Driver license requirements for RVs

This should answer question concerning driver license requirements for the big RVs

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-state-rv-license.shtml

Good source, Jack, and thanks. I like the way it explains where the RVs are an exception to the state's general requirements, thus avoiding the confusion that is so common when folks try to read the statutes themselves.

Very good information.  This topic is dear to my soul.  I have a CDL however do not need it with my rig and trailer.  However I see some that I believe could not pass a CDL test driving giant coaches and this makes me go Hmmmmm.

papahog said:

Very good information.  This topic is dear to my soul.  I have a CDL however do not need it with my rig and trailer.  However I see some that I believe could not pass a CDL test driving giant coaches and this makes me go Hmmmmm.

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That sometimes confuses me too, if it has air brakes,and weighs more than 26,000lbs and is anywhere around 40' it looks like it ought to treated like a truck(BIG TRUCK) and require a cdl.

Remember the difference between a CDL and a Non Commercial Class A and B license.  You will most likely never need a CDL to drive an RV unless you drive it for a living.

jack r said:

This should answer question concerning driver license requirements for the big RVs

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-state-rv-license.shtml

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I checked the NM data and it is correct... hardly anyone knows about it though

How do you read states that require special licenses to tow heavier trailers.  I live in PA and have a class B CDL which I use to drive tour buses.  But it clearly states on the back that I cannot tow more than 10,000 #'s.  Driving a motor home qualifies us for the RV exemption but towing a large trailer on my CDL apparently does not because there is no mention anywhere that overrides the statement on my CDL.

I realize I would probably never be stopped but it would be nice to know if I would be illegal or not.  Anybody else wonder about this or have an answer?

As I read the PA rules, a non-commercial Class B is required for a motorhome over 26,000 lbs and a non-commercial Class A is required if the two-vehicle plus trailer exceeds 26,000 lbs.  See the driver license classes and examples on the PA DMV web site:

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/driverLicensePhotoIDCenter/license_classes.shtml

I see the rules you reference and they are plain enough.  The issue I wonder about is towing trailers that are rated at over 10,000 #'s.  The rules show what I see on my commercial driver's licence.  I am not allowed to tow anything rated over 10,000# which certainly includes many RV's. 

The other thing that is shown on the state site is that many larger motor homes are not exempt and would require their drivers to have special licenses.  I wonder how many do, and how often they are required to show it.  Maybe just when there is a problem.

The DOT in NM has been doing spot checks on trucks and RVs for licenses, weight, etc and issued a warning ticket to a friend who did not have a class E lic last week. FWIW

The thing many forget about the need for a CDL is what CDL stands for

Commercial Driver's License

Now, if I'm driving a semi truck, or for that matter a straight truck or even a KIA, delivering goods or people to customers,  Even if it's only delivering newspapers.. That is COMMERCIAL driving

The key thing here is I am getting PAID to drive.

On the other hand if I'm driving MY motor home... for MY personal use, I"m not carrying goods or people for delivery.. That is NON-Commercial driving.

And CDL = Commercial driver's license.


NOW: IN some states (NOTE: I say some cause I've not checked 'em all) there is a weight limit on non-commercial vehicles.. usually 26,000 MCGVW.  but another way to look at is is to check out the license plate.. Plates on my Motor home (which has a Max CGVW of 26K-LBS) is a standard car plate, NOT a commercial plate... Plate on my Towed.. Well, that's a special plate (It's the same as my UID here in fact, not my screen name, but the UID behind it, it is also part of my router's SSID)

But the need for a Commercial license often depends on why you are driving more than what you are driving.  Again , state laws vary from state to state.

That said.. I do believe that any driver of a "Big Rig" be it my brother's 160,000 plated Semi tractor/trailer or a 25' motor home with out towed... SHOULD at the very least READ the commercial driver's manual.

For one tihing.... I was telling someone just the other day about laying out flares or break down triangles.. I have, on occasion, been complemented for the triangle pattern I layed out.

Why not.. I have a copy of "What every commercial driver must know" and it tells me how to lay 'em out.

I have seen trucks broken down where the idiot driver's flare pattern dang near killed me.

