Age to start driving 24' class C

Only you can make the call. I had my son towing our travel trailer when he had his learners permit at age 15. I was driving tractors and hay wagons when I was old enough to to reach the peddals,

I don't think it's a matter of age, but a matter of experience. I think we all went through a learning curve when we first started RVing. Some were just head shakers but others caused damage. I can remember clipped corners, scraped branches, a whacked passenger mirror and all the mistakes hooking up or using the various RV functions.

If so inclined, I would be more willing to loan my MH to my son who shared some of this experience, than to my brother or a friend who has not.

Johno02 wrote:
Might be a good idea to check with your insurance company. Your policy might have restrictions, or they might need to be listed as additional drivers.

Ditto. Ask your insurance company if they can. If they say yes they can, then the question is do you feel comfortable with it. Forget what everyone else says or thinks.

I think starting young can help, but I know a lot of folks whose early learning has made them overconfident and risk taking. So, I think it really comes down to the individual.

When I was learning to drive, my dad took me out in his pickup which just happened to be missing the rearview mirror - it really helped me learn how to use the side mirrors. Before that, I mostly turned my head and looked back. That helped a lot when I towed a trailer the first time.

I also think that driving different vehicles regularly helps improve driving skills a lot. If you only drive one vehicle, you get used to its handling and get lazy. When you are switching vehicles a lot, you have to stay alert and adjust to different handling, as well as different blind spots, etc.

midnightsadie wrote:
my daughter was 18teen and drove our 26ft 300 miles on a trip did great, BUT she is a mature level headed teen,, is yours? shes also a farm gal with alot of tractor time .

I think the latter is as important as the first. My 17 year old is extremely mature and highly intelligent. But due to our transient life in the military combined with more urban living, she has little driving experience. No way would I let her drive an RV. My wife can't either and she grew up in the city with no experience prior to a driver's license.

I grew up on Honda mini-bikes at 7-8 years old. Mowed with a Snapper riding mower at 9 years old or so and was driving a tractor by 12. At the time, you could get a driver's license at 15 in Louisiana partly due to the rural nature of boys driving farm equipment. Dad had me backing the boat down the ramp at 15-16 even if I wasn't pulling it down the highway. By 17 I would pull a 26' gooseneck with a F-350 dually and stick shift, although always with an adult in the vehicle.

Experience driving matters as much as maturity. I wish I could have given my kids more experience with go-carts, etc. when they were young. I bet the best heavy equipment operators were working with equipment at a young age just as athletes/artists/etc. practiced their craft from childhood.

I say if he at least start him driving it in parking lots, open areas to get experience if he does well with cars/trucks.

I'd base that decision on how well they operate ordinary sized vehicles. If it's a go, I'd start them in less challenging conditions (low traffic, sunny calm day on good roads).

fourthclassC wrote:
Howdy,
Have some almost fully grown kids. What age do you think it is ok to let a young adult drive a class c. 17, 20 and 24. Mostly need input on the 17 year old.

I was 15 when I pulled my grandpa and grandma's trailer from Boise Idaho to Whitefish Montana and back on the old mountain grades.1957 GMC stepside/4 speed pulling a 20ft trailer.

I bought my own 23' long F-350 supercab with camper back in 1987, when I was 22. I had a brand new Izusu pickup at 18, and think that driving a 24' long van based RV at 17 would have been something to try out. Not sure if it is right for them, but only time behind the wheel will tell.

I ended up driving my F-350 on ice at the Grand Canyon over Thanksgiving weekend in 1987 - my first real vacation with the camper. It was interesting. Made it back fine. . . No tire chains either. No experience even as a passenger driving in ice or snow.

It all depends on the maturity of the driver.

Avoid distractions while they are learning to drive the RV. It helps to have a U-haul tips for driving a truck. I guess the first time I drove a big truck was a 330 cubic inch 4 speed on the floor U-Haul F-350 dually with a 12' long box, drove it up to Las Vegas and back to Huntington Beach. I was 18 or 19 then.

Good luck,

Have fun camping!

Fred.

A 17-year old has only been driving a year (legally) in many states. Experience makes for better drivers, so I'd be cautious with someone that age. However, if you have confidence in his/her abilities, some supervised driving sounds OK. I'd treat it similar to the Learners Permit stage, and start out easy. I don't think I'd just hand over the keys until the kid is out of college, if then.

I learned to back up before I learned to drive forward - with my folks Shasta behind a Dodge 3/4 ton van. Dad would be out directing, I'd back it in plenty of tight spots. I think teaching younger drivers to drive bigger vehicles teaches them better judgement. Today I teach 20-somethings to drive 40K pound, $300K+ emergency vehicles under emergency conditions - just think of them as red MH's! ST