Texas non-commercial Class A drivers licinse

[Texas_Two_Stepp]

Has anyone taken this test recently? I have been unable to get through to my local Beaumont DMV and am interested in starting to read the handbook material. I am currently traveling in NM and unable to go by their office now. Is the study material in the commercial handbook or the regular drivers handbook? What sections do you study? I understand that the handbooks on their site may not be up to date. Can you direct me to the url for the proper study material?

[Kentucky_Travel]

sdetweil wrote:

Kentucky Traveler wrote:
My wife and I drove to Texas a couple of weeks ago to establish residency. We first went to the Escapees Headquarters and signed up for the mail forwarding service. Next we went to the local insurance agent and transferred our insurance on our tow vehicle (TV) and RV to a Texas agent. We were told this is necessary for the driver's license, but we're still not certain - read on to see why we're not certain.

The next stop was to the tax assessor's office to register RV and TV. No problem but it was more than we were expecting (approximately $440 for both).

Lastly, we went to the Dept. of Public Safety for driver's licenses. We had licenses from KY and social security cards but didn't have birth certificates or our passports (I believe only one of these are required). We were also informed that since the GCWR of our RV and TV is 26,000 lbs or more we were required to obatin a CDL. The following is a quote from the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook: "You must have a CDL to operate: A trailer with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds if the gross combination weight rating is more than 26,000 pounds."

Here is a link to the Texas website concerning this license requirement. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page and click on the link to the handbook.

The lady that we spoke to gave me a copy of Section 14 of the handbook to study for the written test and said that there would be a driving test involved as well.

We are going back to Texas in a couple of months to complete the driver's license portion of the residency.

Hope this information helps and let me know if any is incorrect.

Good luck!

I live in texas. the license plate and drivers license offices are two different places.

how did the drivers license office determine your combined vehicles are >26,000lbs? I just bought a ford dually. its GVWR is 13,300, but the title lists its empty weight as 8,000lbs. there was no carrying capacity listed.

I just registered my FW, and its GWVR was documented at 15,500.
(I didn't like the tax fee either)..

I'm not sure how the person found the weight for the tow vehicle but she added it up. I know that she used the loaded weight (GCWR) also for the RV and the tow vehicle.

[sayoung]

sdetweil wrote:

Kentucky Traveler wrote:
My wife and I drove to Texas a couple of weeks ago to establish residency. We first went to the Escapees Headquarters and signed up for the mail forwarding service. Next we went to the local insurance agent and transferred our insurance on our tow vehicle (TV) and RV to a Texas agent. We were told this is necessary for the driver's license, but we're still not certain - read on to see why we're not certain.

The next stop was to the tax assessor's office to register RV and TV. No problem but it was more than we were expecting (approximately $440 for both).

Lastly, we went to the Dept. of Public Safety for driver's licenses. We had licenses from KY and social security cards but didn't have birth certificates or our passports (I believe only one of these are required). We were also informed that since the GCWR of our RV and TV is 26,000 lbs or more we were required to obatin a CDL. The following is a quote from the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook: "You must have a CDL to operate: A trailer with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds if the gross combination weight rating is more than 26,000 pounds."

Here is a link to the Texas website concerning this license requirement. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page and click on the link to the handbook.

The lady that we spoke to gave me a copy of Section 14 of the handbook to study for the written test and said that there would be a driving test involved as well.

We are going back to Texas in a couple of months to complete the driver's license portion of the residency.

Hope this information helps and let me know if any is incorrect.

Good luck!

I live in texas. the license plate and drivers license offices are two different places.

how did the drivers license office determine your combined vehicles are >26,000lbs? I just bought a ford dually. its GVWR is 13,300, but the title lists its empty weight as 8,000lbs. there was no carrying capacity listed.

I just registered my FW, and its GWVR was documented at 15,500.
(I didn't like the tax fee either)..

13300 + 15500 = 28800 > 26000 = needs Tx class A non-commercial DL

[sayoung]

One more time,its a class A non-commercial drivers license but the test is based on the commercial handbook.you sometimes have to point out to person behind counter its for rv use as they don't do many.
The wieght comes from your door sticker GVWR +. Trailer GVWR

[sdetweil]

Kentucky Traveler wrote:
My wife and I drove to Texas a couple of weeks ago to establish residency. We first went to the Escapees Headquarters and signed up for the mail forwarding service. Next we went to the local insurance agent and transferred our insurance on our tow vehicle (TV) and RV to a Texas agent. We were told this is necessary for the driver's license, but we're still not certain - read on to see why we're not certain.

The next stop was to the tax assessor's office to register RV and TV. No problem but it was more than we were expecting (approximately $440 for both).

Lastly, we went to the Dept. of Public Safety for driver's licenses. We had licenses from KY and social security cards but didn't have birth certificates or our passports (I believe only one of these are required). We were also informed that since the GCWR of our RV and TV is 26,000 lbs or more we were required to obatin a CDL. The following is a quote from the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook: "You must have a CDL to operate: A trailer with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds if the gross combination weight rating is more than 26,000 pounds."