And I've seen commercial drivers ticketed for laying out a bad flare pattern (Well, that's what the Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer told me he did anyway, I was his dispatcher)

And that is just ONE of the pieces of useful info in that book

(NOTE: I"ve never had to spread triangles for MY car.. Wife's, Daughter's, Several strangers, but never mine......yet)

The issue I wonder about is towing trailers that are rated at over 10,000 #'s.

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I guess I don't see the issue. The PA DMV web site pretty clearly says that a 10,000 lb trailer does not require an upgraded license unless the combined weight of trailer and tow vehicle exceeds 26,000 lbs. Ergo, a 14,000 lb trailer towed by a 10,000 lb tow vehicle has no special requirement, but an 5000 lb trailer towed by a 21,001 lb tow vehicle does.  That would mean that at least some motorhomes that are under 26,000 lb by themselves would move to the higher license class if they towed much of anything at all, e.g. a car weighing 3500-4500 lbs.  I suspect that many PA residents are unaware of that little gotcha!

John from Detroit:

I drove a big truck for 11 years.  CDL= Can't do Labor.

I guess the issue is that most people probaby don't realize that you may need a special license to operate an RV.  I always assumed that the rule was that RVs were exempt and that is only at certain levels and in certain states.  As rigs get bigger, more fall into the class where licenses need to match the unit.  I see that CA leads in that area.  40' rigs used to be less common than they are now.

Also, the rules seem pretty confusing.  I possess a CDL license and am not legal to tow an RV trailer of greater than 10,000 #'s, as shown in the DMV charts, and stamped on my license.  That seems  confusing and most people might not realize it.  I didn't.

COMer said:

I guess the issue is that most people probaby don't realize that you may need a special license to operate an RV.  I always assumed that the rule was that RVs were exempt and that is only at certain levels and in certain states.  As rigs get bigger, more fall into the class where licenses need to match the unit.  I see that CA leads in that area.  40' rigs used to be less common than they are now.

Also, the rules seem pretty confusing.  I possess a CDL license and am not legal to tow an RV trailer of greater than 10,000 #'s, as shown in the DMV charts, and stamped on my license.  That seems  confusing and most people might not realize it.  I didn't.

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I believe that you are reading this incorrectly. I also have a CDL and it clearly says that I can haul a trailer, RV or otherwise, that is in excess of 10,001#, and Combination vehichle over 26,001# and ANY single vehicle no matter the weight, except motorcycles which you need the endorsement for and I have.

jack r said:

John from Detroit:

I drove a big truck for 11 years.  CDL= Can't do Labor.

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Isn't that what lumpers are for ;D

David,
COMer has  a Pennsylvania Class B CDL, which (at least under PA law) restricts him to trailers under 10,000 lbs, while the Class A CDL permits trailers over 10,000 lbs.

The oddity is that the PA Class A & B Non-commercial licenses have a different set of rules where the weight of the trailer itself is irrelevant and only the combined weight is considered.  

This is the sort of thing that creates enormous confusion, even though it in fact gives non-commercial (e.g. private RV) operators a break.

My initial thought was that many RVer's are not aware that some states do not consider them legal in their rigs.  I had always assumed that the RV exemption included all units and that is apparently not the case. In PA, the normal license given to all drivers, is the class C.  That means that if you want to drive a very large motor home, or a combination of motor home and trailer rated for over 26,000#, you must have a special license.  I don't think many of us knew that a special license was required for what is a fairly common application.

I assume that the problem here is that rigs, and combinations, have increased in size faster than the laws are keeping up.  I'm not really concerned with the fact that my commercial license does not allow me to haul a trailer heavier than 10,000# while my wife's regular license does.  I was just surprised and wondered if everybody that wanted to be compliant was aware of the laws. 

Not sure what we will do when she allows me to get a bigger trailer.  Maybe she'll be willing to drive.

Just curious -- even if the driving skills and safety information of a commercial driver were conceded to be necessary for an RV driver (which they probably are), why would an RVer need to know all the various commercial weight, hazard, cargo and other information that I understand is part of a commercial driver license examination?

So that he can pass the test and get the license.