Class A or Class B drivers License in Texas

If anyone from Texas has taken the test which book did you study out of? Did you have a written and a driving test?

I took the written test and the driving test to get my non-commercial Class B license.  The book they gave me to study is the CDL handbook and  they told me which sections I did not have to study since they would not be on the written test. 

I took the driving test in my motor home, which has a GVWR of 32,000 pounds and air brakes.  I did have to demonstrate how to test the air brakes (described in the book), had to back up 100 feet, parallel park and drive on various back roads and make several fairly tight turns.  I passed both of the tests the first time with no problems, so don't sweat it too much.

all of this CDL licensing stuff has only become a problem as the size of today's RVs have become the same size of commercial buses and semi truck 5th wheel trailers. 

in the old days,... a big RV was a 25 foot Winnebago

I see people driving rental RVs into my park that have no idea how to drive a truck.

is it more important that it may hurt RV sales...or more important innocent people don't get hurt.

what if RV dealers were required to give licensing school training with every sale ?

TonyDtorch said:

I wonder if somewhere in the small print of your insurance contract there is a provision requiring the insured vehicle must only be operated by a licensed driver,

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Wow! I'd never want to have that kind of policy. Here's the first scenario that comes to mind. Some 16 year old joyrider breaks into my rig and releases the brakes to glide down the hill I'm parked on. He doesn't have the right endorsement on his learners permit and now I'm not insured? I wonder how all the finance companies feel about people buying insurance that wouldn't cover someone who wasn't properly licensed hidden in the small print?

I'm betting that isn't even close to being a real exclusion.

Ken

bucks2 said:

Wow! I'd never want to have that kind of policy. Here's the first scenario that comes to mind. Some 16 year old joyrider breaks into my rig and releases the brakes to glide down the hill I'm parked on. He doesn't have the right endorsement on his learners permit and now I'm not insured? I wonder how all the finance companies feel about people buying insurance that wouldn't cover someone who wasn't properly licensed hidden in the small print?

I'm betting that isn't even close to being a real exclusion.

Ken

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ok good point,  but can you even get financing and insurance on a vehicle if you don't have a drivers license ?
what would your insurance agent say if you told him you don't have a license to operate that vehicle ? and by not telling him is that fraud ?

Based on my limited experience, there's a difference between an unlicensed/under-licensed driver being given permission to drive the vehicle and not being given permission.

Back in the early 80's, a young unlicensed visiting relative 'stole' the keys to one of our cars and took a brief joy ride in the neighborhood. He failed to yield at an intersection and T-boned a large/heavy station wagon of the 70's era. The insurance company gave me a check for our totaled car, and even gave me above their price guide because of the 'good condition and low mileage'.

They kept asking if I gave him the keys, and I kept insisting I didn't. They explained that, if I said I'd put the keys in his hand, they wouldn't hesitate to write a check to the other driver. Since I wouldn't change my story, they didn't immediately pay up. Meanwhile, I started receiving nasty letters from the other insurance company.

Unsure of the potential outcome, I called the Bar Association and got a referral to an appropriate attorney. He listened to my story and said "Relax; 80% of the people sitting in your chair aren't insured, but you are fully covered". He went on to explain that the two insurance companies would go through a dance and come to an agreement. He also told me to wait until legal papers were served on me (by the other insurance company), and to turn them in to my insurance company. They did, I did, and I never heard any more about it.

Bottom line - I was 'fully covered' for a licensed or unlicensed driver, with or without my consent, but the way the insurance company handled it was different.

That was over 30 years ago, and maybe the rules & practices have changed since then  ???

I know when it comes to motorcycles in California,
if you don't have an M1 or M2 endorsement added onto your normal class C license... and you get pulled over on a motorcycle,  you are considered an "unlicensed" driver and most times the bike gets towed away.

No mater how much experience you may have riding motorcycles, they will not let you ride it away because of the liability.

cops will tell you...."you may have a license to drive a car, but you do not have a license to ride a motorcycle".


so, you may have a license to drive a Corolla but not a Country Coach....

TonyDtorch said:

ok good point,  but can you even get financing and insurance on a vehicle if you don't have a drivers license ?
what would your insurance agent say if you told him you don't have a license to operate that vehicle ? and by not telling him is that fraud ?

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IF you knew that you didn't have the correct license, AND you indicated to the insurance company that you DID have the correct license AND they could PROVE the fraud, they probably wouldn't be required to pay.

BUT it's not illegal to be stupid. I saw that proven many times during my working career. If you didn't know that you needed a different license. If you could convince them that you were confused about what license you needed. Or you just never even thought about needing a different license, then you're probably are just fine.

I presume you cannot get insurance without showing some type of license, although I've been with the same company 38 years and have insured boats, MH, home and cars with them thru the years they've not asked to see a license that I recall. But back to the top paragraph, if I didn't realize I needed a different license....... I'm stupid, not a criminal.

