Non-commercial class A written test in CA

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

kinsey951

New member
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
Posts
4
Hi I am hoping someone can help me answer my questions regarding the Non-commercial class A written exam. I have contacted the DMV on 3 different occasions and I get a different answer every time  :mad:
We have to have our Class A non-commercial to tow our trailer with a gvwr of 16000, my question is has anyone taken the written exam in CA for the noncom class A? I need to know what I should be studying (is it the commercial handbook or the travel trailer/recreation handbook). Also is the written test for the nonA the same as the test for the Commercial class a (I have gotten 3 different answers from the dmv on this).

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
I certainly haven't taken the test but the web site looks like it may answer your questions...  http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648pt3.htm 
 
Ahhh the fine print lol.. Thank you!!! When I went to get the book at the dmv they told me I needed to study the Class A commercial book, I called the main office to confirm they told me that again, then I called the commercial department and they told me the recreation hand book so none of them can give me a straight answer. they have also told me its the commercial A test that I take despite being non com a while someone else said its a non commercial test they have driven me nuts with going in circles with them
 
SuwanneeDave said:
Probably means that a lot of people are driving with a regular license

yes, According to CA law, it requires a "non commercial class A or B drivers license.

So  many people towing travel trailers or 5th wheel trailers weighing over 10k lbs are driving around as "Unlicensed" drivers.

CHP is well aware of this when percentage of fault is assigned in and accident ..... and so are the insurance companies when it comes to claim denial.

also Class A's over 40'

here is some info.......http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648pt2.htm
 
Study for the Class A Commercial test and you won't have any problems.  You won't be taking the air brake section of the test unless your rig has air brakes.  Your decision whether or not to study the air brake section should be based on whether or not you take the test.  There are no hours of service questions on the test so that won't be an issue.

You definitely want to study unless you want to take the test more than once.
 
Went in to take the written today and was only able to take the 18 questions from the class c test... It took them 1 hour to find the correct test for the non commercial A test!!!! by the time they found the test they would not let me take it because it was past the "time" they administer tests so I now have to try and make it back there tomorrow before 3:30 to take this test  :mad:  I cannot believe they didn't know which test to give me given how many people that have toy haulers my size around here. I wouldn't be getting this licence though if I hadn't gotten in trouble with CHP already and was made to have someone with a class A come drive my rig away I am just glad it wasn't impounded
 
kinsey951 said:
Went in to take the written today and was only able to take the 18 questions from the class c test... It took them 1 hour to find the correct test for the non commercial A test!!!! by the time they found the test they would not let me take it because it was past the "time" they administer tests so I now have to try and make it back there tomorrow before 3:30 to take this test  :mad:  I cannot believe they didn't know which test to give me given how many people that have toy haulers my size around here. I wouldn't be getting this licence though if I hadn't gotten in trouble with CHP already and was made to have someone with a class A come drive my rig away I am just glad it wasn't impounded
so,....do you wanna talk about this CHP trouble thing ?
 
This is off of the CA DMV web site that can be found here,....http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#noncommercial

this just keeps getting better.....after you pass your written test and get your permit It says on here you must call a "DMV commercial test office only"to take your skills test

Requirements for a Noncommercial Class A driver permit
To apply for a Noncommercial Class A permit, you must:

Visit a DMV office (make an Appointment(s) for faster service)
Complete a Driver License or Identification Card Application form (DL 44C). (An original DL 44C form must be submitted. Copies are not acceptable.)
Give a thumb print
Have your picture taken
Verify your birth date and legal presence (you may use your California driver license). If your current name no longer matches the name on your birth date/legal presence document, see ?True Full Name? and ?How to Change Your Name? for more information. Provide your true full name if your name no longer matches the name on your birth data legal presence document.
Pay the application fee
Pass a vision exam
Submit a Health Questionnaire (DL 546) dated not more than two years prior to the date of your application
Pass the traffic laws and sign tests for the class of vehicle you currently have and also the Noncommercial Class A Vehicles test
Note: To allow you sufficient time for testing DMV will not be administering written or audio exams after 4:30 p.m.

