Nick -
Actually, there is a air brake endorment to the the CDL license. So you have Class A,B & C CDL and then the following endorsements to your CDL specific to your application.
(P) Transporting passengers, air brakes, combination vehicles, (T) doubles & tribles, (N) Tankers & (H) Hazadous.

Now in New York I heard there is a motorhome endorsement that you must get to your standard drivers license. Anyone here this?

Bill

2003 40' Show Hauler Custom Motorcoach www.showhauler.com

Warpath,
In Texas there is a seperate license needed if a vehicle is over a certain weight limit, be it an RV or whatever.

I do not think having some sort of test requirement is a bad idea. Too many people who have never driven anything larger than a Chevrolet buy a big Class A motorhome and head for the highway with no idea of what it takes to safely drive and stop something that big. I am a big beleiver in Dick Reed's RV Driving School.

While my earlier posts state that no CDL is needed for a bus used as an RV, that does not mean it should not be required.
Nick

Nick
Gypsy Journal Newspaper
www.gypsyjournal.net

The airbrake endorsement apparently is only required for CDL as mentioned in the above post...however any Class 8 conversions and some buses have air brakes along with some Medium Duty trucks...
You really should not be driving these vehicles without proper knowledge of your braking system.

You should know how to test the adjustment of the brakes and how to adjust the slack adjusters, drain the moisture from the tanks, how to brake on steep downgrades to avoid fading, proper bleed off rates, the list goes on and on....

It is a whole different ball game with air brakes.

Many previous posts deal with not having to obtain a CDL, sure the vehicles are not being used for commercial purposes but they are still
big heavy vehicles built for commercial use and designed for commercial drivers.

The common sense thing would be to not try and beat the rules through a few loopholes but to take the tests and be confident that you can share the highways with other drivers without endangering your life and the lifes of others...

It is really quite scary to think one can buy a
Class 8 truck off the lot, hook up a 39 foot trailer and drive off down the road at 70 MPH with no experience or training in the trucks systems....its a heavy piece of equipment to turn into an 8 ton spinning top at 70 MPH when someone hits the Jake Brake switch to see what it is for when the road is slippery!!!

I guess I am starting to rant a bit but it is really quite a safety issue...

Have fun but be safe out there with those bigger rigs...

I'm registered in TX. My RV weighs 32,000. The DMV manual states that anything over 26000 pounds requires a CDL. Class B for motorhomes in lieu of Class A for commercial. This is not hard. If you can't pass this, you should not be on the road. Each state is different.

maddog

The question here becomes: "Does a endorcement on the drivers liscense really indicate you know what to do when you have airbrakes or is it an indication that you can read well?...Is the state really testing your knowledge or your reading ability?.....geof

http://www.roadwars.com/otc/ab/

Here is a website that has some sample questions on Airbrakes...

Humm,

I've been looking at the Louisiana administrative code and come to the conclusion that I'm likely legal in LA if I'm not using the bus for commercial purposes (even though it is registered as a bus). Likely, if pulled over the State Police (wherever I am going) may disagree. However, the point is arguable.

The point that geoff brings up is a favorite of mine. Does a license (or certificate or whatever) imply competence. Long ago I met a geologist who stated that someone having an engineering degree only implied an ability to learn (not competence or knowledge). I mostly agree. A CDL with Air Brake endorsement implies that someone was exposed to the requiements in the law (not that they understand what they were exposed to or that they comply). I've often wondered about things like licenses and inspection stickers versus someone who cares about the intent of the law.

Often times running down the road with my popup I look at a 35' motorhome with a guy in it, who my prejudices indicate is marginal to operate a car, and wonder why the law lets anyone in LA run on the road with 15,000 plus of vehicle and probably no competence. I guess states rationalize that there aren't very many of them out there therefore the risk is limited, but ...

I hear your commentary. I guess before I buy my bus I need to increase my knowledge level on busses (air brakes et. al.). Not becasue of the law, not that I can help the fact that many may not be comptent to run their vehicles on the road, but because I need within myself to be the best I can be.

Thanks,

I did see a guy in Fla. that was 80-85 years old and driving a 1/2 million dollar VanHool...it had everything...including maids quarters.....OMG!...geof

My mom has a CDL because she works for the Headstart program (sorta like a kindergarten) and she has to be able to drive the bus. You do not want to ride with my mom driving...she scares me. I've known too many bad drivers that were licensed that I don't put much stock in licensing procedures. But the fact remians that most states do not require you to have a CDL license or any special license to drive private hiway coach, regardless or air brakes or weight or length. You can go to special driving schools to learn how to drive your large RV. Of course you have to find what state they are in since there are only a couple. Any capable driver will follow common sense rules. Of course thatere's not too much common sense out there which is part of the reason we got the Eagle instead of a "stick-n-staples" motorhome. The windows for our bus came out of a wrecked Winnie..I saw the inside of that thing!!!

The guy who started this thread first just needs to get his bus home...he doesn't need a special license to do that. When he gets it home and starts converting, he will find out about the "Bus Nuts" and the many boards. He will learn what he needs and how to drive. Hopefully he will go to the articles on the Bus Nuts Online site and read RJ's article on "Shifting" BEFORE he goes to get his bus.

Lorna
1974 Apache Solid State Pop-Up www.freewebs.com/schinskeapache
1972 Eagle 05 Bus Conversion (Self Conversion) www.freewebs.com/aluminumasylum
"The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature" Zeno (335BC-264BC)

quote:

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Originally posted by WARPATH:
Nick -
Actually, there is a air brake endorment to the the CDL license. So you have Class A,B & C CDL and then the following endorsements to your CDL specific to your application.
(P) Transporting passengers, air brakes, combination vehicles, (T) doubles & tribles, (N) Tankers & (H) Hazadous.

Now in New York I heard there is a motorhome endorsement that you must get to your standard drivers license. Anyone here this?

Bill

2003 40' Show Hauler Custom Motorcoach http://www.showhauler.com

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Bill, living in NY I know of NO such requirements. My Father-in-law has a class A motorhome and has no special "add-ons" to his licence. I on the othere hand have a CDL class B with air and passenger endorsments.
I believe all drivers should have to take a road test before hitting the road with these large MHs.
edit: we must also remember that these MHs are also towing a car behind them.
Jim

Jim & Pam

1998 Dodge Dakota
2001 Coleman Santa Fe