Texas Class B driving license driving test

[BRYAN S]

I got my class B exempt Monday with air brakes. It was pretty easy, did the air brake check and drove around town. It was a first road test in 45 years. I asked the instructor if he gets very many people applying for mh license, he said I was the first he has done. I had to parallel park. Don't know where you would park a 40 ft. dp, oh well! Will be making our maiden voyage this weekend.

[amanda_h]

We too do not know of any states that require a DOT physical card for driving an RV. My guess it is specifically for a CDL.

For example, in Nevada where it is required to have a Class B license to drive a motorhome with a GVWR of 26k or more (just about all diesel pushers would qualify for this), the only difference between a Class B and a Class B CDL, is the DOT physical card. From what we understand, the tests are exactly the same for either Class B license. The only difference would be the DOT card, so I encourage those taking the test in Nevada that they may as well go get the physical and get a CDL. A CDL comes in handy if you ever want to, maybe, drive a tour bus or a charter bus once in awhile as a part-time endeavor.

[Texun1]

Texas does not require a CDL for a private operated RV. View the offical Texas State attached form to see the exemptions. Fill out the form and have it notarized then turn in to a local DMV office.

[akadeadeye]

Originally Posted by Texun1

Texas does not require a CDL for a private operated RV. View the offical Texas State attached form to see the exemptions. Fill out the form and have it notarized then turn in to a local DMV office.

Texas requires a Non-Commercial Class B license for vehicles over 26,000 lbs. and towing under 10,000 lbs. In this category it is not as simple as filling out the form you included. There is more to it.

Don

[RickO]

Originally Posted by akadeadeye

Texas requires a Non-Commercial Class B license for vehicles over 26,000 lbs. and towing under 10,000 lbs. In this category it is not as simple as filling out the form you included. There is more to it.

Don

Ditto. The way the requirements are written can be misleading but Texas most certainly does have requirements for non-commercial Class A/B licenses.

Rick

[wimberleyman]

X3 on the previous comments. The form attached by Texun1 only exempts Texas drivers from the CDL requirements. The Class A or Class B Non-CDL requirements still apply. This requires both a written test and a driving test.

[Texun1]

My post says "CDL" I said nothing about Non Commercial Class B. The the attached form states that if you have an RV for personal use you do not need a CDL.

[Wayne M]

Ah! I just love this topic. It's just as good as the Walmart thread.

Texun1, please read the first paragraph in the PDF file you posted. The one under the block of information. Here it is:

"I will operate a commercial motor vehicle that exceeds 26,000 lbs 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 in the following information. Check the appropriate box(es):"

Please notice that it states "I will operate a commercial motor vehicle......"

Then when you check the box:

"( ) 4. A recreational vehicle that is driven for personal use; or"

It allows you to drive a commercial recreational vehicle for personal use without the requirements for a CDL, but you still have to have the appropriate non-commercial class of license as defined in Section 521 of the Texas Code.

Example: Let us say that you have a business as a "Tool Distributor" and your staff travel to different shows in your RV towing a trailer with your wares of tools. You on the other hand fly and meet them at the different shows, as by flying you get additional time with your clients. On the side of the RV in big colorful letters is "Tool Man." Your staff are driving a commercial vehicle and need a CDL.

Now, it's summer time, and the kids are out of school, and begging to go on an RV trip. You pack up the family and head out for two weeks. You do not need a CDL because you are driving the RV for personal use.

My question is, what does the DMV do with the form once it is filled out and sworn to? Do they give you a special card? Do they give you a copy of that form back for you to carry with you? Since there is no vehicle identification on the form, does it allow you to drive any commercial RV for personal use without a CDL license, like borrowing a friends business RV.

There are a lot of questions that even the DMV cannot answer if you call them. You need a lawyer to interpret. And I'm not a lawyer but the above is my interpretation.

Happy trails.

[Texun1]

I have worked in the legal field in the state of Texas for 18 years. Again, I said nothing about not needing a Class B. This form should also be completed in conjunction with your application for your Class B. It simply states that you will be operating an RV for personal use and therefore shall not be required to obtain a full commercial operators license for a vehicle above the stated weight.

I agree that the DMV needs to get it together and have a better informed workforce and standards across its field offices.

