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reddog24 wrote:
DH and I moved up from a 21ft class C to a 35ft class A last year. I drove several coaches on our test drives and had no issues what so ever. After settling on the model we liked, we were on our way home(8hr drive) and 2 hours in, DH hit a low shoulder which caused the coach to swerve all over the road and throwing me around on the back. Super scary of course so now thinking about driving in it causes me to stress out. Does anyone have any experience in dealing with this fear of being in the coach? Not sure what I should do.

Since it was just purchased and you were on an 8 hr trip home with it and the DH just was looking at something on the dash when his eyes should have been on the road. Might no happen again.

Diane,
All this fear because your husband dropped off the shoulder and swerved??? He is the one who did that, not you. You were just sitting there on the dinette bench doing nothing, probably enjoying the scenery. He startled you, and that was not nice of him. And he probably doesn't want to own up to it, does he. Now lets face it, he was driving a different type of vehicle that he was not use to, and two hours into that 8 hour return trip home from picking up that motorhome. Did you even talk to him after that happened, or did you sit there not saying anything? Being in a new to him vehicle, little corrections can turn into big swerves real fast. But once use to it, that isn't so likely to happen.

Also, we have no idea of what year and type of Class A you guys purchased. Some of them have inherent handling problems that can be remedied easly. Some times it can be as simple as greasing the front suspension.

And just maybe your husband needs some driving lessons. By the way, I've known women who drive big tractor trailers, who can do as well, if not better, than most guys!! But one quick correction resulting in a swerve? Give him a chance! And give yourself a chance, one of these days you might be behind that wheel, handling it as well as any gear jammer out there!!!:W

I have a few friends and relatives who have been in serious car wrecks (none their fault), and they will almost do anything rather than get behind the wheel. In fact, one reason I'm looking at a short "C" or a "B" is a vehicle for out of town trips that is comfortable enough to pull over and allow use of bathroom facilities for a relative, but yet can park in most places come an event or festival. Phobias can be very debilitating.

I'm lucky. I've always been a cautious driver, just because I learned how to drive in a section of town where people would deliberately try to hit you so they could nail some insurance money. It isn't as bad as learning how to drive in Mexico or the Middle East, but it did teach about what to do if things happen at the worst time (car on the side of the road suddenly pulls out, motorcyclist is riding the breakdown lane when you are about to exit a freeway, etc.)

reddog24 wrote:
DH and I moved up from a 21ft class C to a 35ft class A last year. I drove several coaches on our test drives and had no issues what so ever. After settling on the model we liked, we were on our way home(8hr drive) and 2 hours in, DH hit a low shoulder which caused the coach to swerve all over the road and throwing me around on the back. Super scary of course so now thinking about driving in it causes me to stress out. Does anyone have any experience in dealing with this fear of being in the coach? Not sure what I should do.

We're right there with you reddog. We didn't have any single event to cause it like you did but, like you, my wife just was not comfortable riding in the coach. She is an OK traveler but can get motion sickness in any vehicle but in the MH she just had an uneasy feeling. She tried lots of things like changing seats and doing different activities but nothing seemed to cure it completely.

Until...I slowed down.

I wasn't a speed demon or anything usually hovering in the mid 60's but slowing down 5 MPH has cured the uncomfortable feeling she had. Everyone is happy now as slowing down also made the trip more enjoyable for me. We just plan more time for travel.

I just read this thread. Everyone seems to want to help someone learn to drive. But, has that person been identified? Does this person have a name? Does this person have any macho? Has this person said he/she wants to learn to drive a big rig?
If I was the instructor, I would first want to see a written profile on this person.
Not everyone can be a good driver of a big vehicle,....IMO. Of course, I'm the Dad who NEVER told my kids they could be "anything they wanted to be".

Just a random thought here:

When we bought our Class C, our dealer told us to load it up (like for a trip) and get it re-aligned. We sort of stalled on doing that - and it was an evil-handling son-of-a-gun; felt like the steering wheel was too loose and the MH over-reacted to dips and bumps in the road. Finally heeded our dealer's advice, got it re-aligned ($67) - and it has handled like a passenger van ever since.

Perhaps your "A" needs re-alignment? And your scare comes from the sensation that the MH isn't handling "properly" and is yawing too much? (Hence its overdone reaction to Hubby's swerve?) We girls have pretty good senses-of-balance ;-)

Now, if I'm wrong... then by all means, find that nice place to practice. And master that beast!

It is totally different driving a class C motorhome and a class A motorhome. When I was a SBDI & CDL Examiner for our school's transportation depatment, drivers had to pass a driving test to be able to drive forward control buses. A class A is a forward control vehicle and requires a different set of driving skills. You both need to get out & learn to drive it & possibly like mentioned before, see if you can get an SBDI from your local school transportation department to help you.

Don't allow one little blip turn you off. It would have been basically the same reaction to any kind of RV. I can appreciate your apprehension now, but you will overcome it. The coach may need some suspension tuning, have an experienced RV driver take it out check its handling characteristics.

I agree with this that say to sit in the front seat with your seatbelt firmly attached. And have confidence in your DH's driving. That kind of situation is not all that easy to bring back onto the road successfully. And just for information, there are all sorts of good reasons that kind of thing can happen. Oncoming drivers, road hazards, narrow road, etc. The affect of hitting the low shoulder is much more dramatic on a heavy motorhome. And especially more dramatic when a passenger sits farther back from the front, and a swerve happens unexpectedly.

Get back on that horse. Suck it up. Overcome your fears. Your husband is not a bad driver. In fact, to me, it sounds like he is a pretty good driver.

Lessons are terrific, but nothing beats practice. As others have suggested, frequent shorter drives are valuable for learning!!!!