[Archived]

Robert…….You might be asking for a solution to the chicken and egg question.

The question that came to mind is do you see if you can find someone with a 45 foot bus to train you before you buy a coach, or do you buy your coach and then see if you can find someone to provide training.

I am pretty sure we can count on our fingers of one hand those PC members who had formal driver training. I think most owners likely either had some prior RV experience, probably going through a progression of ever larger RVs, or the owners had some experience with trucks. I guess my question to you is why you feel you need formal training? Are you comfortable driving a car, a UHaul large truck, or a car pulling a trailer? If you are both comfortable and competent and have a degree of spacial awareness you are likely to find driving a bus is not as difficult as it may appear.

They all have automatic transmissions so you do not have to worry about shifting other than understanding the gear selector pad. Unlike most cars it is a push button pad with some features. The bus is 8.5 feet wide so you will have to practice staying within a driving lane. With some experience you learn to look ahead and your eyes somehow sense when you are at the correct spot in your driving lane. You also learn how to turn without running over the curb or sideswiping street signs. That is just a matter of learning when to begin a turn. You already do that in what you drive, so with a bus it is just a matter of adjusting to the greater length.

The stuff you really need to know relate to knowing and understanding the bus and its systems. A pre=trip inspection is very important and knowing the air brake system and how to do a pre-trip inspection is important. Doing that doesn’t involve driving, but it does require learning the procedure.

Maybe others can jump in here and make some suggestions. I think most of us just got in the seat and started driving, attempting to allow plenty of room between the bus and curbs, cars, and anything else we did not want to hit or drive over.

[Russ]

That’s a good one Robert. Maybe someone has an answer. I started driving My Bosses Prevosts back in the mid 70’s as he had would replace them every 2 years with new back then. Think he had 3 or 4 coaches. I was in my early 20’s at the time. 40 foot models. Really never had anybody show me anything but walk around checks and brake release systems. Just took off and drove. Never had any problem as I had always had a boat and pulled that around since I was 18. He was a World Class Trapshooter and was all over the place. I usually world drive to shoot and he would fly to event. Man the memories, as everybody wondered how this Kid got that bus. RIP, Don Beck. I would imagine they would have a school like the 18 wheel folks do. Might call a local truck CDL School and ask. Good Luck.

[Rudy]

I do not know of any driving schools that offer training for that in-between size vehicle. They teach how to drive a car and they teach how to drive a semi and nothing in between. Driving a bus is different than driving a semi, although learning the air brake system would be helpful.

[Archived]

Robert,

We just purchased our first Prevost and had no formal driving lessons. I did have a couple Class C motorhomes in the past and drove large vehicles in the Army, as well as on my wife’s farm. I’m sure the seller of any Prevost, either dealer or private party, would certainly take you in a big parking lot for some stick time. Just don’t expect to parallel park in a major city!

Also, Lazydays in FL does have a driving school for Class A Motorhomes which I’ve read good things about, but I don’t know if you already need your bus before you go down there.

[Tim]

Well ,if you traveled with me for a month or two you would get all the driving you would need about 1500 miles a week , but with in one week you would have it down pat, really it’s just time behind the wheel , we put two driving schools on a year only for prevost or MCI buses for tour bus company’s ,in Canada , and the drivers taking the school do very well once they get the run down of things to check, the biggest thing we hear is drivers don’t check things out before they drive like fluids or belts , the one thing that my shop is called out for is the driver starts the bus and before the mini air bags are full they hit the high idle and jump the belts off then they do not check them before they drive off. We also put on towing seminars all across the USA and Canada and seminars on how to repair them for the last 20 years , and train towing company’s people how to tow them and how to do repairs on them on the road or what to look for if they have problems . All are techs are Red Seal certified, the best in the business .

[Peter]

Peter,

You raise a good question about “high-idle.” When I purchased my bus the tech told me during my walk-thru that for the most part, when you’re idling, you should hit the switch which puts the engine in high-idle.

But from your comment, it seems like you should wait until your bus is fully aired up on F/R brakes & Aux prior to fast idling. Is that correct?

[AL]

I do believe that FMCA is holding a driving school at their event in Perry, Ga. Being held in March ’16

[Archived]

Tim at least until the aux air gets up above the PPV air pressure about 75 psi. You just want to make sure the mini air bellows at the back for the belts are aired up before Hi idle is used then you wil be safe

[Bill]

Thanks for the replies!!!!

