Alert for all California RV'ers - Page 3

Courtland · 10-14-2012, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoffbrew

I am bringing my rig to work and going over to them for the test, some paperwork and some studying first though! I will let you know how it all goes.

Any update to this? Looks like I need to get a non commercial class A to be legal and need to go through this process. One thing I am concerned about getting a Non-Commercial Class A is the way a ticket would work. I have many friends that have the Commercial Class A licenses in CA and if they get a speeding ticket it is 2 points instead of 1, being a professional driver you are held to a higher standard. I am trying to find out if this applies to anyone with a Class A license in CA or only those Commercial drivers. I had a friend that recently got a ticket in his wife's car and it cost him 2 points, he cant go to traffic school apparently. One thing I have learned in CA is nothing is for sure. Every DMV office interprets the laws differently and even the CHP officers have their own interpretation of these laws. Gotta love CA!

tomsws6 · 10-14-2012, 11:51 AM

Thats a crazy law.. Im pretty sure we dont have anything like that here in DE.

smiller · 10-14-2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Courtland

Any update to this? Looks like I need to get a non commercial class A to be legal and need to go through this process. One thing I am concerned about getting a Non-Commercial Class A is the way a ticket would work. I have many friends that have the Commercial Class A licenses in CA and if they get a speeding ticket it is 2 points instead of 1, being a professional driver you are held to a higher standard. I am trying to find out if this applies to anyone with a Class A license in CA or only those Commercial drivers. I had a friend that recently got a ticket in his wife's car and it cost him 2 points, he cant go to traffic school apparently. One thing I have learned in CA is nothing is for sure. Every DMV office interprets the laws differently and even the CHP officers have their own interpretation of these laws. Gotta love CA!

If you read through the thread you'll find that you do not need a Class A license, just an endorsement to your Class C (unless your GCWR is greater than 26,000 lbs.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Courtland

Every DMV office interprets the laws differently and even the CHP officers have their own interpretation of these laws. Gotta love CA!

Like most 'California' faults, it's pretty easy to find that complaint for just about any other state in the union.

Courtland · 10-14-2012, 12:17 PM

If I read everything correctly and understand the forms, If the 5th wheel trailer is over 15000 lbs (which it is 16000 lbs) and my truck is over 10000 lbs (which it is 11000 lbs) lbs then a non commercial class A is required. Am I totally misunderstanding this?

smiller · 10-14-2012, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Courtland

If I read everything correctly and understand the forms, If the 5th wheel trailer is over 15000 lbs (which it is 16000 lbs) and my truck is over 10000 lbs (which it is 11000 lbs) lbs then a non commercial class A is required. Am I totally misunderstanding this?

Sorry, my mistake, I didn't realize that your weights were that high. The Class C endorsement is only good up to 15,000 lbs. trailer weight.

hoffbrew · 10-14-2012, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Courtland

Any update to this? Looks like I need to get a non commercial class A to be legal and need to go through this process. One thing I am concerned about getting a Non-Commercial Class A is the way a ticket would work. I have many friends that have the Commercial Class A licenses in CA and if they get a speeding ticket it is 2 points instead of 1, being a professional driver you are held to a higher standard. I am trying to find out if this applies to anyone with a Class A license in CA or only those Commercial drivers. I had a friend that recently got a ticket in his wife's car and it cost him 2 points, he cant go to traffic school apparently. One thing I have learned in CA is nothing is for sure. Every DMV office interprets the laws differently and even the CHP officers have their own interpretation of these laws. Gotta love CA!

I have not taken the test yet, I am very soon. CA has built this huge Commercial Test Station/CHP facility right across the street from my business, I have walked over there numerus of times to get this straight. Facility said they dont care about the truck, just the trailer, due to not being for hire ... gotta love it! Now that I am typing this, I will make my appt by walking over there in the a.m.

