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Texas license requirements
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Apart from the fact the licensing requirements are all over the map with respect to who is obligated to get a license specific to the coach and the debates or discussions that always ensue, I am amazed at how many people resist getting one if they are required to do so.
It is no big deal unless you know you are not qualified to drive the bus in the first place. If your state does require a non-commercial class B for example, and you choose to not get one I don’t believe anyone here is going to lose sleep over that choice. But what is going to end up being an issue is when something goes wrog, such as the breakdown Jeff mentioned or an accident or a ticket for a minor offense the consequences can get very serious.
I know if a NY trooper pulls your coach over for any reason and you live in NY and do not have the appropriate license, you not only get a ticket, you either wait for someone to drive your coach that is licensed, or if the trooper is having a bad day you watch it get towed because you are not licensed to drive it.
And I can imagine a lawyer in court when you are being sued for a fender bender exclaiming loudly his disbelief you could drive a 25 ton, 45 foot vehicle and you do not have a license, then comparing that to giving a kid a hand grenade.
To me it is just easier to get the license. I do not know if the lack of license voids your insurance as was mentioned.
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Glens, just drive into marble falls and take the driving test. Its a cake walk. Does need to be scheduled as they only have 1 or 2 driving tests a day.
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Who Needs a CDL?
Any Michigan resident who intends to operate the following commercial vehicles is required to have a commercial driver license:
Single Vehicles – Having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)* of 26,001 pounds or more.
Combination Vehicles – Towing a trailer or other vehicles with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more when the gross combination weight rating (GCWR)** is 26,001 pounds or more.
Vehicles:
- Designed to transport 16 or more people (including the driver)
- Carrying hazardous materials in amounts requiring placarding
*Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the recommended maximum total weight of the vehicle and load as designated by the vehicle manufacturer. The GVWR label is usually found on the driver side door post of the power unit and on the front left side of the trailer. The GVWR should not be confused with the elected gross vehicle weight (GVW) which is declared by the vehicle owner for registration purposes.
**Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a combination vehicle. In the absence of a label, the GCWR can be calculated by adding the GVWR of the power unit to the GVWR of the vehicle(s) or trailer(s) being towed.
Exemptions
The following people do not need a CDL:
Active Duty Military (including National Guard): With military licenses operating military vehicles.
Police Officers and Firefighters: Meeting approved training standards and operating authorized emergency vehicles.
Farmers: Operating vehicles within a 150 mile radius of their farm.
- An F-endorsement is needed by farmers operating combination vehicles whose towing vehicle has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more. A knowledge test, but no skills test, is required to obtain the F-endorsement.
- However, farmers who carry hazardous materials in amounts requiring placarding while operating combination vehicles whose towing vehicle has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, need a CDL with a hazardous materials endorsement.
Individuals: Operating motor homes or other vehicles used exclusively to transport personal possessions or family members, for non-business purposes.
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Thanks Dorel. As you also pointed out in the sentence “Any Michigan resident who intends to operate the following commercial vehicles is required to have a commercial driver license” We do not drive commercial vehicles.
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I have a CA Class B CDL. If I move to Texas…. will I have to take the tests all over again to get a TX Class B CDL?
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Thanks Tom but the Marble Falls place told me I need to go into Austin or where I live in Kingsland Tx, Brady Tx. for the Non CDL test. Will call again tomorrow and check.
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As many of you know, Pam & I are selling our bus. The brouhaha started when the guy in North Carolina stated that I was incorrect by my statement on my ad. I will not let a person drive the bus if their license is not correctly classed or endorsed by their state.
Today I went to the DPS in Fort Worth. The folks there confirmed that Texas drivers operating a vehicle over 26001 lbs are required to take a written and practical test. For the bus this means a Class B Non CDL is required.
Here the kicker, as mentioned in the video link that was provided earlier. Texas looks at the GVWR of a vehicle not the curb weight. The video was correct, on average there are 95% of folks in RVs and fifth wheels driving on the wrong class.
We have a dually F-350. It has a curb weight of 7900 lbs. The GVWR is 14,400. Texas uses the 14,400 #. The fifth wheel we are looking at has a curb weight dry of 14,400. It has a GVWR of 17,700 lbs. Our GCWR (combined tow weight is 32,100 lbs). By Texas standards we are now required to get a class A non CDL.
We will get the proper license. As John stated, when things go wrong there is no wiggle room. As my old first shirt used to say, “Just because you did not know the Regs does mean you have a waiver to break ‘em”. Johns point about the Lawyer browbeating me for have the wrong license is a possibility we choose not to take. Better to be safe than sorry.
As for our bus, it shall be in Consignment soon. If you know of anyone looking into a riveted rig, pass the word.
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Glenns,
I went to this facility in New Braunfels it is brand new and very large yesterday to get the scoop. They can conduct driving test here. Be prepared…there is a time limit for passing the written test (you get 3 trys) after paying you money. After passing the test you can schedule your driving exam.
