Need a driver for my motorhome (possibly)

[Desertfoxie]

Hello Everyone...this is my first post. We are Snowbirds in SW Arizona heading back to Michigan around mid-May BUT i am thinking that for the first time ever we might need to investigate hiring a driver for our class A motorhome due to the fact that my husband has started getting TIAs (mini-strokes) and I am worried in case he gets one while driving us 2200 miles home. Any advice or suggestions as to what I should do? I dont know where to look to find a driver...we belong to Good Sams but since it is not a medical on-the-road emergency they cant help me but did suggest using the forum here as a starting place. So any ideas would be appreciated. (We have seen the doctors and had the tests, but there is nothing medically to be done for prevention except take the blood thinners which he is doing...and he has had two more TIAs recently. It is scary..suppose he has one while driving?...it only takes a second to lose control of your Big Rig).

[Desertfoxie]

I just want to take a moment to thank everybody who responded to my plea for help...both on this forum and privately.

Due to your wonderul suggestions, I was able to find a solution to my problem.

Take care everybody....gotta love RV people!! 🙂

[Mile_High]

We are facing a similar situation - different circumstances and not coverable by the GS take it home plan.

I'm training my 35 yo daughter (very capable) and a friend the basics of the coach in a campsite and getting them some experience driving it. If I need to abandon the RV in a campground and fly home, I'll send them to go get it. I'm working on some other contingencies as well, but I just hope it all comes together when I need it too.

[Effy]

So I understand the need for a short term fix, but what happens when you get the rig home? Will you travel South again and if so this same problem doesn't sound like it's going away. I think a longer term solution needs to be thought out. If you plan to continue travelling, it would be easier and cheaper to store the rig where it is now and travel via plane or car back and forth. If you look hard at the situation, maybe it makes sense to hang up the keys and sell it. And selling it where you are might be easier than lugging it home and selling it there. Hard choices but having someone drive your rig back and forth is not an optimal long term solution.

[MarkTwain]

Desertfoxie wrote:
Hello Everyone...this is my first post. We are Snowbirds in SW Arizona heading back to Michigan around mid-May BUT i am thinking that for the first time ever we might need to investigate hiring a driver for our class A motorhome due to the fact that my husband has started getting TIAs (mini-strokes) and I am worried in case he gets one while driving us 2200 miles home. Any advice or suggestions as to what I should do? I dont know where to look to find a driver...we belong to Good Sams but since it is not a medical on-the-road emergency they cant help me but did suggest using the forum here as a starting place. So any ideas would be appreciated. (We have seen the doctors and had the tests, but there is nothing medically to be done for prevention except take the blood thinners which he is doing...and he has had two more TIAs recently. It is scary..suppose he has one while driving?...it only takes a second to lose control of your Big Rig).

Good Sam offers just what you are asking for, "Good Sam TravelAssist". In the event of a medical issue verified by a Doctor, this plan will provide for a professional driver to drive your RV back to your home. They will also fly your husband home. I think you, the wife has to pay for their own flight. The price is very reasonable and approx. $150 a year, a real bargain when a medical issue occurs.

[hypoxia]

Pinch Hit Driver #15

15. How does FMCA’s pinch-hit driver program work?

The purpose of this program is to assist FMCA members who encounter any type of emergency that prohibits them from driving their coach while away from home. Pinch-hit drivers are listed in the "Stoppin' Spots" section of the January Directory/Member Benefits Guide issue of FMC magazine. Stoppin' Spots participants also will turn up when you search the Member Directory online. Contact the national office for additional information about how to enlist the assistance of a pinch-hit driver or to volunteer to serve in this capacity. Or, download Pinch Hit Driver form.

[DownTheAvenue]

www.uship.com

[Tom_N]

If you belong to FMCA they have a listing of volunteer drivers.

Pinch Hit Driver

Members who are faced with an emergency situation and need someone to return their coach for them should look to this listing. Keep in mind that members who live in either the coach's current location or its destination might be of help. Also, please remember to defray any costs incurred by the Pinch Hit Driver.

-Tom, W3TLN

[Trackrig]

I would put it in covered storage in AZ and fly home for the summer and then fly back to AZ next winter and use it again.

Bill

[kerrlakeRoo]

I have seen the comments and suggestions but will ask, Do you typically stay for an extended period in one spot? If so is a park trailer a possibility and maybe a smallish class B that you may be more comfortable driving as your travel means.
You would still get to enjoy the trip if your up to driving that, and could be more comfortable when on site in Az.

[crasster]

Keep looking you will find somebody. Check with RV dealers as suggested, also check with local RV parks. Dealers however may have people the drive them anyway. I wouldn't expect a willing driver to tote you + hubby back necessarily though. They may want to go for LONG stretches or all at once. May need to get a bus/train or fly back.

[rgatijnet1]

Have you considered selling the coach in Arizona and just renting a van for you to drive and get you and your husband and belongings back to Michigan?
Unfortunately it sort of sounds like your RVing days may be over.

[smlranger]

Assuming you have no family member/s who could fly out and drive you home, I would call some RV dealers near your destination (Michigan?) and see if they can recommend someone. Or, as already suggested, secure storage for your coach in AZ, fly home, and take your time finding someone to transport your coach if you still want to do that.

If you Google 'RV Transporters' it yields several companies.

[erniee]

Look in the classifieds of FMCA magazine. There are a couple guys that advertise they will relocate your coach

[Scottiemom]

I am thinking of people in the Elkhart, Indiana, area who transport for the RV manufacturers. Many only do towables, but there are people who transport motorhomes, then fly or drive their toad home. If there was someone transporting a rig to Arizona and would be willing to drive one back, that might be a possibility. Wouldn't be cheap, but would be a solution. I really don't know how to contact them other than through the transporter.

Dale