Once you have completed these requirements, you will be issued a permit. You can only drive with a person who has a California driver license in the same class as your permit and meets the age requirements.

Requirements for a Noncommercial Class A driver license
To obtain a Noncommercial Class A license you must:

Have completed all the requirements for a Noncommercial Class A permit
Call a DMV CDL office and make an appointment for a driving test (Cannot be made for the same day) (Noncommercial Class A driving test appointments cannot be made online)
Bring the Noncommercial Class A vehicle with you
Pass a pre?trip inspection
Pass a skills test
Pass a driving test
After you pass your driving test, you will be issued an interim license valid until you receive your new photo license in the mail. Verify your address before you leave DMV. Notify the DMV representative if you have moved or if your address is incorrect. If you have not received your photo license within 60 days, call 1?800?777?0133 to check the status. You will need to provide information from your interim license.

It's no wonder so many people just  go to one of those So. Dakota mail box places and get their drivers licenses and vehicle registrations there
 
TonyDtorch said:
It's no wonder so many people just  go to one of those So. Dakota mail box places and get their drivers licenses and vehicle registrations there

The commercial vehicle drivers license test is is controlled by the federal government meaning that no matter what state you take it in it's basically the same test and standards.

Also,for those that are of the opinion that since because your state doesn't require additional licensing for a heavy RV then you're gonna be just fine driving it someplace like California you might get a surprise.  Case in point:  In Arizona it's legal to have tinted windows on the front doors, in California it's not.  The defense of "My vehicle is registered in AZ and I'm licensed in AZ therefore I can drive with tinted windows in California" definitely won't work in court.  I worked as a contractor for CHP and San Bernadino County Sheriffs Office a decade or so ago.  In numerous conversations with officers they noted with humor how much money the state made from AZ vehicles entering with tinted windows, that and the fact that those same windows were automatic probable cause to pull over a car on the interstate.

The bottom line is as kinsey951 undoubtedly found out, it's much cheaper to comply with the law than defend yourself in court although the bureaucrats might make your life miserable in the attempt to comply.
 
TonyDtorch said:
so,....do you wanna talk about this CHP trouble thing ?

My trouble with the CHP was completely dumb on my part I guess. I had to get a vin verification done on an off road vehicle at the chp office my only way to get the vehicle there was with my toy hauler ( I had no idea I needed a class A licence to drive this thing and I have been towing since I was 18, I'm now 30, none of my buddies knew about this either and some are actually commercial drivers). So I got to chp did all my paperwork etc and waited my turn when I happened to see two chp officers inspecting my trailer so I went outside to see what the deal was. Well bottom line due to my GVWR I wasn't allowed to tow my trailer, but since they didn't see me pull up they said they wouldn't impound me as long as I had someone with a class A lic come drive it home for me and told me if I get pulled over for any reason without a class A non commercial I would be impounded.... SO not worth the risk so now I am going through this headache of a process. I had always thought it was based off of the weight of my trailer not the gvwr but now I know and sure don't want to risk the hassle again
 
kinsey951 said:
My trouble with the CHP was completely dumb on my part I guess. I had to get a vin verification done on an off road vehicle at the chp office my only way to get the vehicle there was with my toy hauler ( I had no idea I needed a class A licence to drive this thing and I have been towing since I was 18, I'm now 30, none of my buddies knew about this either and some are actually commercial drivers). .....

You ain't the Lone Ranger. 

Just judging from my experience as a staff member here on the RVForum, I would say that a lot of the folks acquiring big fivers and tow haulers have no idea  that a Non-commercial Class-A drivers license is required.  The rules in CA, as of this date, require that for TTs over 10,000 lbs GVWR and fivers over 15,000 lbs GVWR.  [Those numbers are found on the trailer DOT plate.]  Similarly, drivers of motorhomes over 40' in length require a Non-commercial Class B license. 

Similarly, double tows, (ie. two trailers) requires a Commercial Class A license with a special doubles towing endorsement in California. 

All this stuff is contained in a neat little publication from the CA DMV  at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648toc.htm

Folks licensed in other states should check with their own DMV.    Do this before putting down a deposit on that really great 38 foot fiver or 43 foot motorhome.
 
