Does anyone have any tips on driving a 36' MOTORHOME? What about a driving school? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you.

One tip that helped me is that, in a car you are sitting behind and inside from the tire on the front. In a motorhome you are sitting on top of the drivers side front tire.(in most of them anyways) Put yourself,as you ride in the seat, on the road where you want your drivers side tire to be.

Other than closing your eyes and putting your foot on the gas?I started driving our MH (only 30') in a church parking lot when it was empty. I got a feel for the turning radius. The toughest thing for me was getting a sense where my Right side was located. I ended up finding a light pole in the parking lot that had a parking stripe close to the pole. Then I made pass after pass getting closer to the pole and watching where the stripe appeared on the MH window. For my rig, I learned if I watch at the bottom of the window, in the center where the center post is, that the stripe right there puts me about 12" away from the pole. So, now when ever I drive in a tight spot, I know to line the center of the windshield up with my right side and I'll be OK.The other big tip involves your overhang... how many feet between your rear axle and the rear of the MH. This gets to be very important when turning sharply. The classic example is pulling up close to gas pumps, filling up, then pulling forward while turning sharply away from the pump. We do this in a car all the time. But with a big overhang on the RV you can actually slam your rear end into a pump. So, I found a nice long stripe in the parking lot, pulled up so my left side was along the stripe, then slowly pulled forward turning sharply. My wife dropped styrofoam cups where the back bumper was. Then, I had a good sense of how bad my overhang was.Another tip - in a MH you usually do not have a rear window. So after years of driving a car and looking in the rearview mirror when passing someone... well, it gets pretty tough to know when you've completed your pass and can safely move over. I found a car in the parking lot (parked with no owner in sight!) and then pretended to pass it. My wife indicated when I was about a car-length past the parked car. I was able to identify what that looked like in the outside mirror. That is how I can tell when it is safe to get over, though in reality I usually give them a pretty wide safety margin.These were the most challenging situations for me. Lets see what others identify!

Google is your friend. Search for topics like RV Driving School and you will find videos, books, and instructors. I ordered a book online which was quite helpful (unfortunately it's over at the storage area in the vehicle or I would tell you the name of it!). I also looked at a number of YouTube videos which were quite helpful. One of them even showed how to parallel park the coach.DW and I went to an empty parking lot several times and practiced various close maneuvers. It helped that I have a set of orange traffic cones so we could set up a practice range.One really helpful hint I picked up was that it's easy to maintain a centered lane position by visualizing my right foot being pointed at the "oil slick" in the center of the lane. That way it's easier to keep my eyes up and maintain the big picture than when I try to line up the outer lane line ("fog stripe") with the corner of the windshield, as one source suggested. We are also fortunate to have a rear view camera. Using that, and getting used to using the mirrors, makes maneuvering our coach pretty easy.I do find that I'm learning more every time I drive, whatever vehicle I'm using.--Tim C.Park Forest, IL

Contact your local school bus contractor/company, maybe they can provide training.

like an old RV salesmen told my wife ,when we bought our first A,...."drive the front and the rest will follow "...a bit simplistic,but true..lol

Newbie driver | Good Sam Community

sowego
Explorer
May 22, 2013
If you are unsure enough to ask then I would suggest a school or experienced tutor before getting behind the wheel.

It's not like driving a car...you will need to pay far more attention to details since the rig takes up a lot more of the road so there is less room for error. Don't let that statement scare you too much. It most certainly is doable for almost everyone! But that means you also need to be concerned enough to learn and you already seem to realize that.

One other important note...if you are 1/2 of a couple who will be traveling together, I believe both of you should attend the school and drive.

