotten hold of one those very dedicated public servants who was genuinely there to help. It was 4:30 PM and she asked I had a fax and could I fax my copy (always, always keep a copy!) to her and she would action it the next day. I was very doubtful but at 9 AM the next morning she called and said everything was approved and my records updated and she apologized for the delay! She had hand-walked it to the reviewing doctor and personally updated my records.

The next step was finding a test station - not all locations do class D. It took another month to book a test in Cornwall (I live south of Ottawa). I had my neighbor as a co-driver (he has a Class A) and took my MH down. He went for a coffee and I went for the test (they never even asked how I got the MH there).

Passed the test and then spent the next two hours waiting for them to try and resolve a computer glitch that stopped them from accessing and updating my record so the system would issue me a new license.

Now as I am over 65 I have to do the medical every year (since it is the same as a CDL the province requires this to be compatible with the US even though I don't drive commercially in the US or Canada - but I could anytime with the D class).

My main concern with driving without the D class and Z endorsement was insurance if I got into an accident. Odds are slim but I didn't want to take any chances.

I do strongly believe Ontario should go to a class D equivalent for non-commercial users as many states do. Going to a doctor every year just wastes his time to fill in the same form with the same data and costs me money.
I see my doctor every three months anyhow and he would have no hesitation in recommending my license by revoked if he thought I was not medically fit.

Anyhow good luck in whatever you decide.

Chris

[cvbdsl]

Just to muddy the waters and also just a reminder, it is not over 26000 lbs, it is over 11000 kg which is only 24000 lbs and that does not seem to include your toad?

From MOT web site;

Class G
Allowed to drive any car, van or small truck or combination of vehicle and towed vehicle up to 11,000 kilograms provided the vehicle towed is not over 4,600 kilograms.

Class D
A motor vehicle exceeding 11,000 kilograms gross weight or registered gross weight or any truck or combination provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kilograms
May also drive in class G

[RWDJR.]

Every other week, I have a driver that comes to my business, and after 15 plus minutes, usually in broken English “ can you back it in for me”. I politely tell him no, insurance don’t cover it. I can back that 53 footer into my dock, and have never had a CDL. I just wonder what there like out on the open road.

[jeffkid1]

If you do your insurance is void. ( you are breaking the law)
Another problem, if you are stopped for any reason regardless of where you are...your home province/state rules for licensing applies so your motorhome would be towed and impounded until someone with a D licence can move ot for you.
You don't want to travel in the US without insurance.
I went through the same experience you are last year. Had to leave in the middle of the winter. Picked my days between storms and washed it good underneath when I got to warmer weather.
Good luck.

[Kurtsara]

Originally Posted by jeffkid1

If you do your insurance is void. ( you are breaking the law)
Another problem, if you are stopped for any reason regardless of where you are...your home province/state rules for licensing applies so your motorhome would be towed and impounded until someone with a D licence can move ot for you.
You don't want to travel in the US without insurance.
I went through the same experience you are last year. Had to leave in the middle of the winter. Picked my days between storms and washed it good underneath when I got to warmer weather.
Good luck.

So if a drunk guy gets in a accident his insurance won't pay anything because he is breaking the law?

[Bobby F]

A). Internet legal advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

B). Insurance pays for damages caused by accidental or negligent behavior.

It won't pay when you do something intentionally.

So, if you drive drunk and hit someone, it will pay, because the hitting of someone was an unintentional, negligent act.

But . . .

If you hit someone on purpose - say you see a drunk driver on the road and you use your car to bang him off the road - it won't pay, because you hit him intentionally.

In the grant of coverage - one of the first paragraphs on auto policies - it confers coverage when an insured licensed driver causes damage through negligence.

If your state has a "suspended" license provision, you can still get coverage when you cause an accident with a suspended license, because you technically still have a license - it's just suspended. But if your state actually revokes your license and then you get into an accident, you may be out of luck. Some insurers will deny - others won't - but all of them could.

I've seen shippers denied accident coverage when it turns out their hired driver had no commercial license. That's why shippers are so stringent on verifying licenses.

[Clemson]

Originally Posted by LDMcL

I fully agree with TVP's comments. Particularly the last sentence about about passing the test without the classes and driving instruction.


As an experienced MH driver perhaps your wheel time may be reduced, but the instructors will drill into you how to do a thorough pre-trip inspection. After reading this forum for a number of years, a few MH owners have had an expensive learning curve after failing to complete this task.


One other item that you might have to take into account is that once you are over 65, you will need a medical certificate every year to renew your D license. If this becomes an issue (cost, time, potential negative results), then perhaps a smaller rv that only requires a G license may be in your future (as well as mine).

Just completed the NC Class B Non CDL licensing process. IMO regardless of how many years you have driven a Class A coach, you will not pass the written test without studying, either online or a CDL class. Driving test is straight forward.

[BruceDeville]

Originally Posted by Marshalone

Am I safe in assuming that you can drive anywhere in Canada and/or the US on the driver's license required in your home state/province? We don't require anything here in South Carolina and I have been told by my better half that I am driving my Jayco Precept to Ontario next summer.

At one point in time (5 - 7 years ago), I researched the federal (United States) regulations concerning drivers license requirements when crossing state lines. Back at that point in time, the research was done to complete preparation for a family vacation. The vacation would include myself, my wife and our licensed 16 year old daughter. The question I had can a legally licensed driver residing in a state allowing 16 year old to drive in or through a state requiring for exampling 18 or 20 years for a license? The answer was the state of residence of the driver is the ruling authority as it relates to age.

Now how does this fit into the subject of this forum? The paragraph following related RV licensing requirements. Again the state of residence rules.

Now I cannot relocate that information on the internet. Oh well, maybe next time

Bruce Deville