-
Over 40 foot drivers license? In Calif
-
I did get the DOT physical about 20 months ago. I had to get special reports from my cardiologist (quad bypass in 2014) and my sleep doctor (use a CPAP machine). Had to do a Bruce Procedure Stress Test with the cardiologist (which I usually have done every year or so) and have the CPAP chip read by the sleep doctor who has now retired. As I recall, those were just two of a number of specific questions I had to answer in the disclosure portion of the exam. Apparently the DOT has determined it isn’t in the best interest of the general public for a driver holding a CDL to (1) nod off while driving nor (2) have “the big one” while at the wheel. The DOT doc gave my fairly comprehensive DOT regulations regarding those two issue. Laid out well.
They also measure one’s neck size. Apparently those with large necks need not apply.
Please be careful what you do with my HIPPA information.
-
Dick,
I don’t believe you need the physical card to get the CDL, only to get a job driving commercially.
-
What is a CDL
-
It varies by state Dana. TN has no provision for a CDL (commercial driver license) without a physical or non-commercial CDL. The exception to that is for emergency drivers such as firemen but to get that exemption from the physical you have to prove you are a member of or employee of that emergency service.
-
In GA and FL, you can self certify you are not engaged in inter/intra non-excepted operations and not have to have a physical. I’ve had to do it in both states.
-
Jon, I understand that the states differ with there rules, but I was addressing Dick in Wisconsin as we’re both from here and I just went through renewing mine to the new license. Most people will get the license before they get employed and the employer will send you in to get your physical.
-
In TN you cannot renew a CDL or take the road test without the card for the physical. What really turned me off was when Homeland Security started telling me my license would be invalid if I did not have a physical by a certain date and that I had to send proof.
WTF has any of that got to do with Homeland Security????????
-
Jon…haven’t you heard about using large motor vehicles as weapons crashing into unsuspecting pedestrians? Hence, Homeland Security.
-
Commercial Driver License
-
Only verifiably-healthy drivers may crash into unsuspecting pedestrians.
MD requires a Class-B non commercial license for recreational vehicles over 26k lb and that gets you trailers up to 10k lb. There is a written test, pre-trip test (which includes ensuring that your equipment is actually functioning properly… including air conditioning!), and a driving test including a public road portion. I don’t understand the requirement for a vehicle inspection during the licensing test… it’s not like you have to re-take the test every time you get a new motor home. Plus all vehicles (including RV’s) are required to undergo a safety inspection upon change of ownership before they can be registered to the new owner.
http://www.mva.maryland.gov/_resources/docs/Maryland-Recreational-Pretrip-Guide.pdf
-
” I don’t understand the requirement for a vehicle inspection during the licensing test..”
It’s for the Road Test Inspector’s self-preservation, no doubt. Who’d want to be giving a road test in an unsafe motorhome with a driver that you weren’t sure could drive?
Another reason would be to make sure that you’re familiar with a “pre-trip” inspection like all commercial truck drivers are required to do as they come on-duty. We’re not required to do so, but there’s a lot of cross purpose in their testing. For example, in NY, a commercial truck driver is required to get out and walk behind his/her vehicle before backing up (few do). When I took my private endorsement test, I asked the inspector if I had to do that as well since I has that nice 7″ backup monitor clearly showing me that there was nothing behind me. His answer? Yes you do.
I still don’t understand THAT one.
-
I may earn the scorn of a lot of our members, but I think if you are an owner that just hops in your coach and heads on down the road you are not only wrong for doing so, I don’t even want to share the road with you.
It is bad enough that in a state like TN that has no inspection for cars that I have to see people with bald tires, cracked windshields and headlights out, it is worse when I know people driving 50,000 pound RVs have never done a DOT daily brake test or in some cases even checked fluid levels before driving.
The reason for daily pre-trip inspections should be obvious to everyone, but for those who are unaware it is required by law for commercial drivers using commercial vehicles it is going to keep you safe, it is going to keep other drivers safe and it is likely going to keep potentially expensive failures to a minimum allowing the driver to complete every trip.
Please folks, you are driving a large, heavy commercial type vehicle and you need to do it in a safe professional manner.
-
Isn’t it a smart thing to routinely inspect a coach beofre driving it? My old coach may not have all the goodies or a new one, but there is a lot goingon and I don’t want to be on the highway when it quits.
-
The simple truth is not always all that simple… You see Jon’s and old woman! Have you ever given thought to where the expression came from “Whatever blows your skirt up”? It was Jon in that pink chiffon outfit with the white pumps.
All this started some years ago when Jon was a private pilot and flew his own plane. He’d perform maintenance on his plane ahead of schedule and always did a pre-flight inspection all to keep his plane in the air. Was it really to keep his plane in the air? Nooooo, it was his refusal to take glider lessons!
So now he’s relegated to the ground with his 60,000 pound Prevost, again performing maintenance in advance of the need and doing a pre-flight inspection before each outing… And now he’s telling us we should know how to drive our bus’s… How rude!
Harry
-
For the what it is worth dept. The pre-trip inspection in MD is based on a set of required inspection points, which you may or may not have, but you still have to do it their way to pass the pre-trip. Approximately 50% fail the pre-trip the first time. Most states follow the same protocol, which is based on the Federal Standards. I have helped several folks pass the MD test, it is not hard if you first understand what they want. What you have or how you do it does not matter to the tester. They are just following the procedeure they were trained to administer. You can argue, but you will not win.
I hold a Class A with doubles, triples, tanker, passenger bus, Hazmat and Motorcycle MD CDL.
Log in to reply.