Many of the states do not require a special drivers license to drive or tow any R/V  that is used for non-commercial use.

and I am pretty sure if you are visiting California from one of those states you are legal to drive here.

here is an "unofficial" list of state RV drivers license requirements....


http://changingears.com/rv-sec-state-rv-license.shtml
 
I had a San Jose DMV appointment this morning at 10am.  My goal was to 1) renew my Class C license 2) apply for a RealID 3) apply for a non-commercial permit


Brought the following documents:
renewal notice I received in the mail
current drivers license (c)
Passport
ssn card
pge bill
recreational vehicles and trailers handbook (aka DL648)
completed health questionire DL546 (NOT DL546A)
checkbook

Arrived at the dmv at 9:55am
Made it to the first human at 10am (got a number for the real line)
waited 35 minutes until my number was called
explained that i wanted 1,2,3
paid $35
took vision test
went to the next line for photo id (5 minute wait)
went to the testing area in the dmv
took the 20 question recreational vehicle and trailer test (easy, i didn't study and passed.  Everything in the test was covered in "recreational vehicles and trailers handbook (aka DL648)"
took the standard class c test (required since I was taking the trailer test)
Went to the next window and showed them my results.  The RealID and License renewal were handled immediately.  Thats when the trouble started...
First we argued over non vs commercial license then they said I needed a B license.  After 30 minutes and 3 different people helping they agreed the non-commercial class A was the right thing.  Then they claim the computer required a  DL546A (which a doctor has to complete.) . I explained that they were wrong and showed them the handbook.  blah blah blah 2 hours later..  they got the manager to figure it out, enter special passwords, etc The lady who was helping me said that in 10 years she had never had a person apply for this kind of license.

I remained calm the whole time and backed up my statements with documentation.  That seemed to help (being nice and the docs)

 
California's DMV has so many different rules/laws for different vehicles, that the average DMV employee won't know them all. We have a 43 foot Class A, and it took nine months for me to get issued the correct class of license for me to drive our MotorHome.

The ONLY DMV employees who knew what type of license I needed, were the people at the Commercial DMV facility (There's one in San Diego.) The employees at the regular DMV offices insisted that I did not need a Class B Non-Com to drive a 43 foot coach, despite the fact that the Vehicle Code clearly said otherwise. I almost gave up, but knew better.

I went to the Commercial facility, and after passing the written tests, driving test and medical exam, the Commercial examiner told me that I was about to encounter the most frustrating experience one could have with DMV - getting Sacramento to issue me a Class B Non-Com license - and boy was he right!

Sacramento refused to issue the license, stating that it was not necessary. They sent me a letter of "license destruction" twice, because they insisted that a Class B Non-Com was not necessary to drive any Class A MotorHome in California. I finally had a sit down meeting with a DMV supervisor. I showed her the Vehicle Code requirements, and (politely) requested that they either issue me a Class B Non-Com, or give me a formal letter stating that I could legally drive my MotorHome with a standard California drivers license. About three weeks later, I got the Class B Non-Com in the mail. The whole process took slightly more than nine months.

After experiencing what I went through, I wouldn't blame anyone for not going through what I had to go through. It's just a shame that if something were to happen whlle driving without the correct class of license, the driver would suffer the consequences - not the incompetent people at DMV.

Kev
 
Obviously the vast majority of people who drive RV'S large enough to require special licensing do so without benefit of said license.

Until I was 39 years old I only held a motorcycle license. Each time I renewed I was told that I could NOT have only a motorcycle license whereupon I showed them my motorcycle only license. I took great delight every few years frustrating the snot out of the government employees at the DMV. Alas when I started driving commercially I finally had to conform.
 
I reckon It's a good think I am a big rig driver so therefore I have a class A CDL, but having said that there is a lot of "crap" they throw at us drivers more and more every year it seems. And they wonder why there is a truck driver shortage in this country..... :mad:
 
It's not only drivers licenses that DMV employees are ignorant about. Here's my experience with a DMV employee who had never heard of a Cummins engine.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
131,753
Posts
1,384,359
Members
137,524
Latest member
freetoroam
Back
Top Bottom