Here is a link to the Texas website concerning this license requirement. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page and click on the link to the handbook.

The lady that we spoke to gave me a copy of Section 14 of the handbook to study for the written test and said that there would be a driving test involved as well.

We are going back to Texas in a couple of months to complete the driver's license portion of the residency.

Hope this information helps and let me know if any is incorrect.

Good luck!

I live in texas. the license plate and drivers license offices are two different places.

how did the drivers license office determine your combined vehicles are >26,000lbs? I just bought a ford dually. its GVWR is 13,300, but the title lists its empty weight as 8,000lbs. there was no carrying capacity listed.

I just registered my FW, and its GWVR was documented at 15,500.
(I didn't like the tax fee either)..

[Kentucky_Travel]

My wife and I drove to Texas a couple of weeks ago to establish residency. We first went to the Escapees Headquarters and signed up for the mail forwarding service. Next we went to the local insurance agent and transferred our insurance on our tow vehicle (TV) and RV to a Texas agent. We were told this is necessary for the driver's license, but we're still not certain - read on to see why we're not certain.

The next stop was to the tax assessor's office to register RV and TV. No problem but it was more than we were expecting (approximately $440 for both).

Lastly, we went to the Dept. of Public Safety for driver's licenses. We had licenses from KY and social security cards but didn't have birth certificates or our passports (I believe only one of these are required). We were also informed that since the GCWR of our RV and TV is 26,000 lbs or more we were required to obatin a CDL. The following is a quote from the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook: "You must have a CDL to operate: A trailer with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds if the gross combination weight rating is more than 26,000 pounds."

Here is a link to the Texas website concerning this license requirement. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page and click on the link to the handbook.

The lady that we spoke to gave me a copy of Section 14 of the handbook to study for the written test and said that there would be a driving test involved as well.

We are going back to Texas in a couple of months to complete the driver's license portion of the residency.

Hope this information helps and let me know if any is incorrect.

Good luck!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Try a search on Escapees forums.

*LOTS* of Texas residents with MHs & 5ths (due to the Livingston "home base") - with help on interpreting the test requirements, quirks, etc.

.

[Texas_Two_Stepp]

If over 26K are you required to have 3 emergency safety reflectors at testing?

[sdetweil]

Texas Two Steppers wrote:
avvidclif1

I disagree. According to the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver's Handbook you add them together. Here is what it says:
CLASS A: Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination
weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more,
provided the gross vehicle weight rating of the
vehicle or vehicles towed exceeds 10,000
pounds.

I agree, I read that same section..

>with a gross combination weight rating

not actuals.

my truck GVWR is 13,300, and my FW GVWR is 15,500
thats 28,800 which is > 26,001

AND the towed vehicle (FW) GVWR is 15,500 which is >10,000

[Texas_Two_Stepp]

If a trooper pulls you over he is going to look for the gvwr on the manufacturer's plate for the truck and the trailer and add them together. That is the only information he will have available.

[Texas_Two_Stepp]

avvidclif1

I disagree. According to the Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver's Handbook you add them together. Here is what it says:
CLASS A: Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination
weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more,
provided the gross vehicle weight rating of the
vehicle or vehicles towed exceeds 10,000
pounds.

[avvidclif1]

sdetweil wrote:
hm, my TV is GVWR at 13,300 and the FW is 15,500 so that is 28,800
actual is 24,200.

so I will have to look into this too.

You don't add the 2 GVWR together. It is the TV GCVWR that you are interested in. Look in the owners manual for that number.

For example. Looking at the 2014 Ford Super Duty Tow Ratings.
http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/specifications/towing/

The F350 Diesel with the 3.73 axle has a GCVWR of 30,500, class A or B needed. The rest of the 250/350 have GCVWR ratings of less than 26,001.

Where the 2 posters will have a problem is if their TV has a GCVWR of 23,500 like most F350's and they put a 17,500 trailer behind it. The TV will be about ~8500-9000 plus 17,500 and you are over the GCVWR for the setup.

Looks to me like a lot of RV'ers may be in for a surprise if a state DOT officer decides to check them out. Fortunately from what I have seen very few RV'ers are checked. I can't remember a post on here about someone actually getting stopped and getting a weight violation ticket. Lots of noise about "what if's" though.

[sdetweil]

hm, my TV is GVWR at 13,300 and the FW is 15,500 so that is 28,800
actual is 24,200.

so I will have to look into this too.

[Texas_Two_Stepp]

sayoung wrote:
Study all of part one and all of part three in the TX commercial handbook for the A.
Might as well get the A now,might want a new rig

I am the OP. My rig has a gvwr of 17,500 lbs and the truck 13,025 lbs. for a total of 30,525 lbs. so I know I have to get the non-commercial class A, I am just having trouble getting info for the test.

[sayoung]

Study all of part one and all of part three in the TX commercial handbook for the A.
Might as well get the A now,might want a new rig