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Old 09-29-2015, 11:41 AM   #1
Rdowns
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Class A license Needed in CA??

I posted this here on the toy haulers because we have the heavy of the heavy's!!

... I had the question posed to me today... "HOT DAMN ...Do you need a class A for that thing?!? ...and I said "hell Im NOT SURE".

Looked it up and sure enough from what I am reading on CA DMV's website it looks like you need a class a non commercial license. Does anyone know some info on this?? How critical are the police on this? Is it something also that is smart to prevent law suits in the case of an accident? Whats your opinion?

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...dl648/dl648pt2
You May Drive... And You May Tow...
With a Noncommercial Class A license:
Any vehicle under Class C.
-Travel trailers weighing over 10,000 lbs. GVWR, not used for hire.
-5th-wheel travel trailers weighing over 15,000 lbs., not used for hire.
-If the towing vehicle weighs 4,000 lbs. or more unladen, you may tow a: Livestock trailer exceeding 10,000 lbs. GVWR but not exceeding 15,000 lbs. GVWR if the vehicle is controlled and operated by a farmer, used to transport livestock to or from a farm, not used in commerce or contract carrier operations, and is used within 150 miles of the person's farm.
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Old 09-29-2015, 11:53 AM   #2
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If the GVWR of your fifth wheel is 15,001 or more then yes you need the license.

Depending on what area of Calif your traveling in, you may be stopped at any time. Had a customer that only needed the endorsement due to GVWR, didn't have it and had to unhook on the side of the road.

I'm not saying that is the norm, but why take the chance. If your stopped and weighed and your over the rear axle limit, your rig is impounded and towed. Can't have it back until you show up with a truck rated to haul it.

I've towed fivers in Ca since 1989 and the old days of flying under the radar are gone. Big untapped revenue source in over gross/ non licensed RV'rs.
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Old 09-29-2015, 01:01 PM   #3
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Also if you get into an accident your insurance may not pay because you were driving out of class. Not worth the gamble.

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Old 09-29-2015, 01:13 PM   #4
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Like what was said you will need the license. You are lucky you have an older truck. With what my truck weighs and what its rated to carry I have to run the weight stickers on my truck. Not to mention the added on extra weight fees.
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Old 09-29-2015, 01:20 PM   #5
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So I take it a lot of people out there have a class A (or should lol). How is the test for that? What is it geared towards... Im assuming towing? Just want to make sure it is not going to be asking big rig questions!

Also I love how the dealerships do not check this, or even inform you when you purchase such a large trailer! Guess that might hurt the business lol!
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Old 09-29-2015, 04:18 PM   #6
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There is a scary amount of people, not just in California that are over weight and under licensed. When I started towing fifth wheels in 1989, no one cared how big you got and what you used to tow it with.

If you search, there are a few threads explaining the test, what to expect, and where to take it. There was also a thread about who's responsibility it is to insure compliance at time of sale. Based on what I see, the dealer expects the consumer to know his limits.
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Old 09-29-2015, 08:04 PM   #7
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Class A license Needed in CA??

Just took the written last week. It was straight out of the RV and Trailer handbook. It was NOT the full CDL written. Read the handbook a couple of times and no problem with the written. What's a pain is that you have to retest your C and for me, the M 1, unless you renewed in the last five years. So...it was actually 3 written tests I had to take.

Now for the driving test. You have to take it at one of the few dmv's that give the CDL test. The soonest I could get an appointment is December 17. Since you're technically driving with a learners permit, you are supposed to have someone with the license with you when you drive to the DMV. Some folks say the examiner didn't check, while others report that was the first thing they checked. From what I've been able to figure out, I'll have to do a pre trip inspection (described in the handbook), a straight line back, a 90 degree alley dock, and make a right turn around a cone without killing it. Then you go out on the road for a road test.

I'm calling once a week, hoping for a cancellation so I can get in earlier. I'll post a full report when I finish.


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Old 09-30-2015, 02:48 AM   #8
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"Based on what I see, the dealer expects the consumer to know his limits." Pull into Kenworth and buy a new tractor. Pull into Ford and buy a new Explorer. Ride out and buy a new Yamaha. Think any of those dealers will check your license? Of course not. You are correct. It is the buyer who is responsible.
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Old 09-30-2015, 09:04 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingChief View Post
Just took the written last week. It was straight out of the RV and Trailer handbook. It was NOT the full CDL written. Read the handbook a couple of times and no problem with the written. What's a pain is that you have to retest your C and for me, the M 1, unless you renewed in the last five years. So...it was actually 3 written tests I had to take.

Now for the driving test. You have to take it at one of the few dmv's that give the CDL test. The soonest I could get an appointment is December 17. Since you're technically driving with a learners permit, you are supposed to have someone with the license with you when you drive to the DMV. Some folks say the examiner didn't check, while others report that was the first thing they checked. From what I've been able to figure out, I'll have to do a pre trip inspection (described in the handbook), a straight line back, a 90 degree alley dock, and make a right turn around a cone without killing it. Then you go out on the road for a road test.

I'm calling once a week, hoping for a cancellation so I can get in earlier. I'll post a full report when I finish.