Courtland · 10-15-2012, 10:21 AM

I have my written test setup for Friday, I will assume I need to plan for at least a couple hours since I assume I will walk in there knowing more about the law than the people that enforce it.

Once i get that completed I will schedule the driving test. Did i read this correctly last night on the CA DMV website, once you are permitted (passed the written) you must show up for your driving test with your rig you plan to tow and you must have a licensed co-pilot that currently holds the same license you are testing for? Hoffbrew, how was the written test?

Courtland · 10-19-2012, 02:24 PM

Well I took the Non-Commercial Class A test (this is the Commercial Class A test minus a section on air brakes) today, I also had to retake my Class C test since I have not renewed it recently and decided to finally get my Motorcycle license so I took the Motorcycle exam just I case I didn’t think I would have enough questions to answer. After doing all three tests and passing each the nice DMV lady told me she messed up and I also needed to take a 5th wheel endorsement exam (turned out to be the RV Endorsement exam). Took this exam and passed it as well. So after 2 hours at the DMV and 4 passed exams it proved to be a successful morning. Now I need to schedule the driving test portion for my Non-Commercial Class A and I should be all set and apparently legal.

One thing I will point out is I used the “RV and Trailers Handbook” to study for the test when I should have also been reading the Commercial Class A handbook as well. Luckily I was able to pass this test (58 questions) missing only 4 questions, but I might have been more prepared for the Non-Commercial Class A test questions had I read the right material, there were some questions on commercial laws, federal laws and buses on the exam.

5akman · 10-23-2012, 11:37 AM

...and the driving test is only if your fiver weighs over XX lbs correct? Still trying to figure out what I need to do in CA to drive my SRW Dmax and tow my 7000lb fiver!

Courtland · 10-23-2012, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5akman

...and the driving test is only if your fiver weighs over XX lbs correct? Still trying to figure out what I need to do in CA to drive my SRW Dmax and tow my 7000lb fiver!

Correct, if your 5th wheel is under 15000 lbs then you only need the trailer endorsement (RV Endorsement) and that consists of one written test about 28 questions long as I recall. There is no driving test for just your RV endorsement. Just pay the $31.00, pass the test and you are legal to tow.

SAABDOCTOR · 10-24-2012, 05:49 AM

Cortland you are only missing a first class medical and a atp pilots licsence!! good luck. Barney

Courtland · 10-27-2012, 03:28 PM

So, my neighbor across the street from me also has a large Fuzion 5th wheel over 15000 lbs and decided he better get his Non Commercial Class A as well. I told him to be prepared for his 4 tests (Class C, Class M, RV Endorsement and Class A) so he wasn't shocked when he went in. Well he came home from the CA DMV yesterday and said he only had to take three tests. Apparently the person told him that for his Non Commercial Class A he didn't need to take the Class A test, only the RV Endorsement. He explained to the person that I was just in there for the same exact thing and had to take four exams to get my Non Commercial Class A, apparently the nice lady said I took one to many and he passed his three so he is good to go with his Non Commercial Class A permit now.

Has anyone that has received their CA Non Commercial Class A tell me what tests are really needed. From my reading I took the correct tests and now he is worried that the lady messed up and he will have to go back for another test or they wont let him take the driving test portion.

Gotta love the DMV, they have no clue what they are doing.

Murray0512 · 11-05-2012, 04:23 AM

After reading all this I understand even more why I not longer drive in CA even with CDL. My daughter lives there . It's fly in fly out.

Courtland · 02-07-2013, 11:30 AM

So I finally got around to taking my California Non Commercial Class A driving test and thought I would provide a little information for anyone else that is thinking of taking it. It is a confusing test and I wish I had this information ahead of time. So I would have been more prepared.

