I Earned my class B License today

I know a lot of people skirt the law on this one and there is plenty of confusion even within people in the DMV, but I like to do things right so I got my non commercial class B today.

It forced me to learn things that would have taken me longer to get around to learning and really I have to say that it really should be a requirement in every state.

The in person exam took an hour including leak down testing and a discussion about tires and a road test.  The examiner was a former truck driver and she didn't mind putting me through my paces.  I did make one error; however, I demonstrated I knew the air brake system so well and it was not a safety error so she just explained my mistake - all good.

I personally feel it was worth the time for my piece of mind - especially for the number of years I plan to use this RV and then maybe another in the future.  Doubt I would go different than a DP now that I have one.

Careful, you'll bust the myth that it's no different than driving a car.

Why do you feel you were skirting the law? 

Congratulations!

garyb1st said:

Why do you feel you were skirting the law?

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In Pennsylvania, you need a non commercial class B if your RV is over 26,000 pounds.  Lots of people either ignore this rule or believe the myth that RV's are exempt.  There is a lot of confusion around this rule and I did have a permit and an eligible driver with me while practicing so I didn't skirt the law however if you were to pull over 100 diesel pushers I am not sure you would see 100 class B licenses.

Same requirement here in Delaware. Also in Delaware, if your trailer has a GVWR over 10,000#, one is required to get a class "A" non-cdl.

Congrats on you getting yours.

garyb1st said:

Why do you feel you were skirting the law?

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They have the same law in Nevada, over 26k requires it. I attempted to get a class B. I took the written test and passed it. Then the physical exam I failed and at that point I realized how totally stupid the whole thing was and gave up on it. What I failed was the first part where I had to go around and name all the parts on the outside of the RV. This has nothing to do with driving an RV safely. You don't need to walk around a car and name all the parts to get a normal license. The driving part was even stupider but I never got to it. They wanted you to back into a parking space. No problem at all. However they required turning off the backup monitor. Huh? I would have no problem backing in without the monitor but that is just plain stupid to me. If you have a monitor you should be able to use it. The whole thing just smacked of being a money grab to me.

Those are called basic skills: knowing how your vehicle works and being able to demonstrate your ability to operate it.

HappyWanderer said:

Those are called basic skills: knowing how your vehicle works and being able to demonstrate your ability to operate it.

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I have been driving RVs safely my entire adult life. I know how everything works and I know how to operate it safely.

I thought it was worthwhile when I bought a dp to get the class b license.  As far as checking external equipment, I'm sure that is derived from the successful process for flight training. I do an MH walk around every morning and if I had ever observed a flight student not conducting a walk around I'd have come down on him like a ton of bricks.

None of us is born knowing everything and licensing requirements are just a means of encouraging us to learn what we don't know we don't know.

Ernie

Ernie n Tara said:

I thought it was worthwhile when I bought a dp to get the class b license.

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I, also, did the same thing.  In my case the instruction was provided by a local community college which has a Class A program sponsored by Volvo Trucks.  Every once in awhile the Class A faculty (all retired truckers) conducts a Class B course.

IMHO one of the most significant parts of the course was a set of videos taken from the Class A course which were entitled Defensive Driving for the Commercial Driver.  The essence of the series was:

"You're driving a large, heavy vehicle which could seriously hurt or kill people if it is involved in an accident.  Because you're a professional driver, people will blame you regardless of whether or not you're at fault.  Yet, people will do all sorts of stupid things to get around or away from you.  Your job is to anticipate what they're going to do so as to avoid getting into an accident."

It's not that there's anything particularly revolutionary about that advice, but I have tried to take it to heart when driving my MH and even when driving my other vehicles. I can honestly say that I've become a better driver by virtue of taking that message to heart.

KandT said:

In Pennsylvania, you need a non commercial class B if your RV is over 26,000 pounds.  Lots of people either ignore this rule or believe the myth that RV's are exempt.  There is a lot of confusion around this rule and I did have a permit and an eligible driver with me while practicing so I didn't skirt the law however if you were to pull over 100 diesel pushers I am not sure you would see 100 class B licenses.

