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Old 08-01-2013, 04:38 AM   #1
Javi
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Note to my fellow Texans

Make note:

A Class C license is no longer good to 26000 GCWR unless the trailer is under 10K GVWR.

Class C Driver License
A Class C driver license permits a person to drive:
1. A single vehicle or combination of vehicles that are not included in Class A or Class B; and
2. A single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 26,001 lbs. towing a trailer not to exceed 10,000 lbs. GVWR or a farm trailer with a GVWR that does not exceed 20,000 lbs.

So all of us that either own or are looking to own a trailer with a GVWR of more than 10K are going to have to visit the DMV..
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Old 08-01-2013, 05:09 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Javi View Post
Make note:

A Class C license is no longer good to 26000 GCWR unless the trailer is under 10K GVWR.

Class C Driver License
A Class C driver license permits a person to drive:
1. A single vehicle or combination of vehicles that are not included in Class A or Class B; and
2. A single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 26,001 lbs. towing a trailer not to exceed 10,000 lbs. GVWR or a farm trailer with a GVWR that does not exceed 20,000 lbs.

So all of us that either own or are looking to own a trailer with a GVWR of more than 10K are going to have to visit the DMV..
Javi -

Was this part of the Special Session for transportation? Anything on the Web about it yet?

Ron
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Old 08-01-2013, 05:56 AM   #3
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Javi -

Was this part of the Special Session for transportation? Anything on the Web about it yet?

Ron
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/interne...Forms/DL-7.pdf
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Old 08-01-2013, 06:56 AM   #4
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Javi, Howdy;

What with no State income tax I guess they have to find
other ways to extract a few 'extra' $'s from you pocket...

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Old 08-01-2013, 07:17 AM   #5
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Javi, Howdy;

What with no State income tax I guess they have to find
other ways to extract a few 'extra' $'s from you pocket...

hankaye
No extra, same price as the class c, $25 good for 6 years
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Old 08-01-2013, 10:57 AM   #6
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Cut & pasted from the Texas Dept of Public safety website:

Individuals who are exempt from obtaining a CDL but may need a Class A or Class B driver license are:
Operators of recreational vehicles driven for personal use
Some farmers who meet certain criteria
Operators of cotton-seed modules or cotton burrs
A fire-fighting or emergency vehicle operator
Military vehicle operators
Vehicles owned, leased or controlled by an air carrier

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverL.../dlClasses.htm
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Old 08-01-2013, 11:11 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by gearhead View Post
Cut & pasted from the Texas Dept of Public safety website:

Individuals who are exempt from obtaining a CDL but may need a Class A or Class B driver license are:
Operators of recreational vehicles driven for personal use
Some farmers who meet certain criteria
Operators of cotton-seed modules or cotton burrs
A fire-fighting or emergency vehicle operator
Military vehicle operators
Vehicles owned, leased or controlled by an air carrier

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverL.../dlClasses.htm
Yep you are exempt from needing a CDL if you fit the above criteria however you will need a Class A non-commercial license if your trailer is over 10K GVWR
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Old 08-01-2013, 11:21 AM   #8
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Ah...I think I'm just under. I wonder if they plan on telling the public?
At least the CHL rules changed for the better.
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Old 08-01-2013, 12:01 PM   #9
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So all of us that either own or are looking to own a trailer with a GVWR of more than 10K are going to have to visit the DMV..
Geez even my small trailer exceeds 10K. Glad I'm a South Dakotan...
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Old 08-01-2013, 04:46 PM   #10
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Geez even my small trailer exceeds 10K. Glad I'm a South Dakotan...
My TT is over 10k as well. I have a class A CDL so all this doesn't matter to me. Just for the record, GA rules are similar to TX. The rules are just not enforced. I say that, but there may be a private party exclusion?? I wish that everyone who drove an "oversize" vehicle had to have some sort of special training. My parent's neighbor is a bank president. The largest vehicle he had ever driven was a jeep Cherokee. He bought a 40+ foot diesel pusher and pulls said Cherokee with him. He has a class c MS drivers license. Another guy in town has a motor home and pulls a 16' enclosed trailer and a boat behind that. Doesn't make any sense to me, but what do I know!!
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Old 08-02-2013, 12:58 AM   #11
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My TT is over 10k as well. I have a class A CDL so all this doesn't matter to me. Just for the record, GA rules are similar to TX. The rules are just not enforced. I say that, but there may be a private party exclusion?? I wish that everyone who drove an "oversize" vehicle had to have some sort of special training. My parent's neighbor is a bank president. The largest vehicle he had ever driven was a jeep Cherokee. He bought a 40+ foot diesel pusher and pulls said Cherokee with him. He has a class c MS drivers license. Another guy in town has a motor home and pulls a 16' enclosed trailer and a boat behind that. Doesn't make any sense to me, but what do I know!!
I agree... I see no problem with my having to pass a test showing I'm capable of safely towing my trailer.
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Old 08-02-2013, 03:37 AM   #12
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Michigan requires a special endorsement to double-tow with a fifth wheel. It's called the Recreational "R" and requires a written test as well as an additional $20. Other than the test to validate knowledge of the law and requirements to qualify for the endorsement, there is no special skill tested.

