[Archived]

So the non-certified exemption applies to those of us who have a CDL and don’t drive for interstate commerce?

[Archived]

Maybe it is a TN thing, or maybe I am misinterpreting, but to maintain my CDL I must possess a valid medical. I cannot renew a CDL without presenting my valid medical. If my medical is not current, my CDL converts to a regular driver license.

I do not know about non commercial CDLs.

Just to stir the pot I think if you are driving a Prevost (or any RV of a simlar size or pulling a camper trailer) you should possess a CDL anyway to prove proficiency. I think it is sad there are folks driving vehicles that pose a danger to themselves and others sharing the road, that lack the skills required to drive one.

[Archived]

I would do Interstate/Intrastate Excepted, no medical needed. Don’t you haul hay once in a while from Texas to the ranch in OK? Here’s the poop on excepted:

You operate in excepted interstate commerce when you drive a CMV in interstate commerce only for the following excepted activities:

• To transport school children and/or school staff between home and school;
• As Federal, State or local government employees;
• To transport human corpses or sick or injured persons;
• Fire truck or rescue vehicle drivers during emergencies and other related activities;
• Primarily
  in the transportation of propane winter heating fuel when responding to
  an emergency condition requiring immediate response such as damage to a
  propane gas system after a storm or flooding;
• In Response to a pipeline emergency condition requiring immediate response such as a pipeline leak or rupture;
• In
  custom harvesting on a farm or to transport farm machinery and supplies
  used in the custom harvesting operation to and from a farm or to
  transport custom harvested crops to storage or market;
• Beekeeper in the seasonal transportation of bees;
• Controlled
  and operated by a farmer, but is not a combination vehicle (power unit
  and towed unit), and is used to transport agricultural products, farm
  machinery or farm supplies (no placardable hazardous materials) to and
  from a farm and within 150 air-miles of the farm;
• As a private motor carrier of passengers for non-business purposes ; or
• To transport migrant workers.

If you answered yes to one or more of the above activities as the only operation in which you drive, you operate in excepted interstate commerce and do not need a Federal medical examiner’s certificate.

[Sammy]

Jon,

With all due respect, a CDL or any license simply proves you knew what it took to pass the licensing requirements. A big rig with a heavy load barrelling down the interstate in a down pour at well over the posted clear weather speed limit is a great example of why having a CDL doesn’t necessarily lead to safe driving. This is just one real example of what I witnessed a few weeks ago. It may be the same reason a commercial car carrier went down the embankment in the other direction just a few miles further up the road.

I can’t disagree that there are some on the road that shouldn’t be there. My only point is that licensing is not always the answer. Once legislators get on the band wagon of requiring more licensing where does it end? Maybe there should be an air brake endorsement, trailer towing endorsement, roof rack endorsement… When the legislators see the added revenue stream we all know what happens. Take for example a marine captain’s license. Post 9/11 there’s a requirement for a port access card to the tune of $75 or more. A yacht captain of a 65-footer or less will never be granted access to a port, so why the card???

When licensing has proof of increased safety, I’ll get on board. Too often that’s not the case.

BTW, congrats on getting rid of the bus. I bought a 99 three or four weeks ago and would have really like to have seen yours available then.

Gil

[Davy]

We are going to have to disagree. The idiot driving 10 MPH over the speed limit while tailgating whether he possesses a CDL or otherwise is still an idiot and no class of driver license will cure stupid. But you have the apples in the same bin as the oranges.

You and I can sit in almost any campground and in the average evening watch people who make you cringe as they try to back their rig into a site. I’m not talking about the folks who get close and then have to pull ahead a few times to adjust to be lined up better, I’m talking about those we know for sure are so lacking in skills they shouldn’t be on the highway.

If nothing else every single Prevost driver would benefit from having to clearly understand how their air brake system works and why it is important to at least do a simple brake check before driving.

I respect your opinion and anticipated the opposition to my point of view. I don’t need my CDL to drive my coach, but because of my CDL I know and appreciate how important being forced to take a knowledge test and a driving test was to make me safer than I was prior to the test.

But I am very much aware stupid drivers will always be stupid drivers regardless of which class of license they possess. The insurance companies agree with my position because National Interstate, a company that insures a lot of our coaches, gives a discount if you possess a CDL.

[Davy]

Jon,

You’ll not get any opposition from me. You earned your license and
as you and I both know, having the knowledge and using the knowledge are not
one in the same. Of course the insurance companies can and should give a break
to those licensed. Unfortunately, they have no other way of knowing how knowledgeable
or more importantly how the rest of us actually drive. I did have a heavy truck
driver’s license way back in my military days. That document is meaningless to
the state DMV, at least those I’ve used.

Let’s just hope those around us, car, truck, trailer tower, and RV
operator are both knowledgeable and practice that knowledge when behind the
wheel. Anyone driving more than passenger/truck owes it to themselves and the
those around them to understand what they are driving and its unique handling characteristics.

Gil

[Archived]

I have had my CDL since I was 18 and have driven many, many miles in lots of different vehicles. I agree with Jon about the benefit of knowing how the brake system works etc. Knowledge is a good thing when operating a vehicle that weighs and costs as much as our coaches do. In my state (MN) anyone can drive any RV with just a standard class D license. So, someone who has never driven anything larger than a Chevy Vega or a Yugo, can hop into a 45 foot RV and go tooling down the road….no testing, no nothing. Kind of scarry, but it seems that there are not many accidents occuring in RV’s, so they are under the radar.

