question about "class" of Vehicle

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mikeylikesit

mikeylikesit

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Joined
Sep 15, 2017
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Location
Oakboro NC
I bought a 1996 Pace Arrow 35-J.  By all I can find and discern, this is a class A rig......based on sticker location and general descriptions.  However, per the registration, it's a class "CV". (California reg.)

So, I am confused.....is it possible to be a class A rig, but not need a class A drivers license?  The information placard is on the wall behind the driver seat, and calls the GVWR at 17,000 Lbs.

I don't want to get in a bind with LE or the insurance company for not having the correct drivers license, but maybe I'm overthinking this......

thanks for any insight, folks! 
 
I looked up a picture of it. It sure looks like a class A. I dont think you need any special licence to drive a vehicle of 17000 lbs in California. From what I understand, you need a cdl to drive anything over 26000 lbs. Im not sure if rvs are exempt over 26000. I know in some states they are.Some restrictions on roads over 40 feet. I looked into this last year when we drove through. We were driving a 40 ft. class A with air brakes.
 
The typical Class A, B or C designation for a motorhome has absolutely nothing to do with a driver's license or a state registration "class" -- it's just a body style designation -- and that Pace Arrow is a class A (basically it's sort of bus-like). Check our Glossary above for more details.

Some states allow any RV to be driven with just a regular license like for a car, some require a different license either over a certain weight, or for a unit that has air brakes, or both. I don't know much about California's vehicle classes, but they may well not be the same as some other states. So you're looking at apples and oranges.
 
Relax ...

The "Class CV" on your California registration refers to the vehicle license fee. See this CA DMV table.

On the left of the same line of your registration you should see a box labeled "Body Type Model". Ours has MH in that box which, according to this DMV table (scroll down to Chart 1) means Motorized Home.
 
In California, you don't need a special drivers license to drive a motorhome unless it exceeds 40 feet in length (per the manufacturer's description - not its actual length.) The motorhome's weight has nothing to do with what kind of license you need to drive it. To drive a motorhome that's longer than 40 feet, you need a Class B non-commercial license, which has to be renewed every two years.

Kev
 
Elaborating on what Larry explained, the "Class A" RV type is a definition by the RVIA related to motorhome body style. A number of years ago the RVIA got politically more correct and changed their terminology to "Type" rather than "Class", but most everybody still says "Class".  Here is their description.

http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=types
http://www.rvia.org/UniPop.cfm?v=2&OID=1004&CC=1120

There is a lot more detail about how A, B, or C differ from each other, but that's not relevant here.

It has nothing to do with driver licenses, state vehicle registration designations, or any other legal stricture.
 
mikeylikesit said:
I bought a 1996 Pace Arrow 35-J.  By all I can find and discern, this is a class A rig......based on sticker location and general descriptions.  However, per the registration, it's a class "CV". (California reg.)

So, I am confused.....is it possible to be a class A rig, but not need a class A drivers license?  The information placard is on the wall behind the driver seat, and calls the GVWR at 17,000 Lbs.

I don't want to get in a bind with LE or the insurance company for not having the correct drivers license, but maybe I'm overthinking this......

thanks for any insight, folks!
Click to expand...

mikeylikesit
The "type" of drivers license you needed to drive a particular motor home is determined by the state from which hold your drivers licence.
 
THANKS everybody for the replies.  I really appreciate it.

.....what can I say.........everybody is a noob at least once.......

:)
 
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