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Route 66 · 11-10-2009, 02:27 PM

RVer driving lengthy RV/trailer combination causes six-car pileup > RV Daily Report

hondo122 · 11-10-2009, 02:48 PM

Wonder if driving in the third lane when towing a toad will get you a ticket?

mfire1339 · 11-10-2009, 02:56 PM

Hondo,

In California it will.

Mike

Mandys Man · 11-10-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfire1339

Hondo,

In California it will.

Mike

Actually in Calif the #1 lane is the fast lane. They are numbered from left to right------1 through however many there are. I honestly don't know if they are numbered the same in other states.

f-150 · 11-10-2009, 06:02 PM

i feel tha there are way to many rvrs pulling or driving way more rig than they should be and laws need to be passed and enforced

two gone rvn · 11-10-2009, 06:08 PM

I'm currently in a park in Fl where the snowbirds are flocking to. To see the number of older drivers is one thing, but the number of drivers that cannot even back up their rigs is another. Its unbelieveable to watch them. I know how damgerous these folks can be in here much less out on the open road.

George

TXiceman · 11-10-2009, 07:07 PM

All too many of the RV drivers do not have a clue to the towing laws and requirements of their home state, let alone the laws in other states.

I know this will start a war, but I am all for an endorsement on the license to qualify for driving a motorhome and/or pulling a trailer.

Ken

DandS · 11-10-2009, 07:34 PM

Have to agree with Ken on that one. Having owned a boat for years, I was always amazed there were no licensing requirements. Just plunk down your money and sail away with little knowledge of rules of the road, etc.. At least, in a boat, you had wide open water to deal with. Now the same thing is true with huge MH rigs - pay your money and drive it off on our crowded highways. I don't generally like government intervention in most things, but we have to have a license to drive a car, why not one for a Motorhome ?

On a separate note, I have grandchildren in Columbus, In. and have driven that stretch of I-65 many times in my visits. You have to really pay attention to what you're doing around the Indy area as traffic is crazy most of the time. To drive in the fast lane with a huge motorhome pulling a trailer is asking for trouble IMHO! Let's hope the people involved pull thru.

Hitchhiker · 11-10-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

I am all for an endorsement on the license to qualify for driving a motorhome and/or pulling a trailer.

To the point of an endorsement on the license, back in 1999 when I relocated from Florida to NC, the North Carolina DMV required me to obtain a Non-CDL Class A driver license to legally pull my 5th wheel because it was over 10,001# GVWR. To obtain this license I had to take a special written test with 'trucking' type of questions and also take a comprehensive driving test with the officer in the passenger seat while towing my 5th wheel.

This test involved driving in both city and rural traffic and also properly backing the unit for several hundred feet along with a complete safety inspection of both units. It's my understanding that to legally drive a single vehicle with a GVWR over 26,001# without a tow (or a tow under 10,0001#) that a Non-CDL Class B license is required with similar testing. Many motorhomes are over this GVWR requirement.

So in actuality, this state already has the equivalent of an endorsement on the license to qualify for driving a motorhome and/or pulling a trailer. Unfortunately very few RV'rs comply with these requirements and most law enforcement personnel don't seem too interested in enforcing these requirements. There are many other states that have similar licensing requirements for towing over these limits.

These iRV2 forums has had dozens of threads on this very subject over the past years but many RV'rs still don't comply with the requirement to get the proper license to operate their RV's.

Meandering Retiree · 11-10-2009, 08:14 PM

I have had a Class C license since college when I drove a school bus (I know but I needed the money then and it looked like "easy" money) which I have kept up since then, taking the written tests periodically. My wife has her learner's permit for a Class C (she drove grain trucks illegally when we farmed), and, hopefully, will take the test soon. I also have seen too many drivers (and I hope that I know when to quit) who do not know how to drive. I have seen campground owners back in coaches for drivers who had never backed a coach anywhere. Someday insurance availability will be based on having the "right" driver's license, till then, watch out and be safe.

stubeje · 11-10-2009, 09:22 PM

So does llinois but I'd bet not all drivers of class As have the license.

tmh462 · 11-10-2009, 10:20 PM

There was an issue a few years ago in Florida where a man towed his 5er to the campground, unhitched, and got pinched for speeding while going for supplies. I'm not sure what happened during the traffic stop, but the end result was the man was arrested for driving his duallie without a valid CDL. His wife had to call a tow truck to get the duallie towed back to the campground, because neither of them had a CDL. I remember legislators were trying to get that law changed, because, IF IT HAD BEEN A 40,000 POUND MOTORHOME, HE WOULD NOT HAVE NEEDED A CDL! But, since it was a pickup TRUCK, with a GVW of over 10,000 pounds, he was required to have a CDL to drive it, even though it was his own truck. Also, if he had been renting the truck, he wouldn't have needed the special license. This was something that was pretty widely covered by the media at the time.
I think a person should be required to demonstrate ability to operate a vehicle that, for example, weighs more than X pound, or tow a trailer that is over X feet long, or weighs more than X pounds. My opinion is a single axle utility or travel trailer being towed by a regular half ton pickup would not need a special license, but anything much bigger would.

Jackm · 11-11-2009, 12:15 AM

Lets face it. Bad driving isn't limited to RVers. In Germany, you get fined if you get caught tailgating (driving too close to the next car). In Europe, you immediately lose your license the first time you're caught driving under the influence. My point is that the U.S. isn't exactly the gold standard when it comes to enacting and enforcing tough driving laws.

Sure, it would be nice if RVers had better driving and parking skills. But I wonder if this is the best place to put our limited resources. Since nearly half of all fatalities are caused by drunk drivers, unskilled RVers are probably a pretty low priority these days.

That being said, there sure are a lot of people that have trouble getting into a site. Sometimes, it's outright bizarre. My wife and I witnessed a situation in which a man got so angry at his wife (who was trying to help him back up), that he tried to run her over. Luckily for her, he lacked the necessary skills to get the job done.

Jack

TandW · 11-11-2009, 04:05 AM

I don't care for all this talk of more guvmint control over me. If you want to spend your days standing in line waiting for gummint approval of everything you aspire to do, then you should leave the USA to those of us who truly appreciate the freedoms our foundings fathers intended for us to have. Please stop handing over control, to the unelected bureaucrats!!!!!