Relax, take your time and have fun!
struluv
Explorer
May 21, 2013
Wow, all of your responses were great! thank you. I'm going to go out with my orange cones and practice. I've been "camping" on the side of my house for 2 months now, and I still have 101 questions :-) but I'm comfortable hooking everything up and flushing the system without the help of my husband.. Want to plan a girls trip, need to know everything myself.
Thank you again for everyones posts...
Aloha!
Snomas
Explorer
Mar 03, 2013
I find it best to always make very wide turns even if you have to back up the on coming vehicle at stop sign intersections and take your time with any movement around tight areas ie: driving and parking in campgrounds, etc.
bigred1cav
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
wny_pat wrote:
bigred1cav wrote:
struluv wrote:
Does anyone have any tips on driving a 36' MOTORHOME? What about a driving school? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

This is a good one: RVDrivingSchool.com
I got that for free in Nam, courtesy of the U. S. Army, even though it was not my mos or job.

Army used to teach everybody.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
bigred1cav wrote:
struluv wrote:
Does anyone have any tips on driving a 36' MOTORHOME? What about a driving school? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

This is a good one: RVDrivingSchool.com
I got that for free in Nam, courtesy of the U. S. Army, even though it was not my mos or job.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
frankdamp wrote:

The tip I learned with the transit coaches, that has paid off very well now we have a 32' MH, is positioning for a turn. It's a similar trick whether turning left or right. You go straight ahead into the road you're turning into until the curb (right turn) or lane divider (left turn) is directly in line with your shoulder when you turn your head, then you crank the wheel over as quickly as possible, straightening up when you're in the new street. For a 40' rig, go about another 4' past that "over the shoulder" point.
This is very dependent on the "degree of wheel cut" of the steering axle. Some coaches have a 45 degree wheel cut while others have a 50 degree or higher. If your coach has a 45 degree wheel cut, your front bumper determines when to start the turn, while if your coach has a 50 degree or higher wheel cut, you use your hips to determine when to start turning. Barney Alexander explains this really well in his video, Part 5: Turning in Your Motorhome.
bigred1cav
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
struluv wrote:
Does anyone have any tips on driving a 36' MOTORHOME? What about a driving school? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

This is a good one: RVDrivingSchool.com
frankdamp
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
A few years after I retired from Boeing, I went to work for the local Transit Agency. The longest rigs they have are 40-footers (thankfully, none of the 65' articulated buses!) I'd never driven anything longer than our 26' Class C. One week driving 4 hours a day with the instructor, and I passed my CDL test. One week riding around on the buses as a passenger to learn the routes followed by one week driving with other drivers monitoring for a full shift and I was turned loose.

The tip I learned with the transit coaches, that has paid off very well now we have a 32' MH, is positioning for a turn. It's a similar trick whether turning left or right. You go straight ahead into the road you're turning into until the curb (right turn) or lane divider (left turn) is directly in line with your shoulder when you turn your head, then you crank the wheel over as quickly as possible, straightening up when you're in the new street. For a 40' rig, go about another 4' past that "over the shoulder" point.

When I first started, our agency was primarily a semi-rural one. During my first year, they got funding for two inter-city commuter services. I went from driving on country roads in a 30' bus to driving though Everett and Bellingham in 40-footers during rush hour.

Eventually, I got tired of the split shifts and getting up at 03:20 for the early expresses.
dboliek1112
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
We just began by taking short drives through the countryside and building our confidence as we went. Practiced turning and backing in a bank parking lot when it was closed. Practiced driving on two lane roads... had dots on the inside of the windshield to indicate the right shoulder and center line. Soon found confidence to watch the road and not the dots. We were told that once we had a motorhome, we'd never look at a gas station the same way again... and we don't. Even driving a car, when I pull in, I imagine pulling in in the RV and how I would get out again. Congratulations on your unit. Have fun with it. The videos are helpful, but practice that gives you experience is where your confidence will come from.

The LAZDays videos were very helpful and start with adjusting mirrors.
traveylin
Explorer
Mar 02, 2013
Be extra aware of overhead clearance issues. There are lots of trees that croud the road, gas station awnings to low and underpasses that remove ac's. Put a label on the dash indicating your head clearance

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