I have driven a small moving truck towing my F150 and I have driven
various size military vehicles. It’s
just with the amount of money that is on the line I wanted to make sure that I
was prepared.

I found another site that had a pre-trip checklist so I will include that
in my driving process. The four resellers
that I have talked to all have said that they will provide a complete
walkthrough of all the systems taking as much time as needed so I think I’m
covered there.

I just looked into Lazydays and they have a driver confidence course
that I think I’m going to take. This
will be after I pick up my coach. The
rates are reasonable and you need your own coach. Jon thanks for mentioning an UHaul
truck!!! I think I’m going to rent the
largest one I can find and just drive around Virginia Beach to gain experience.

I will most likely have some more stupid questions so thanks for responding.

[Archived]

Robert, there are no stupid questions. You have come to the right site. Jon will tell you that at times some of the answers will even be correct. He deserves more credit than that. Almost all of your questions will be answered here, and you can take them with great convidence. At least that has been my experience. I love this site. Keep the questions coming.

Bill S.

[Chip & Pam]

Off topic a little, but I stand on the side of owners that doesn’t wait for my pressure to build before I go to high idle.

How do I dare be so careless? Easy. First I have never thrown a belt. When I do throw my first belt I will perhaps change my tune, but so far in 25 years so far, so good. I do notice one thing and I may be wrong. All of my coaches had OTR and the people who have reported thrown belts did not have OTR. Correct me if I am wrong.

My justification for going to high idle after a minute of low idle is to speed up the airing up of the coach. When I consider all the seated coaches with low or zero air pressure that often are always in high idle I never hear or read or learn of a seated coach throwing a belt while air pressure builds. So why should we pressurize the belt tensioners before starting? The seated coach drivers cannot do that.

[Archived]

Jon what you said is not all true all the seated coaches we deal with do not go on high idle until at least the mini air bellows are full of air and OTR has nothing to do with the belts jumping off or staying on we service a fleet of 100 or so Prevost and most of the time the belts jump off that’s the reason high idle to fast. I am talking about seated coaches that’s what they tell the drivers

[Jacky]

As far as driving schools, I am not sure what level you are looking for,but most CDL training places also offer bus training. Which in most states is a Class B license.

Mikee

[Archived]

Peter, over the years when we were provided with a charter coach for rallies the vast majority of the drivers seemed to leave the high idle switch on all the time. They would pull up and we would get off then they would go park. When we got back on the coach the driver would start it, and I would notice it was already on high idle.

I don’t know the air pressure situation because I never was in a position to see the gauges but I was surprised to note the high idle. Maybe it is because they don’t want to forget it when they are stopped and need to run A/C/

It might have been a training problem or lazy drivers. It is very apparent when they stop to let passengers off, set the brake and then go to neutral how the high idle kicks in with a clunk.

[Bill]

Hello Robert,

welcome to the club!

Before we bought our Prevost 4 years ago, we owned a 40 foot Newmar Ventana. The jump from 40 to 45 feet was significant because that extra 5 feet is all at the end of the coach and that is usually the problem area.

The best advice I can give you is to take it very slow and never mind what the drivers behind you are thinking.

With time, you get to judge what you see and observe in your side view mirrors and after a while, driving a Prevost becomes 2nd nature.

As regards your question about RV driving schools, it just so happens that we are staying 2 sites up from people who own rvdrivingschool.com ! If you visit their website, you will get to read about George and Valerie, the owners. What they do and where. You may find a location that could work for you.

Regarding the Lazy Days course, my wife has taken it twice and me once (I am a fast learner … Ha ha).

I do very highly recommend taking this class of about 2-3 hours. You will learn a lot of tricks which you can use when you are behind the wheel of your Prevost. They do also offer a course which includes driving one of the Lazy Day RV’s. But that is driving around their campground and will only give you about 5 minutes of steering wheel time.

My wife is a competent driver who learned driving on the Autobahns in Germany. I am allowed to drive her 911 from time to time. She was always reluctant to drive the bus until after she gained some confidence at the Lazy Day school. She started out driving the bus on state roads.

Today, she loves driving the bus anywhere and I can take a nap, knowing that I do not have to worry.

So the gist of this long story is, getting time behind the wheel is worth while. Even if it costs you money.

Driving is not the big issue. Gaining confidence and learning how to interpret what you see is what is most important.

Cheers,

Ronald