First for your written test, make sure you read the CA DMV Commercial Driver Handbook and the Recreational Vehicle and Trailers Handbook. You will have to take have to take the Class C test if you have not renewed your Class C license in the last 6 months. You will then have to take the RV Endorsement test and the noncommercial Class A test which is the Commercial Class A test minus the air break section. Both of these tests were rather simple especially the RV Endorsement test, but I was not prepared for some of the questions on the noncommercial class a test since I never read the Commercial Driver Handbook. That is a test of 58 questions as I recall and you get to miss 8 only. Once you have all of these tests complete you have to get ready for your driving test.

For your driving test:

Make an appointment for the skills test and for the driving test.
Bring your permit.
Bring the appropriate type of vehicle
Provide proof of insurance.
Bring your current valid Registration for vehicle

Once you arrive you will take a pre-trip inspection test before you get behind the wheel. Read the RV Pre-trip inspection for a Noncommercial Class A (pages 6 & 7) from the DMV RV Handbook and make sure you state exactly what it says in the book. I failed my first pre trip inspection according to the DMV Test lady because I apparently stated things like “Headlights are clear and working, both high and low beams are in working order” and I never said that the lights were “Clean”. Another was I stated that “the windshield should be clean and not have any cracks”, she said I was supposed to state “The windshield must be clear and undamaged” and my favorite I stated I would check the coolant level but never pointed to where that huge overflow bottle under the hood is. I kid you not; I had 4 items that she failed me on and was told to come back after I understand the Pre-Trip inspection. So beware you may get a tester that is looking for exact syntax or looking to go home early. The other issue she had with me is I did my pre-trip inspection in 12 minutes, she stated it should take 25-30 minutes. These are all reasons why I am adding this information for the forum users. After this failed test I reached out to a friend that has his Class A and he told me how to take the test, I should have done this before the first test.

For your pre-trip inspection open the hood and get ready to spend some time doing your test. Walk around as you do your pre-trip inspection and point to everything you are going to do and check, if it was on page 6 or 7 of the handbook point it out and stated what you are checking and why. For example I went to every truck and trailer tire and stated “I would verify the tire is properly inflated and have evenly worn tread and not cuts or damage. I would verify all lug nuts are present, not loose or have any visible cracks. I would verify the rims are not damaged, bent and have no welds. I would also look for rust trails to indicate a loose rim.” I know it sounds ridiculous, but the DMV tester is expecting you to do a pre-trip inspection without actually doing it. You must point out everything you are checking and state why you are checking it. Make sure you hit all the points in the DMV pre-trip inspection book I listed above and make sure you add things to check like the Shock mounts and Drive Shaft, anything you can see on the vehicle and the trailer are fair game so mention it all.

Once you pass your pre-trip inspection test you get to move inside to the truck. Here you will have to show that all your lights (stop/turn/hazzard) are in working order and then you will need to demonstrate you know where everything is. My tester had me point out all the gauges and explain what they did so be ready to do that just in case your tester has you do this as well. This of course was the easy part of this whole test and it not anything to stress about.

Once you finished that you finally get to start driving. For the driving test we drove around town doing right and left turns and then jumped on the freeway and did some freeway driving. After about 20 minutes of driving around town he had me drive to the DMV test spot to do some more tests. I did four tests - Alley way backup, straight line backup, forward stop and Parallel Park.

The Alley way test was backing the trailer at a right angle between four cones (two front and two rear) and then stopping when you are no less than three feet from the back cones without going over. Not bad and easy to accomplish just make sure you stay between the cones and don’t go over. On this test you are docked a point for every time you put the truck in Drive from reverse. Don’t worry about taking a point, you still pass this test as long as you don’t go over 3 points I believe. I put it in drive once and readjusted to make sure I was between the cones.

The backup test was super easy, you back up in a straight line between the cones and you stop no less than three from the rear cones without going over that rear imaginary line. Stay between the cones and you are good.

The forward stop test is a little tougher. You pull forward to a line on the ground and stop ensuring your front bumper is within a foot of the line. Not difficult but you need to be a little more precise on this test. Just practice knowing where your front end is and you should be good.