I suppose if one were required to "demonstrate" that he can make it around the corner without dragging the boat up onto the curb, it would show some ability. I can show you countless people who took their driving test with the radio turned off, very attentive to conditions around them, following the speed limit and stopping at every stop sign. Once back at the DVM to get their DL, they left with radio blaring, I Phone in hand, texting away, ran the stop sign at the end of the parking lot, then stopped in the road to pick up 6 friends to fill the 4 empty seats in their Mom's car......

While a physical test is beneficial to demonstrate basic ability, there's no real substitute for experience. A test doesn't trump common sense and experience.

3 Hours after my first flight, I didmy "solo" flight. What a bumpy landing. 37 flight hours later, I got my license and completed my "check flight" I was on my own, able to fly anywhere I wanted, but the bumpy landings continued for quite some time after that. Now, with green lights, fair winds and a good field, they are as "smooth as silk." That has more to do with several thousand times of doing it, not taking a test to show I know how..... I couldn't start to count the things I've learned about flying when things happen in the air. None of that was tested during those first 40 hours. Much of my experience in "situations" has come from being in the middle of an "Oh Crap" moment. They were not, as the commerical says, an "Ah Hah" moment.

If the test can keep those who are uncapable off the road, then it's beneficial. If it's answering quesitons on a piece of paper in the DMV, then it's just another "hoop to jump through", have we really gained anything?
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Old 08-02-2013, 03:56 AM   #13
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...If it's answering quesitons on a piece of paper in the DMV, then it's just another "hoop to jump through", have we really gained anything?
No. Not at all.

How do I know this? Look at drivers of regular cars. There is a knowledge test AND a skills test... Yet their remains an abundance of morons on the road with hundreds of preventable accidents every day.

New licensing requirements for RVers will not solve or prevent anything. Will only generate new revenue - incidentally, not enough to make it worthwhile considering recreational towers are in the GREAT minority considering all other vehicles on the road.

Rant off.

Oh and BTW... So far, Oklahoma specifically states "Regardless of weight" for my generic class D license as long as it is "primarily designed for and registered for recreational use" (paraphrased).

So I am full within the law when I hook up my (mythical) 14,000 lb GVWR enclosed race trailer full of toys to my (mythical) 54,000 lb GVWR Prevost and hit the road.
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Old 08-02-2013, 04:01 AM   #14
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The test is both written and practical, however if one is proficient at towing it isn't difficult at all. The test isn't about whether you can handle any and all situations that might arise, if it were 99.9% wouldn't pass it. The test is to demonstrate that you know how to maneuver your trailer and TV, not running over curbs or turning into opposing lanes.. stuff like that. It isn't a test of whether you will actually obey the traffic laws or even if you will drive safely.
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Old 08-02-2013, 04:06 AM   #15
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The test is both written and practical, however if one is proficient at towing it isn't difficult at all. The test isn't about whether you can handle any and all situations that might arise, if it were 99.9% wouldn't pass it. The test is to demonstrate that you know how to maneuver your trailer and TV, not running over curbs or turning into opposing lanes.. stuff like that. It isn't a test of whether you will actually obey the traffic laws or even if you will drive safely.
Well then. A good bit of RVers are gonna be off the road then !
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Old 08-02-2013, 04:11 AM   #16
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The test is both written and practical, however if one is proficient at towing it isn't difficult at all. The test isn't about whether you can handle any and all situations that might arise, if it were 99.9% wouldn't pass it. The test is to demonstrate that you know how to maneuver your trailer and TV, not running over curbs or turning into opposing lanes.. stuff like that. It isn't a test of whether you will actually obey the traffic laws or even if you will drive safely.
Most people with any driving skill can quickly learn (after hitting one curb) to steer wide and avoid the sidewalk. Which goes back to my original comment: Does it really get bad drivers off the road, help improve safety on the highways, and does it "prove" anything? (other than help the beaurocracy gain revenue and control a bit more of what we do).

I'm not against a good, rational program to license drivers (if it enhances safety) but I do oppose adding layers of revenue generating paperwork and additional government employees to perform the new test. All in the name of progress by the legislators who "tell us" the new process will make us safer or somehow prevent incompetence on the highway. I guess the jury is still out on this one.
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Old 08-02-2013, 04:23 AM   #17
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Can't really see that it is a revenue generating apparatus since it isn't in addition to a regular driving license but rather instead of the class c with the same cost $25 for 6 years. I'd bet it cost them more to regulate, test and maintain the license system than that $25 per 6 years generates.

This isn't something new in Texas it has been in place for several years, the wording has been changed to include those whose trailer are greater than 10K GVWR where before it was only if the GCWR was greater than 26K.

If nothing else it may catch a few of the 1/2 tons towing 16K trailers since they do inspect both the TV and trailer before the test drive.

SAD I get up that way to visit friends a couple of times a year and from what I see the OK drivers could use a bit more testing too...
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Old 08-02-2013, 06:26 AM   #18
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Looks like I'm just under the wire on this one.
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Old 08-02-2013, 09:12 AM   #19
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Looks like I'm just under the wire on this one.
I won't be when I buy the Cougar 333MKS it's like 12.5K but I ain't scared.... I passed my class A CDL with Tanker and HazMat, once upon a time. this should be a piece of cake..
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Old 08-02-2013, 06:58 PM   #20
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The test is to demonstrate that you know how to maneuver your trailer and TV, not turning into opposing lanes.
What!? I always use the opposing lane, unless there's a vehicle there (or about to be). MUCH easier to turn
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