Before you go ….you will need to go to this site and get the following forms and handbooks. I am going to study these handbooks for a few weeks before moving ahead with written exam.
http://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/
CDL-2 (They can notarize this for for you)
DL-7 Drivers Handbook (recommended reading)
See page i on who’s exempt, 1-7 top right in the next handbook.
DL-7C Commerical Drivers Handbook (Strongly recommended reading)
DL-43 Application for Change to License
DL-40 Supplemental Exam form (They gave this to me at facility)
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Chip: You listed Wisconsin as needing a special licensing. Using the link from the video you linked us to, Wisconsin says:
WI Y > 45′ N DL Web Site RV exemption in CDL manual: “motor home, fifth wheel mobile home,… provided it isn’t longer than 45 feet“ Jul 05 From the Wisconsin DOT-DMV website:
Who is exempt from CDL licensing in Wisconsin?
Federal law allows states the option to waive certain kinds of drivers from the requirement to obtain a CDL. In Wisconsin, the following drivers are not required to hold a CDL:
- Recreational vehicle operators (owned or leased motor home, fifth wheel mobile home or touring mobile home, provided it isn’t longer than 45 feet) not engaged in commercial activity are not required to hold a CDL.
So based on this, our 45′ Prevost leaves me exempt from needing a CDL in Wisconsin. The website is silent on the towed vehicle and our 26′ enclosed trailer with a 5′ tongue; if I find an answer I’ll let you know.
As Jeff stated, having something happen (any kind of an accident, flat tire, minor mechanical problem, etc.) that leaves you on the side of the road or in a government owned Rest Stop leaves us vulnerable to contact with law enforcement. While I’ve heard of dozens of drivers of race hauler being forced to find a CDL licensed driver to move the rig and numerous situations of overweight trucks (usually scrap haulers and loggers) being required to off load weight before the truck can be moved, I’ve NEVER, EVER heard of someone without the right license or an overweight truck being given the appropriate ticket and then being told its OK for them to move the truck off the road or to home base. In one case a race team owner had to fly a Class A CDL holder from Milwaukee to rural Georgia to drive the race car hauler (semi with a 53′ trailer) to Florida.
We recently were on a 78 day trip from Wisconsin, to ETLC, to south Florida, to California, and back to Wisconsin. I was really surprised to see so many large three-axle fifth wheel trailers being pulled by what looked like 3/4 ton pickups (could have been 1 ton, single wheel in the back). I thought that to be strange. Now I’m wondering if the owners of the large fifth wheels were using the smaller GVWR trucks to keep the combined GVWR below 26,000# and stay under the special license requirements. If so, I think that is flawed thinking.
I’m working towards getting my Class B CDL and eventually Class A CDL. If I can’t pass the test, I shouldn’t be driving the coach.
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I’m a big believer that whether your state requires a different license or not to operate your RV. They should all require an air brake endorsement, or at the very least, a course in the operation of air brakes. Too many people have absolutely no experience with them, and buy a big RV and take off with No idea what they’re doing.
IMHO! I Believe that every state should require a weight rated drivers license. These 50,000lb vehicles don’t handle like John’s corvette. I can’t count the number of people I’ve met that before they bought there coach never drove anything bigger than an SUV. BIG DIFFERENCE!
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I can only wonder what happens when someone buys a pretty new coach from a dealership in Texas? Is the buyer notified prior to the purchase they are required to have a special license to drive it off the lot? How about test drives? Could that be why MHSRV doesn’t allow test drives unless you first sign a contract?
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The Texas dealership selling us our 5th wheel has it stated in their paperwork that depending on the tow vehicle GVWR and the trailer/5th wheel GVWR the buyer may be required to have a special class license.
Texas is requiring us to get a class A non CDL. The Non CDL status is in name only. We are required to take the class A CDL written test. Then we do the practical with a trooper in the F350 and with the 5th wheel attached.
i found out that for the Bus, it’s a Class B Non CDL. Same procedures, take the CDL written then a and ride with a trooper. I was told common sense things like, use your mirrors, keep both hands on the wheels, show that you know the air brake bleed down test and drive 12+ seconds ahead & no chit chat with the evaluator.
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If only they could teach and test for common sense.
I think as Prevost owners we fall into a group that includes some very high end and expensive motor home owners like Newells and some of other high 6 and 7 figure coaches. A few of that group appear to believe they are special and are proud of their coaches, so much so they feel compelled to occupy the fast lane at 75 MPH plus, sometimes even tailgating others in that passing lane.
I go crazy when I see that because they are not only pushing their 75 MPH tires to the limit, they are also apparently unaware their stopping distance is almost double what it is at 60 MPH and they need a lot of space between themselves and the car or truck in front.
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The main difference between a non CDL and a CDL is the 2 year physical requirement. With a CDL you have ot have a DOT physical every 2 years.
On another note, motorhomes are one example of folks buying that have no experience operating, but another one that is equally or as interesting is boats of any, especially large size.
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
Let’s add planes to that list of things people with more money than they know what to do with buy and really do not take as seriously as they should.
I think the “Peter” principle comes into play more often than it should.
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