The last test was the most difficult; Parallel park your RV and truck. So the tester basically gave me about 60 feet to put my 42.5 foot trailer and crew crab truck in. Overall I think I am around 53 feet in length so this was going to be a fun test. On this test you can’t go past the rear cones and you need to stay within the front cone. You are docked a point for every time you put the truck in drive and move forward, so they expect you to do it in one motion. I told my tester there was no way I could do that, he told me just get the trailer into the spot and I would be good. Well I put the truck in drive twice and barely got the trailer into the spot with the truck still hanging out front of the imaginary roadway. He said I did ok and barely made it by a few inches even though I ran over his front cone. I told him there is no car as small as a cone and I couldn’t see the cone in my mirrors. I think he felt sorry for me after I told him of my first experience with the tester from the previous test.

After all these tests we went out and did a normal driving test like you would do for any class c license. This was easy, make sure you have both hands on the wheel, look over your shoulder before turning, use your signals and always go into the proper lane after a turn. I missed that one as he had me turn right and after making the turn I could see the lane ended about 100 feet ahead so I stayed in the middle lane. Got a point off for that.

Here is some other info that may help you out.

Do not make your test for a Friday afternoon. Yes it is easy for you, but the DMV tester only has one test in the afternoon so after they are done with you they get to go home. I did this my first time and it may explain why the tester was so critical of me.
Make sure you point to everything during your pre-test inspection and explain what you would check and why. If you get to a point where the tester is done they will tell you move on. As I said the pre-inspection test should take around 25 minutes so take your time. No need to rush.
Make sure you set aside at least 3 hours. My test was 2 hours and 15 minutes and then another hour at DMV as they had no idea how to issue me a noncommercial class A for my truck and trailer. They had a weight issue with my truck and trailer that stated the truck and trailer had to be under 25K pounds for a noncommercial class A but my truck and trailer are over 27K pounds. Took an hour to sort out.
Practice backing into a right angle and parallel parking. You want to make sure you don’t have to put the truck in drive to make too many corrections.

If you have any specific questions about the test please feel free to send me an PM and if you are taking the noncommercial class A test, good luck.

Courtland

**hankpage** · 02-07-2013, 11:55 AM

Courtland, Congratulations

Now I'll bet that you will never be asked if you have that endorsement. You never did mention if you found someone with that license to go with you. Travel safely, Hank

Courtland · 02-07-2013, 12:07 PM

Thank you. I never found anyone to "take" me to my test appointment. My friends that all have their Class A license all live about two hours away so I just drove myself to the test. Figured I wouldn't get into any trouble doing that.

SAABDOCTOR · 02-07-2013, 02:08 PM

well you were either right or your posting this from jail

if the latter i will bake you a cake

the devil made me do it!

Little Guy · 02-07-2013, 05:53 PM

Whoa! I am really confused now.

Maxzd · 02-07-2013, 09:36 PM

I did the same test in British Columbia Canada a few days ago, on a Monday afternoon. Very similar to how you describe the testing in California. Written test first, book road test later. 92 dollars all in...

I can see how an examiner could make this more complicated. The test should be straight forward but I think it has a few pretrip checks which nobody would ever think to check in a million years. (like RV ladder which is BOLTED to the unit. Not in the test book that i could find.) I was fortunate my guy was fairly level headed. I had a couple of misses which are suspect but I passed so I can live with that.

I know alot of RVers take a hard stance on not doing this test... I have been one of them for a long time and finally decided to do it. Now when I exceed 10,000lbs if something was to happen my insurance company can't get out on a technicality. Legally, if road checks ever start on large Tow RVs like commercial vehicles I won't have to panic.

I checked the ladder on another quick trip this week so I guess their plan worked.

byrdr1 · 02-08-2013, 01:01 PM

Dang ya'll...
Courtland and Maxzd congrats...
I like the east coast for a reason..
I like my Cougar being under 12K...
I like calling North Carolina home!
randy

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