New York / CDL

I spoke to a friend in New York State recently and he told me that the state is requiring a " type rating " to use a aircraft term for units 40' or over. He signed up and they, the state, gave him a road test which he passed. He now has a notation on his drivers license. Upon further review, checking with FMCA, this is not mandatory as of yet; however it can reflect positively on your insurance. While I feel there are folks who should not be driving oversized vehicles, I am concerned that states could make life difficult with increased regulation and fees. I understand that some states require motorhomes to go through the scales process, but I am not clear as to which states they are.:(

Ken

The rules regarding CDLs is changing all the time. As an example, if you drive a 45 footer in CA you need a license to do so. In 1992 or thereabouts when the CDL was listed in NY as a requirement for coaches over 26000 lbs with air brakes I know the NYSP near us were pulling out of staters over and the RVs remained parked until someone with at least a class B with air brake endorsement was available to drive them.

Then for whatever reason all of the requirements were relaxed.

I have recently seen elsewhere that more and more states are requiring appropriate non-commercial Class B licenses.

I think everybody driving a Prevost at the very least should get a non-commercial class B if for no other reason than to be legal no matter where you drive. It won't make you a better driver, but it will make a lawyer work harder to point a finger of blame at you if you are involved in a fender bender.

I agree with Jon. I have had a commercial chauffeurs license since I was just out of high school and then grandfathered it into a CDL when that became the law of the land. It is not really that hard to get one as you can get a tape to study for the written and then take your coach and do the driving part.

The only hard part about the test is renewing the hazardous materials part and only MangoMike would need that part as I am sure there are toxic items in the Mothership. Oh, Jon probably already has that along with the doubles, tanks and coach endorsements, ratings whore that he is.

CDL A, with a "P" endorsement.

That way if I fall on tought times I can drive truck, drive bus, and with my ATP fly a plane. But I'd rather maintain my currently unemployed status.

Ken

I was the first to get the state required endorsement for over 26,000 lbs. Unless they have required another endorsement for over 40', it must have come out recently because I have an "in" with that dept. and I would have had the notice.

Many more states are requiring some sort of endorsement because of so many old farts getting behind the wheels of the big rigs and "away they go". Salesmen don't care who drives, just as long as they get thier commission.

Group, I had looked into getting a CDL/B here in Chesapeake, VA. The only rating that is offered is the complete CDL for tractor trailer purpose. According to the companies I spoke to the " B " is offered by bus operators to their prospective employees; therefore it would not be profitable to provide this training commercially.

Lew, Around 1992 (I think this is when the CDL became required for commercial drivers) there was a window of opportunity to get the class B in a motorhome. Since no CDL B was required until mid year I think, if you took the written and scheduled a road test you could take the test without a learner's permit or a licensed driver to accompany you because it wasn't going to be required in NY until later in the year.

Then because of the outcry, NY dropped the requirement and only required an R endorsement, which you could get merely by affirming you drove a motorhome prior to the requirement.

Now, recently various states are starting to require the non-commercial B. I have no clue about a non commercial A for the folks driving RV trailers. I do think it should be a requirement.

I agree it should be a requirement.

When the testing officer approached me on getting the first endorsement for over 26,000 lbs, he had me study a manual and take a test. He was in the office when I was taking the test andhe was on the phone with Albany DMV. He told me to rip up the test and said all he had to do was t give a road test. He even had to run the computer for the clerks to get the endorsement to appear on my license.

Oh well, he just wanted a ride in my coach.:D

Has anyone been pullled over for a violation or ticket while driving the bus? Inquisitive minds would like to know. I usally run about 73 - 75 except Va. and it's 69 mph tops.
Roger

If I get pulled over it will be for driving too slow. 63 MPH. The world out there is full of crazies and we are targets because we are "rich". The bus will go fast, but it stops slow.

If I need to get somewhere fast I'll take my plane.

I am with Jon. We set our cruise control on 62 MPH max. I had read an article on diesel pushers and according to the studies the maximum milage was achieved between 55 -64 mph. Many states set a limit on items that are being towed at 65 MPH, although I have never seen that in print. Ken

Ah, in a Prevost, it ain't how fast you go, it's how quickly you can stop.

Just so there is no mistake, my speeds are determined by two things. First, by driving at 63 I can let the cruise handle all the driving because I rarely need a lane change or have to brake for slower traffic. This thing is a recreational vehicle and when I am in it I want to relax.

Secondly, the stopping distance at a lower speed is significantly shorter than at a higher speed. It may not seem like much, but the small 10% speed change to bring me up to 70 MPH increases my stopping distance by about 20%. Just to put this in perspective, the average car can stop in about 130 feet from 60 MPH. A Prevost towing a car may take as much as 300 feet from the same speed. That is one of the reasons why I get really concerned when I see a bus or truck trying to intimidate a car by tailgating.

I guess I am in the middle. I just drive the speed limit or a hair slower so that I don't have to spend all my time passing cars / trucks. This didn't work real well on my recent trip to Tennessee because every time I hit a hill in Arkansas, the trucks would slow down and I would maintain, so we just eased by them.

You can't do that on I-45 heading to Houston from Dallas cuz everyone drives like they are possessed. When you get to Huntsville, it turns into a speeding frenzy with everyone in the left lane trying to drive 80 and some of us trying to drive the speed limit mingled in with the occasional blue hair cruising along at 60 causing the water-flowing-around-a-rock-in-the-river effect.

With the lights all working and driving like a sane person, I don't think I have ever had a cop look twice at us. But we seem to attract a lot of beggers at the truck stops. What's up with that?

Call them beggars if you like, but I don't think all that try to make contact with you regardless of the reason merely want a buck or two. Some are feeling you out and if you let your guard down you may get ripped off and may be subject to physical harm.

There have been a number of instances we have heard from the party involved over the years of Prevost owners being at risk. I related about the fellow that was at the last Liberty Rally that lost his Rolex and about $1800. We spoke to a fellow that parked in a Wal-Mart or K-Mart parking lot in Wyoming and awoke to find himself surrounded by several local pick-up trucks loaded with drunk cowboys about to vanadlize his coach. We related the incident of the guy with the knife talking to my wife. We spoke to the Prevost owner that was lured out of his bus at a rest area under the pretext of helping a fellow RV owner who was just a few spaces over on the other side of some trucks that was broken down. (Not true, he was robbed).

We have had people bang on our window at night. On the other site it was posted about six months ago about how some Prevost coaches have been robbed by gaining access throught one of the awning type windows.

In short, we are getting paranoid and I think with good reason. At one time it was enjoyable talking to people who seemed interested in the coach. Now we tend to avoid that because we don't know their motives.

I still think we are OK in campgrounds.

There is another dimension of security available...INTERIOR INVISIBILITY...I installed 5% film on all but my drivers windows...After speaking to several professional Nascar drivers,They all said that this security measure made a big difference in keeping RABID fans guessing wheather or not anybody was inside...A side benefit is the caoach is usually 5-10 degrees COOLER at the hottest events...So far so good...

Our windows are tinted pretty aggressively without the film, but I never checked to see how easy it is to see inside during the day. At night with the lights on, you can see inside easier, but during the day, it looks pretty dim. Reckon that is enough tint?

We experienced problems in a Wal-Mart late one evening. Ellen & I had stopped to grab a bite to eat at this rual location. The store was closed, but there was another coach parked so we felt somewhat secure. As we finished up the meal several cars showed up an started to drive by very fast blowing their horns and yelling out the windows. It was time to get out of Dodge....which we did! I have never been hassled at a Flying J, but Wal-Marts are out except for daytime stops while the store is open. Ken