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Which Rv and trailer hand book are you referring to? The Dmv book I take it?
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Old 09-30-2015, 03:52 PM   #10
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This endorsement thing is another crock of BS Ca thought of. Nothing but a revenue maker for Ca. and it makes no since that anyone coming from another State or Country does not have to comply.
With that said Chuckster is correct on weights and requirements so you are taking your chances without it.
I do want to make something clear though and I am telling you this as a LEO.
CHP will be the only Agency capable of writing this ticket and they are supposed to weigh prior to citing.
An Officer must have Probable Cause to pull you over. They cannot pull you over just to verify your License Status or Classification.
But please don't take this information and argue with a Cop alongside the road.
Ca. Implemented this Law and then made it difficult for people to comply
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Old 09-30-2015, 04:06 PM   #11
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This endorsement thing is another crock of BS Ca thought of. Nothing but a revenue maker for Ca. and it makes no since that anyone coming from another State or Country does not have to comply.
With that said Chuckster is correct on weights and requirements so you are taking your chances without it.
I do want to make something clear though and I am telling you this as a LEO.
CHP will be the only Agency capable of writing this ticket and they are supposed to weigh prior to citing.
An Officer must have Probable Cause to pull you over. They cannot pull you over just to verify your License Status or Classification.
But please don't take this information and argue with a Cop alongside the road.
Ca. Implemented this Law and then made it difficult for people to comply
As a note..... many other states have adopted similar laws.
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Old 10-01-2015, 12:55 PM   #12
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This endorsement thing is another crock of BS Ca thought of. Nothing but a revenue maker for Ca. and it makes no since that anyone coming from another State or Country does not have to comply.
As I understand it, CA (like most states) defers to the rules of those states. That is, if Texas has a weight requirement that indicates you must have Class-A, I can't legally drive through California on a Class-C. It'd take a pretty savvy LEO to figure out the details of TX state law, as it's not obvious.

You're right about if it's legal in Oklahoma to drive without one, I can drive to California just fine.. Or Texas.

From what I've read a ticket for a recreational RV for non-Class-A is pretty rare. I have read that people have been stopped in California and in some parts of Texas. For me, it wasn't getting stopped that worried me, it was getting sued if I was in an accident and an attorney was savvy enough to determine that I wasn't licensed for what I was driving.

And I agree that it's silly. It's pretty hard for my setup to go over 26k lbs, technically it's possible, but we're well under that weight even loaded. And the process to get the DL was difficult on the administrative side. Most of passing that test was passing the section on air-brakes. We don't have air-brakes.
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Old 10-02-2015, 04:39 AM   #13
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Most of passing that test was passing the section on air-brakes. We don't have air-brakes.
That's another issue because if you took the test in Texas you shouldn't have been tested on air brakes for the Class A Exempt. Luckily, my DMV office was pretty familiar with the text so they knew which one to give me. I know others have had issues because of different offices having no idea about the Class A Exempt.
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Old 10-02-2015, 01:24 PM   #14
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Non Ca. residents

Out of staters do not apply. I just called Ca. DMV and asked if my Utah license need comply with the Ca. endorsement? It took us about 20 minutes and 3 holds, I believe, but after her very courteous research she explained a resident vs nonresident applicability. The short answer is no. You need only to be legally licensed to "...haul what u are hauling in your state of license...".
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Old 10-02-2015, 01:28 PM   #15
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Right. When I went coast to coast in '09 all I had to be was legal in home state (Ca.)
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Old 10-03-2015, 03:15 AM   #16
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I have a question along the same lines: How many states require an RV rig to stop at their state scales? When driving across Nebraska we noticed the signs indicated that pickups and trailers were required to stop also.
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Old 10-03-2015, 03:34 AM   #17
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I never stopped at any scales and wasn't pulled over by any LEO.
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Old 10-03-2015, 05:04 AM   #18
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The Nebraska Truck Information Guide: http://www.transportation.nebraska.g...truckguide.pdf

On page #20:

"All trucks must stop at our weigh stations: exceptions are recreation vehicles
and pickups with 1-ton or less factory rated capacity.
Pickups towing trailers must stop -- unless it is towing a recreation trailer."

There is also some good information about safety chains, how they must be connected and strength requirements. We had another thread that discussed whether safety chains should be crossed under the tongue or ??? The Nebraska Truck Information Guide has some good explanations of the requirements.
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Old 10-03-2015, 05:09 AM   #19
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Well, that answered that! I didn't stop either. Easier to ask forgiveness....and all that. Many thanks.
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Old 10-27-2015, 03:32 PM   #20
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Don't Chance It!

I've heard horror stories from friends-of-friends that didn't have the CA required Class-A non-commercial license. CHP will hide-out near popular camping areas on holiday weekends looking for triple axle trailers to pull over. They make-up a reason to pull you over initially and then ask for your license and registration. Once they confirm you're over 15K with no Class-A, they make you unhitch and impound the trailer. Your camping trip is pretty much over at that point. After paying the ticket, the towing fee, and the impound fee, you still need a driver with a Class-A license to recover your trailer from the impound yard! It's a pain-in-the-*** process to get the Class-A non-commercial license, but it's not worth the risk to tow without it. Once you have it, all you need to do to keep it is send in a DMV Health Form Questionnaire every other year. A small price to pay for peace of mind when you have the entire family in the truck on your way to your favorite camping spot to spend some quality time and relax.
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