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I've always wondered about the rationale behind the California law.  Does seem logical that having responsibility for a vehicle 10 or more times as heavy as a sedan and usually more than twice the length of that same sedan might warrant some additional knowledge and skills. 

California also has a loop hole that allows a person to drive any motorhome under 40' ...regardless of  how much it weighs.

Here is a copy of the rules..      https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/dl648/dl648pt2

With a Basic Class C license:
* A 2-axle vehicle with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs. or less.
* A 3-axle vehicle weighing 6,000 lbs. gross or less.
* A motorized scooter.
* Any housecar 40' or less.

TonyDtorch said:

California also has a loop hole that allows a person to drive any motorhome under 40' ...regardless of  how much it weighs.

Here is a copy of the rules..      https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/dl648/dl648pt2

With a Basic Class C license:
* A 2-axle vehicle with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs. or less.
* A 3-axle vehicle weighing 6,000 lbs. gross or less.
* A motorized scooter.
* Any housecar 40' or less.

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I don't read it the same way you do Tony. I don't believe there is a loophole there. It doesn't say regardless of  how much it weighs, anywhere. I believe you you have to be under on each item to be legal. So IF you have a 40' or shorter coach as long as it is under 26,000 lbs. a class C is all that is needed. Bet there aren't many 40' coachs under 26,000 lbs.

The law says you may drive "Any" housecar under 40'.

I don't think that was the intent,  but it is how the law is written.

Ask any attorney,  we go by the letter of the law... not the intent.

THere is a lot of confusion on PA too.  I can see both your points.  Quite frankly I think it is a good idea and worth the time to get it.  I learned from it and it didn?t take too long.  Better to be safe with the police than not.

Charlie, not sure I agree.  If that interpretation is correct, every driver of a 3 axel class A motorhome would require a non-commercial class B license.  Many of those older motorhomes with tag axels most likely do not exceed 20,000 lbs.  Take the older tandem axel GMC motorhomes.  GVW for the biggest unit is about 12,500 lbs.  Why would those require a non-commercial class B license?  Just isn't logical. 

Tony is absolutely right. I know, because I have to revisit the licensing process every two years. In California, the weight of a motorhome has nothing to do with the requirement for a Class B non-commercial license. DMV only cares about the motorhome's length. In California, trailers have weight limitations that affect the type of license you'd need, but not motorhomes.

It took me nine months of jumping through bureaucratic hoops to get a Class B non-commercial license, so I could legally drive our 43 foot coach, and every two years I have to get a medical exam to maintain it. I have no problem passing the exam, it's just a giant PITA and not covered by insurance.

The fact is, in California, someone could buy a 40 foot DP, load it to max gross weight, so that it weighs more than our lightly loaded 43 foot coach, and legally drive it around all day with a standard Class C license. I, however, need a Class B non-commercial license - only because our coach is longer than 40 feet. I'm not saying that makes sense, I'm just saying it's the law in California.

Like the OP, I found the training for the Class B to be very informative. I just wish there was some consistency and logic in the requirements to get a license to drive any large vehicle. It's California, so I'm not holding my breath.

Kev

Charlie 5320 said:

Bet there aren't many 40' coachs under 26,000 lbs.

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The way I read the law....  "Any" means you can even drive a 3 axle, 10 wheel Freighliner truck Toy Hauler (classified as a motorhome but in the commercial world would have a legal GVW of 54 thousand pounds )...as long as it's under 40' long.

I kept my CDL-A so I'm not worried about it, but it appears the be a nice loop hole for RVers.

Let's ask one of our Forum members that is an attorney for his interpitation of the law.

I can fix all your problems.  Come to MI and get your license here and you can drive any RV you want with no restrictions
like 26,000lbs or 40ft or less stuff.

That works out good because then you (or I ) can drive into any other of the 48 states and be legal.