Drivers License Wake Up Call

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Bruce...ask any pilot on this forum if he is able to afford enough insurance to make him feel comfortable giving plane rides to non family members.

The reality is that you can register anything you want in a corporation like my plane is, but as driver or pilot you will be on the lawsuit right alongside the LLC or corporation. There is no legal way to avoid being a part of the lawsuit with 100% of your personal assets up for grabs unless you hire a professional driver, and even then you may have responsibility because you should have foreseen he would have an accident.

We may know our stopping distances, our G forces in lateral acceleration, and our capability in evasive maneuvers, but that does not prevent some jerk from pulling in too close after passing, and then locking his brakes up when he thinks he sees a deer. By the time you mentally calculate you don't have enough stopping distance your headlights are in his glove box and he is on the phone to Johnnie Cochran's law firm.

We are targets. The entire world views us as rich people who got that way because we stole from the little people. It is not bad enough that service techs pad the bill because we can afford it, but anybody involved in a fender bender with us sees us as the path to a life of ease and riches.

Driving defensively is a must, but so is dotting the "I's" and crossing the "Tees" in every other single area we can. They really are out to get us.

[jello_jeep]

If you really need a class A license, then you by all means should have it. If you are getting one just for "yuks" so you are convered for more classes than you really drive, you should bear in mind that in some states, like here in CA, as a commercial driver the point structure for violatioins is different, and sentencing / fine guidelines are different too.

You could find yourself with a suspended license over having too many points for something that would not have been a big deal with a non commercial license.

I believe that the BAC limit for being DUI is lower if you have a commercial license as well, even if you are not operating a commercial vehicle wihen you get caught.

Not that anyone should be DUI anyway, but things happen, and it is a factor.

This came to light when one of our employees that has a commercial got some minor ticket, went to court and the judge was fixin to let him off with a warning unitl the "helpful" clerk pointed out there was a mandatory action on the part of the judge due to him holding a Class A, even though he was not driving a commercial vehicle at the time.

All food for thought.

[0533]

If you really need a class A license, then you by all means should have it. If you are getting one just for "yuks" so you are convered for more classes than you really drive, you should bear in mind that in some states, like here in CA, as a commercial driver the point structure for violatioins is different, and sentencing / fine guidelines are different too.

You could find yourself with a suspended license over having too many points for something that would not have been a big deal with a non commercial license.

I believe that the BAC limit for being DUI is lower if you have a commercial license as well, even if you are not operating a commercial vehicle wihen you get caught.

Not that anyone should be DUI anyway, but things happen, and it is a factor.

This came to light when one of our employees that has a commercial got some minor ticket, went to court and the judge was fixin to let him off with a warning unitl the "helpful" clerk pointed out there was a mandatory action on the part of the judge due to him holding a Class A, even though he was not driving a commercial vehicle at the time.

All food for thought.

Good example of what can happen. I did notice that there were different rules, urine tests, and other mandatory regulations. I am happy for now knowing that I am at least legal. I did however figure that in a few states ( FMCA Article, Motorhome Regulations) could trip us up on the following: Combined length: Nj. 53',NC., 60' CT., 60' Il., 60', IN., 60', MD. 60', MA., 62'. Max Speed: IL., 55mph, IN., 55mph, OH., 55mph. I don't think that any of our combined units are 60', possibly a Mini Cooper, not much else.

[0533]

Bruce...ask any pilot on this forum if he is able to afford enough insurance to make him feel comfortable giving plane rides to non family members.

The reality is that you can register anything you want in a corporation like my plane is, but as driver or pilot you will be on the lawsuit right alongside the LLC or corporation. There is no legal way to avoid being a part of the lawsuit with 100% of your personal assets up for grabs unless you hire a professional driver, and even then you may have responsibility because you should have foreseen he would have an accident.

We may know our stopping distances, our G forces in lateral acceleration, and our capability in evasive maneuvers, but that does not prevent some jerk from pulling in too close after passing, and then locking his brakes up when he thinks he sees a deer. By the time you mentally calculate you don't have enough stopping distance your headlights are in his glove box and he is on the phone to Johnnie Cochran's law firm.

We are targets. The entire world views us as rich people who got that way because we stole from the little people. It is not bad enough that service techs pad the bill because we can afford it, but anybody involved in a fender bender with us sees us as the path to a life of ease and riches.

Driving defensively is a must, but so is dotting the "I's" and crossing the "Tees" in every other single area we can. They really are out to get us.