After reading Tom’s post, I contacted the MN CDL people about the exemption and was told to just send in the form since I no longer drive commercially and can still keep my CDL without a medical card. They told me that the form is not exactly worded for my situation (CDL holder that wants to keep the CDL but no longer drives commercial vehicles in commerce) but that it was the only one they had and was ok to use.

You will get no argument from me about the stupidity of some CDL drivers…..I used to employ over 200 of them and I can tell stories about some of them that still make me shudder sometimes. Still, I think the majority of CDL drivers are still superior to the average car driver.

The medical requirements have not changed for commercial drivers, just the way the verification that you actually have the required certificate is done. Previously the employer had to make sure that each driver had the card. Now the state licensing agency will have to do it.

The whole point is that we all need to know what we are doing, and do it as safely as we can. We can’t do much about the idiots out there except try to stay out of the way of them.

[Davy]

I have considered obtaining a CDL for many of the reasons that have been outlined even though I do not plan to drive commercially. I have a question though.

I understand the medical exemption but would I be bound by the other regulations when driving my personal bus? Would I have to adhere to the hours driven or rested. Would I have to keep a log?

I am not arguing that anybody should drive until they are dangerous but would I be bound by those rules?

DKO

[Archived]

I have considered obtaining a CDL for many of the reasons that have been outlined even though I do not plan to drive commercially. I have a question though.

I understand the medical exemption but would I be bound by the other regulations when driving my personal bus? Would I have to adhere to the hours driven or rested. Would I have to keep a log?

I am not arguing that anybody should drive until they are dangerous but would I be bound by those rules?

DKO

[Archived]

I have considered obtaining a CDL for many of the reasons that have been outlined even though I do not plan to drive commercially. I have a question though.

I understand the medical exemption but would I be bound by the other regulations when driving my personal bus? Would I have to adhere to the hours driven or rested. Would I have to keep a log?

I am not arguing that anybody should drive until they are dangerous but would I be bound by those rules?

DKO

[Archived]

DKO,

Rather than go through the licensing why not just get the education. It sounds like you are really seeking the education and not the license. Here’s another consideration. On the water, which may be different from the road, licensed Captains are held to a higher standard. I’ll bet that on the road a LEO may be tougher on someone holding a CDL than those of us without. Let’ hope we never have to find out. There’ also no reason to pay the state for something you don’t need. FWIW,I’m not practicing what I preach. I have a motorcycle endorsement I pay extra for but no longer ride a motorcycle.

Here’ a curiosity question for you CDL holders. Given the CDL program is federal and not state is your bus subject to the state requirements you’re in and not just those your bus is registered in? For those that went the Montana or South Dakota business registration path,I bet the answer is yes. For those registered personally I have no idea. This too may make someone think twice about obtaining a CDL.

Don’t get me wrong here, I fully support education that leads to better drivers. I’m not supportive of licensing that doesn’t accomplish the same.

Gil

[Archived]

To the best of my knowledge we are not bound by the regulations regarding duty hours for commercial drivers in commercial operations.

The only place I think this entire situation can get very muddy is if our coaches are registered to a business and or used for commerce. With the Montana LLCs, plus other ways our coaches are registered to take advantage of favorable tax consequences it might be possible for someone to interpret that coach usage as commercial. Maybe some entertainer drivers can address that.

[Archived]

Clearly Gil you are opposed to gaining knowledge and skills via state licensing and I am going to assume you expect people who step from their Chevy Vega into their 45 foot H3 to make the effort to develop that knowledge and skills. Ain’t gonna happen.

Personally I really don’t care how dangerous an unskilled driver is until I have to share a highway with them. At that point their 50,000 pound vehicle threatens my safety. So to trust someone’s word that they possess the skills isn’t good enough for me. I want to see documentation and in lieu of an alternative a CDL, commercial or non-commercial is that documentation. Whether these drivers use that knowledge or skill is a whole nuther discussion.

[Archived]

In North Carolina the standard car license is a class C. For anything with a gross weight rating of over 26,000 a class B is required, and this includes private motorhomes. This is NOT a CDL but a class B. Problem is it is not enforced and not common knowledge even among the Patrol. I am also supposed to have the air brake endorsement. I plan on upgrading my license in a couple of weeks since they are up for renewal this year. My concern is in the case of an accident if I am not properly licensed it will become my fault.

[Archived]

I have been a truck driver, a million
miles at age 32 and in the trucking business for 45 years, gasp, I’m
getting old. It’s not all about the piece of paper in your wallet,
it’s demonstrating you have the knowledge and skill to operate 80,000
lbs of heavy truck safely.

Let’s face it, we see people stepping
out of a mini pick-up and into 40,000 lbs of bus or motorhome and
they don’t have a clue. There’s the danger, their only training was
the use of their check book. Do they understand the air brake system,
can they perform a pre-trip inspection, do they know what to do if a
tire blows, can they even back up, I doubt it. On the other hand,
there are folks that have driven large vehicles all their lives
without a CDL and they are good at it, so a big ole RV is not an
issue.

Are there bad truck drivers, hell yes,
there are way to many of them. But if I’m in heavy traffic surrounded
by big trucks and RV’s, I’m not worried about the trucks, I’m worried
about the RV guy that can’t even stay between the lines.

So if you’re a bus driver and have
demonstrated your ability to handle big rigs by a CDL endorsement, it
makes you a safer driver. I think that’s just common sense.