[amanda_h]

I hate to be amongst the ones who are ganging up on you, Texun1, but I skimmed the thread quickly and I'm not getting who and/or what you are responding to. No post that I saw said that a CDL is required in Texas. Everybody responding seemed to be saying that a Class B non-CDL is required in Texas to drive an RV which is over 26,000 lbs. GVWR.

Since I was the one who had posted the last post in this thread until you revived it today, I was just saying more or less anecdotally that in Nevada, the Class B CDL and the Class B non-CDL applicants go through the exact same testing procedures and the only difference is the CDL candidate is required to posses a valid and current DOT physical card. I never said that in Texas, a CDL is required to drive an RV of 26,000 lbs GVWR.

[GRIFF53]

We both just took the written test and road test for the Texas class B drivers license. We did not even know that we would need to change our license when we bought the motorhome. We had parked in a rv park in Houston and had a lady tell me she could not drive their MH because she had not changed her license. That night I looked up the Texas requirements and found that my husband or myself either one had the right drivers license required by Texas law. We both had the class C which only gives you the right to driver a vehicle weighing up to 26,001pounds. I'm not sure why we never thought of needing a different license or why the sales people never told us. We stop the next day going home and got the book to study for our written tests. I called and had to make appointments for the tests also. It was about 2 weeks wait. I also know that we wanted to make sure our insurance would cover us if we got into an accident no matter who would be at fault so we needed to have the proper license.

We also decided not to get the CDL because if you get a ticket for anything, you can not take defensive driving classes. We had not gotten any tickets but since we also drive regular vehicles we decided not to go that route. Also we didn't think we would ever have the occasion of needing the CDL. Just filling out a form would not be a good idea for getting a drivers license to drive a big motorhome weighing over 26,001. Knowing that we were going to take that test made us really study for it and we did learn some things in the book that we would not have known. The book for the Texas written test is the same book for CDL Of course the driving test is different for the motorhome. We took the bus route drivers test. Good luck to anyone that needs to get their license and if you study and practice it is not hard to pass.

[FlyingDiver]

Originally Posted by Texun1

I have worked in the legal field in the state of Texas for 18 years. Again, I said nothing about not needing a Class B. This form should also be completed in conjunction with your application for your Class B. It simply states that you will be operating an RV for personal use and therefore shall not be required to obtain a full commercial operators license for a vehicle above the stated weight.

I agree that the DMV needs to get it together and have a better informed workforce and standards across its field offices.

Texun1 is actually right about this, but it's kinda a quirk. Texas does not have a non-CDL class B application form. The application for an A or B assumes it's for a CDL. The form he's referring to is the one you file along with the normal application so they know you're actually getting a non-CDL.

We got really confused about this when we got our licenses 4 years ago.

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by Texun1

I have worked in the legal field in the state of Texas for 18 years. Again, I said nothing about not needing a Class B. This form should also be completed in conjunction with your application for your Class B. It simply states that you will be operating an RV for personal use and therefore shall not be required to obtain a full commercial operators license for a vehicle above the stated weight.

I agree that the DMV needs to get it together and have a better informed workforce and standards across its field offices.

Then you must agree that the CDL-2 form is not needed at all if you are applying for a regular class A or B, and that the CDL-2 form is only needed if your MH is a commercial vehicle and you intend to drive it for personal use. Is that correct?

In accordance with:

(Quoted from CDL-2 form)

"I will operate a commercial motor vehicle that exceeds 26,000 lbs 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 in the following information. Check the appropriate box(es):
........
( ) 4. A recreational vehicle that is driven for personal use; or"

If you are driving a motorhome that is not a commercial vehicle, you do not need the CDL-2 form.
================================

Griff53

You are absolutely correct. If you have a CDL and have a driving infraction, be prepared to pay the fine. There is no deferred adjudication, or defensive driving options available. I had a Class A CDL. Did a stupid thing and got a ticket. No choice but to pay the $164. (Standard CDL fee for infractions, I think) I decided to convert over to a Class A since I was not driving commercially any more, and did not plan on doing so in the future.

[Mr_D]

WOW, I'm glad Washington exempts RV's from needing anything but our standard license even if the GVWR is 26,000#'s or over.