Ken

if I didn't realize I needed a different license....... I'm stupid, not a criminal.

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Unfortunately, the law doesn't make that distinction.  "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."

The study guide for the class B is in the back of the book fot the CDL for Texas.

Ernie

The Rule as written in Nevada:

Non-Commercial Class A & B, Endorsement J

RV, boat and trailer owners need a Class A or B license to drive vehicles 26,000 pounds or heavier. An Endorsement J is needed to tow a vehicle over 10,000 GVWR. If the combination of the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle(s) exceed 26,000 pounds, a Class A license is required.

http://www.dmvnv.com/nvdl.htm#rv

OK, I stopped in at one of the DMV offices on my way home from work - here is the scoop for Texas. Yes, any rig over 26,000 lbs needs a Class B license. Study for the test primarily from chapter 14 of the CDL book. You are required to take a written test - if successful you will receive a "learners permit" or you can go ahead and take the drivers test right after the successful completion of the written test. I did not ask how long the learners permit is good for. Along with the book I received the application and the Record of Examination. The Record lists all of the factors which will be tested. However the record is for Classes A,B,C,M. There is a small section which says "Pretrip Inspection and lists Airbrakes. I asked the man behind the counter if this was part of the test and he said no - it is for their (and our) safety and I would learn something.

I have looked over Chapter 14 and the Chapter on Airbrakes. Doesn't seem to difficult.

For the driving part of the test you are required to bring your rig in and to prove insurance is in force.

One comment he made did make me wonder - he mentioned that they don't do many RV tests. This office is a new, large office service the Fort Worth and Arlington area. Do most large RV owners not sit for a Class  A or B test? I wonder.

Having taken the test I can attest that air brakes is indeed part of the test; the first part (at the Sherman office). I was informed that we'd stop there if I wasn't conversant with the requirements and able to demonstrate performance.

I did note that very few offices in Texas actualy have an examiner for class B and those examiners are poorly trained. Some offices require parallel parking while some don't as an example.

Ernie

Ned said:

Saying it doesn't make it correct.  Nowhere in that table does it mention a non-commercial CDL.

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read line 2 of that table.... 

I guess technically I should have referred to it as.... a Commercial Drivers License for non-commercial vehicles ...  :-[

it's not the same license as a "commercial CDL" ???..., so calling it a "non commercial CDL" is what's known as a "retro-term"......

it's kinda the same as the term "acoustic guitar"....it was always just a guitar.... until the electric guitar was invented.

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Legend:
State - State or Washington D.C. code

CDL - Indicates if CDL is required for non-commercial RV's

Special - Indicates if special driver's license is required

DL - Abbreviation for "driver's license"

Review - Date of information review

Get the CDL manual for your state. I down loaded the one for the state of Maryland and it says that motorhomes are exempt from the CDL A requirement if the vehicle is designed and constructed primarily to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use. This should apply to all states as the law is supposed to be standardized across all states.

jodellking said:

Get the CDL manual for your state. I down loaded the one for the state of Maryland and it says that motorhomes are exempt from the CDL A requirement if the vehicle is designed and constructed primarily to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use. This should apply to all states as the law is supposed to be standardized across all states.

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Not so much standardized as it is reciprocal. If you live in and your rig is registered in Maryland, and Maryland does not require a class A or B license then all other states will honor your license. If you establish residency in a state that requires a class A or B license you will need to get one.

Bill

jodellking said:

Get the CDL manual for your state. I down loaded the one for the state of Maryland and it says that motorhomes are exempt from the CDL A requirement if the vehicle is designed and constructed primarily to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use. This should apply to all states as the law is supposed to be standardized across all states.

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here's what I found on Maryland's DMV web site....it refers to the same weight limit license restrictions as most states do. it does require a non commercial class A or B

Motor vehicles differ greatly in size and complexity.  A motorhome/recreational vehicle provides temporary living quarters for recreational use and is exempt for requiring a commercial driver?s license in Maryland.  Please note:  Motorhomes/recreational vehicles can be different weight classes.  Your license must reflect either the appropriate weight class for the vehicle you are operating or must have the appropriate motorhome/recreational vehicle restriction code noted on your license.

Knowledge and skills testing are required to demonstrate your ability to safely operate these large vehicles on our highways.  In order to assess those skills and ensure that the driver can safely operate the vehicle, the driver must obtain a non-commercial learner?s instructional permit of the appropriate class. Successfully completing the required knowledge and vision tests is required.

Again, you must have the appropriate non-commercial class license to operate a motorhome/recreational vehicle.  Please refer to the Maryland Driver?s Handbook and the Motorhome/Recreational Vehicle Guide for study materials to assist you in obtaining the appropriate license.