Community Forums

DaveTN · 03-31-2013, 08:45 PM

We were practicing driving today in the Expedition which is 18 feet long and it was hard for her to make crisp turns which got me thinking about RV's (what doesn't). Anyway, how long did it take to be a "good" class A driver, meaning you stop thinking about driving and it is second nature? As you can see we have a C and are thinking A in the future.

Skip426 · 04-01-2013, 12:07 AM

I drove 5th wheels 4 with 2 different trucks, for 10 years. About 100k miles towing. Within an hour I was at home driving my " A" and after the first 1700 mile trip, I had to keep reminding myself.. its 38' ...58' with the toad, watch what your doing !!

R2Home · 04-01-2013, 09:30 AM

Drove tractor/trailers in the military (I know, not the same as OTR trucker) taught drivers training and was a master driver in the military, so the RV was easy to transition to.

Fred1609 · 04-01-2013, 09:45 AM

Same for me, after being away from large trucks in the army I had no trouble other than sharpening up skills I already had.

RickO · 04-01-2013, 09:46 AM

I had never driven anything larger than my pickup towing a ski boat when I bought my new 40DP. There were a few white knuckle moments at first but within just a few hours behind the wheel I was much more relaxed. Now, after 50,000 miles... it's been second nature for a long time.

For me, a complete mindset change was required. I had to lose the natural (male) tendency to need to be ahead of the guy in front of me and to realize that nearly everything I owned was inside of this house on wheels so I had to drive it accordingly. Once I got over that hurdle, driving my rig was a joy.

It should never become as nonchalant as jumping in our car and heading out. I always remind myself of the size and potential for bad things to happen if I'm not constantly paying attention.

Best of luck.

Rick

dsbear · 04-01-2013, 09:59 AM

I just started driving a 35' class A last June it took me about 2500 miles to feel real confident in my ability to control it in most situations.

YC1 · 04-01-2013, 10:31 AM

The 30 footer was an easy transition. The 40 footer took many months due to low usage. Still I am extremely cautious. The steering cut is very different in the long unit. There are some training videos free on the internet that really help visualize the situation.

MJFZ · 04-01-2013, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

I had never driven anything larger than my pickup towing a ski boat when I bought my new 40DP. There were a few white knuckle moments at first but within just a few hours behind the wheel I was much more relaxed. Now, after 50,000 miles... it's been second nature for a long time.

For me, a complete mindset change was required. I had to lose the natural (male) tendency to need to be ahead of the guy in front of me and to realize that nearly everything I owned was inside of this house on wheels so I had to drive it accordingly. Once I got over that hurdle, driving my rig was a joy.

It should never become as nonchalant as jumping in our car and heading out. I always remind myself of the size and potential for bad things to happen if I'm not constantly paying attention.

Best of luck.

Rick

x2. very well stated!!!!

puttin · 04-01-2013, 10:33 AM

For me, I never get relaxed to the point that I'm not thinking about something that could go wrong. I keep it around 60 unless towing and then it's 55. There's no limit to what drivers around you will do.

csrrsr · 04-01-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puttin

For me, I never get relaxed to the point that I'm not thinking about something that could go wrong. I keep it around 60 unless towing and then it's 55. There's no limit to what drivers around you will do.

X1000..........it's not hard to get used to, it's hard to get used to the attitude of traffic around you especially in town. They tend to think I can stop on a dime, but I left my dime at home.

chboone · 04-03-2013, 12:08 AM

I had my Daughter watch these 7 part videos before driving my 35 ft A. I was very impressed by what she learned before we went out for a road trip. We went for about a 100 miles trip.
RV Driver Confidence Course: Part 1 - Better RVing

Chuck

mgscott4 · 04-03-2013, 05:17 AM

I think the best thing to learn when it comes to driving a Class A is the fact that you are sitting on top of the front tires and the nose is closer than you are used to in a car.

At the same time, the rear overhang means a lot of swing when turning sharp.

I taught my teenage son and daughter by starting them on the highway. Teaching them to use the mirrors to stay within the lines, until they were used to the width of the RV.