When I met Mango Mike at his restaurant the other evening, that is exactly how he characterized you when I asked who you were.

I do agree, but can't stay home, and life is too short to think about getting sued, anyway Johnny Cochran will not be available this time to help out OJ.

Bruce PS> Next step after the LLC is to place all of it in a trust, or give it all away. We need a good member lawyer to guide us beyond this point.

[BrianE]

As usual Jon is able to boil the problem down to basics. We all agree that reasonable caution along with preventive stuff is indeed the best defense against accidents. With that in mind and knowing anyone who has walked the walk to be able to own our marvelous toys, going through the process of obtaining a CDL license is weak tea. The truckers we have in our midst are very special guys indeed, they are very atypical of folks in a trade that doesn't require a degree. It doesn't take much effort to provide yourself with this additional bit of insurance. The written exam can be studied for and passed with a little reading. The driving test for an "A" can be done with the rental of a +26,000lb auto-shifting truck pulling an equipment trailer. Took me a half day and $400.

Additional benefit. When the trooper asks for your license, he thinks twice before writing the ticket. He assumes you're a pro and that the license provides your income. (This may not be the case in Ohio ). Edit: Jello. It was the CHP that gave me a free pass. Maybe the point system worked for me?

[jello_jeep]

Could be Brian. After meeting you I would suspecet a much more likely scenario would be that you were the first person that day who had treated him like a human being, didn't hand him a bowl of crap, and spoke the chosen language...

Most of them spend their days writing tickets to commercial drivers. Just smiling and not being a jerk goes a long ways.

Just my .02 !

[Tully]

I live in Illinois and contacted my attorney on this matter. He states the Illinois says "Non-commericial Use"- recreational vehicle with no limit in weight- normal license is accepted.

I asked if he were sure. He said the Non-CDL study book for the State Of Illinois starts out it's first paragraph to address this issue.

If being used non-commericial- no issues. He is going to mail me this code book with it high-lighted in yellow to keep in my coach. Also, will be mailing me a invoice for his 15 minutes of service.

Tully

[BENC]

Not sure what your endorsements read in the back of your FL drivers licence but mine reads "CLASS E - Any non-commercial vehicle with a GVWR less than 26,001 lbs. or any RV." I never asked for anything special on this but it was there when I updated my old licence for a new one.

[0533]

Not sure what your endorsements read in the back of your FL drivers licence but mine reads "CLASS E - Any non-commercial vehicle with a GVWR less than 26,001 lbs. or any RV." I never asked for anything special on this but it was there when I updated my old licence for a new one.

I have a Florida License as well. It says the following:

"CLASS E - Any non-commercial vehicle with a GVWR less than 26,001 lbs.

It did not refer to the last bit about "Any Rv", I wish it did as it gave me a bit of a scare until I read the exemptions on the Florida DMV site, see below:

Florida CDL Exemptions:

The following persons are exempt from the requirements to obtain a commercial driver license:

* Drivers of authorized emergency vehicles that are equipped with extraordinary audible warning devices that display red or blue lights and are on call to respond to emergencies;or
* Military personnel driving military vehicles; or
* Farmers transporting farm supplies or farm machinery, or transporting agricultural products to or from the first place of storage or processing or directly to or from market, within 150 miles of their farm; or
* Drivers of recreational vehicles used for recreational purposes; or
* Drivers who operate straight trucks (single units) that are exclusively transporting their own tangible personal property which is not for sale.
* An employee of a publicly owned transit system who is limited to moving vehicles for maintenance or parking purposes exclusively within the restricted-access confines of a transit system's property.

[Petervs]

Could be Brian. After meeting you I would suspecet a much more likely scenario would be that you were the first person that day who had treated him like a human being, didn't hand him a bowl of crap, and spoke the chosen language...

Most of them spend their days writing tickets to commercial drivers. Just smiling and not being a jerk goes a long ways.

Just my .02 !

Hey Jello Jeep, I often see Brian early in the day AND late in the day, and he ALWAYS treats me like an a;ien, hands me two bowls of crap, and tries out his pidgin english on me......

Actually, if you hold a professional drivers license, even if you do not need one, you may very well be held to a higher standard in a court of law. My state requires nothing more than the license they give 16 year olds to be legal todrive the bus, and that is all I intend to carry. Not to say I should not have the skills and knowledge of a professional. Maybe Brian will teach me. Now, that could take 2 minutes or 2 years depending on your point of view!