Purchase a Class A without a Class B license

[Gerald Duerr]

If you have an accident and you have the wrong license the insurance will not pay and you will have to hire a lawyer that will have to find an excuse why you are driving with the wrong license. Cheers Gerald

[srx-6]

Originally Posted by Gerald Duerr

If you have an accident and you have the wrong license the insurance will not pay and you will have to hire a lawyer that will have to find an excuse why you are driving with the wrong license. Cheers Gerald

Are you sure about that?

[Route 66]

I believe the insurance will pay, but require you to get the correct license in order to keep your insurance.

[Planocat]

Go to a DPS office and start the licensing process by getting the book to study. I would think in terms of a class A license rather than class B. Everything is the same except the weight of the trailer you can tow is more than 10,000 pounds. Really no reason not to get the A. Be sure to tell them you want a non-CDL license. You will have to fill out a non-CDL exemption form which states the license is for a recreational vehicle.

Here's the licensing process I went through in Plano this spring.

When you are comfortable with the material they give you to study, take the written test. Passing this test (no big deal) will give you a learner's permit paper license. They may cut up your current license. You will receive a new license in about 10 days showing your new status. You have 90 days to take the road test. Once you pass the road test you will go through cut up the license/paper license/new permanent license in about 10 days routine once again.

With your learner's permit, you are supposed to have a licensed companion while driving but I would guess very few do that. I drove my motorhome to the test and it was never questioned about how I got there.

The logistics of getting to Miami, choosing a coach, completing the paperwork, and getting it back to your Dallas storage area will require some additional manpower. Perhaps Newell can be of assistance as surely they have been through this drill many times.

It's an easy process.......but a difficult process to do legally with the requirement of having a like-licensed observer with you during the learner process.

Good Luck. Let me know if I can be of any help in answering your questions.
My cell is 214-549-5718

Dick Euting
Planocat

[Dupdyke]

Originally Posted by Christian51

Thanks, DL, I was wondering how safe it would be to just drive it on home. I doubt they would have temporary license plates so getting pulled over would be a possibility. One does have to drive it to the DMV to take your test so I will play it by ear as I go. It isn't a difficult drive, good roads all the way. And yes, the coaches are stunning. I have gone through first thinking of a Entegra Cornerstone, then pondered the King Aire. Spotted an 08 Prevost and got drawn into the Bus thing and then discovered the Newell coaches. There were likes and dislikes with them all and the Newell had it all. So I decided to take a chance on blowing the budget and go look them over. A little polished for a country boy but the quality and sheer power of them is captivating. DW has been freaked out on what I wanted to spend on an RV as my choices became more expensive but she looked a Newell she just said, "OK, I do like that one!"

Folks at miami will bend over to make you feel happy, they will take the time to go over handling a rig that big. In texas you want to find someone with a B or A lic to drive it to the exam, they will sometimes ticket without. Took mine in beaumont very nice lady and she did not make me paralell park just back up 50 feet. I cheated and used a flat bed 2 1/2 ton truck and got the full B not a MH only version. About same test and cost... D

[trode]

Interesting discussion. Makes me wonder how many different states have different license requirements for Class A, or any large vehicle.

I now know here in our state we have "weighted tags" for trucks. I towed a boat and travel trailer in this state for 20 years before I found out about this requirement! I was going to get a short term wide load permit to pull new boat 5 miles to boat ramp for launch. Women at DMV asked for tag number, I told her and she said need to have weighted tag for wide load, and your's isn't. I asked what the meant, she described weight limits for trailering, etc. I told her I have been pulling boats and travel trailers for years, never heard of it.

Surprising when I registered an 8,000 pound trailer to be pulled by my truck no one asked. Maybe they thought the tow vehicle would be less than 2,000 lbs and I would still be under the 10,000 weight......yeah that's it.

I ASSuME that no special license here in NC since no one asked when I registered the motor home, oh also.....no weighted tag for this 16,000 lbs vehicle. Reason, not a truck!? (I think)

[FlyingDiver]

Originally Posted by docj

I did pretty much the same thing you did to get a CDL, but I saw no reason to downgrade it even though I don't need it. South Dakota permits me to file an affidavit stating that I am not doing any driving that requires having a medical card which permits me to retain the CDL without any additional cost or hassle. Who knows, I might someday want to drive a bus or other large vehicle at a campground; a CDL might come in handy.

Nah, work is a four letter word.

With the CDL, the fines if you get a ticket are higher, and I can't renew by mail. Just no upside to keeping it, for me anyway.

[Dutch Star David]

Originally Posted by docj

I hope you don't think this is an acceptable situation. IMHO there are far too many elderly RVers who shouldn't be driving cars, let alone 30-40,000 lb vehicles. When I can't qualify for a license I will give it up; turning someone loose who can't pass a vision test is criminal!

Of course it's not acceptable. Therefore the.

[Dutch Star David]

Originally Posted by Gerald Duerr

If you have an accident and you have the wrong license the insurance will not pay and you will have to hire a lawyer that will have to find an excuse why you are driving with the wrong license. Cheers Gerald

insurance company runs your license when you buy the insurance. They KNOW what license you have. I believe my attorney would have a field day with the insurance company if they refused to pay for something they had knowledge
of.

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by Planocat

............Really no reason not to get the A. Be sure to tell them you want a non-CDL license. You will have to fill out a non-CDL exemption form which states the license is for a recreational vehicle.............

Dick Euting
Planocat

Dick,
I think people get really confused when they are looking up information for a driver's license. They automatically search for CDL and then they get to that confusion state. For example, the CDL-2 form states that a recreational vehicle is one of the exemptions.

However, the very first paragraph of the CDL-2 form is:

"I will operate a commercial motor vehicle that exceeds 26,000 pounds GVWR and requires a Class A or B license that is exempted by the Texas Commercial Driver License Act. The Commercial Motor Vehicle that I will operate is defined by the following information.........."

Notice that the wording states that you will operate a commercial motor vehicle. I am assuming that you may be a private person that has a company and an RV registered in the business name. (For whatever reason I don't know.) Therefore an exemption form would be required to drive it for personal use.

There is no requirement for a Class A, B, Or C license to fill out a form CDL-2 if everything is of a non-commercial use and not connected to any commercial use. I have never had to fill out a form CDL-2, transitioning from Class B CDL to Class A CDL and then to a Class A license.

Just sayin'

[Christian51]

Planocat, I got the book and will do just that when we get to Dallas. Will be moving to Prosper in a few months and once the house purchase is under our belt we will head to Miami. They have a large list of used RVs and we are looking at an 08 to a 2010 for our budget. Even then I keep thinking I may be nuts to spend close to a million dollars on a travel machine. For a Texas boy the interiors are almost too fancy but I want a bus that will give me little trouble and if it does they will fix it. After spending months studying the issues and reading the forum, you can't help but worry about all the things that can go wrong. That alone as caused me to keep looking at more expensive RVs with the idea that with a used one in hopes that I can get as trouble free as possible. With a Newell, they are almost in our back yard and they have a reputation for great service. Hope it is worth it.

[buck454]

What negative could be said about Newell, but since in Dallas area and not that far from Nacgodoches, Foretravel might be worth a drive to see. Good luck with purchase and the B license. Got my B in Clarksville, Red River County......easy. B

[MickBrennan]

Originally Posted by Christian51

spend close to a million dollars on a travel machine.

They might deliver it.

[Christian51]

Originally Posted by MickBrennan

They might deliver it.

Mick, loved that story! From all I have read, I hope the DW doesn't have plans on taking a pet with us. We just got the kids gone so I'm hoping for a child/pet free retirement.