[Bill]

Congrats!

[Gerald]

Looking good, now it’s time to make smoke…

[Bill]

Hey, I didn’t get any kind of a certificate when I passed the TX class B test. The inspector was a woman (an angry woman based upon the cell phone call she took just as the test began!) and it was a terribly foggy day. I passed with a negative comment from her that I did not exaggerate my head movement enough for her to tell that I was actually looking left and right at each intersection. My back up test was to pull up on a long straight of way. She got up and said I needed to back straight up for 40 feet. So, you mean backup, without turning the wheel, for 40 feet. She got out, went behind, I backed up until she signaled to stop and we moved on. Silliest driving test I have ever taken!

[Ed]

So the New Braunfels Texas office only has you drive straight forward. They tell you there is going to be no backing up excerise. The gal told me she wanted me to tell her what I was thinking as I am driving because she wanted to know when I was looking at my mirrors. So I told her I would not be a Chatty Cathy but would explain my driving skills as we drove.

So as we drove along…I comment on where I was looking, why I was looking, talked about my speed and why I was leaving 7 seconds in front of me going faster then 45, why I could not slow down to forty mile from 65 so quickly on exiting freeway on a short exit and how the traffic on frontage road was noted before exiting, why I was going to wait for traffic to clear on the left turn onto the narrow bridge, how tall the bus was vs how tall the bridges were….etc. Passed with flying colors.

I think everyone of the testing folks has grey in their way of conducting test. This test is not suppose to be a pure CDL test. Their was no me walking around bus explaining all the pieces and parts, adjusting slack adjusters, we just did a basic check of lights and horn and signals and off we went.

However, they had some tricks set up in parking lot which would count against you. The other folks taking test at same time have DMV workers in yellow vest helping them. You better be prepared to stop if one of them steps out or towards you as your leaving parking lot. Its the construction worker test. Do not stop at the unmarked walk way leaving parking lot onto street… shazam you fail, do stop at the completely red yield sign for on coming cars and two feet behind the line or shazam points take off.

Look this test is very easy. The benefit is you do not have to worry about getting stopped, ticketed and maybe something worst for not having the CDL on your license. The toughest test is the written exam. It is based on all questions in TX manual for CDL so you have to be knowledgable and done some reading. My wife takes the test next. She has mastered the bus and loves driving it.

Airbrakes is the key. I was really praying the Beast would not decide to show it ass that day. But as always the Beast just keeps ticking as usual.

[Dave]

What does the exempt part mean? And congrats on passing!

[Bob]

So by law in Texas if you drive a vehicle over 26,001 LBS (or in combination truck and Trailer) you must have a CDL (A or B). Texas like many other states has a exempt version of this for Private Motor Coaches, Fire Trucks, Farm Trucks, and Military Vehicles.

You still take the same written exam as a driver apply for a full CDL but you are exempt from the medical. And when doing the driving portion exempt from doing the safety walk around test, backing up, and parallel parking. They just want to know that someone sold you a set of keys to a 45000 LB venicle with Airbrakes and you know what to do and how to drive it.

See attached. My license now says I can drive a fire truck.

[Archived]

Five years ago when we moved from GA to SC I had to get Class F which is a CDL without the medical requirement. The written and road tests were the same as the CDL. With and without toad except for backing. Backing long distance & making 90 degree turn into a loading dock. Both took 3 1/2 hrs. Passed with flying colors but when the inspector asked, ‘what was the clearance on the bridge we just went under”? I had no clue. He said, “17 1/2 ft.. Nobody gets that one”.

IMHO everyone handling one of these things needs to pass a similar test. I’ve seen tons of clueless and dangerous motorhome ‘operators’ over 21 yrs.

[Archived]

Doug,

Your experience was better than mine with the SC Class F. My 21 year old instructor walked outside, rounded the corner and said “I’ve never seen one that big”.

He docked me points on the skills test for “encroaching” on the lines during the long back-up. I asked if I actually touched the line. He said no but I was close. I did as instructed on the road test and passed.

And I thought the objective was to stay between the lines. Never was any good at those coloring books either.

[Harry]

So far nobody has mentioned being required to perform a pre-trip brake check. I certainly hope that is one of the requirements.

[AL]

I agree that we should all have to have a special license for anything with air brakes and/OR over 26,000#.

None of us should be afraid of the written, oral, or driving test.

I hope to get my Wisconsin Class B CDL this summer. I’ve been putting it off long enough.

I wonder if I pull the 26’ enclosed trailer when 5’ tongue if I’ll be able to get a Class A.

[Rocky And Tonya]

I cannot speak for other states, but in TN, the trigger for a class A is a trailer in excess of 10,000#. Size is not listed.

But if you are driving in TN and you appear like you are a commercial operation such as having a company name on the coach, or a trailer with the name of a race team you must be able to produce a CDL.

If you want to increase your odds of getting pulled over, look like you have some business purpose for your bus or trailer, and have Montana plates. BTW, a race team name on the trailer is viewed as a commercial venture if you do any racing in which there is a monetary prize.

[Corey]

Jon,

a pre-drive DOT brake test was performed before the S.C. road test. But it was not part of the test. The young instructor read off his forms the DOT brake steps steps. They wanted to show me how to do it rather than test my ability to do it.

never mind that I had to drive the bus 60 miles to get to a location that performed the test (I had previously passed the written test and had my learner permit which allowed me to drive the bus – no other CDL or RV licensed driver needed to be present).

[Alvie]

“So far nobody has mentioned being required to perform a pre-trip brake check. I certainly hope that is one of the requirements.“

It is not even mentioned in the TX class B. Good thing since I don’t have any idea what you are referring to! I push the pedal and the coach stops. That’s all I know!

[Liam]

I took my Class F test three years ago. It was the same written test as CDL test, driving test was backing 100 feet, backing into loading dock, pulling up to white line within one foot, surpentine around cones, pre-check, light test, unhooking toad and hooking up toad, brake test (failure if not done properly) and 45 minute driving test through town and on interstate. Found person giving test was very professional. Test was in Charleston, SC.

Class F in SC allows you to drive RV with tow and fire truck. Need additional license for vehicle over 26,000 lbs.

[Archived]

Commercial drivers using air brake equipped vehicles are required to do a daily pre trip brake check.

It is significantly more involved than stepping on the brake and doing so could save your life or that of others. There are many places on the internet where the DOT brake check is described.