Texas RV Class B license

msmith1199 wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:

afrescop wrote:
Yesterday while I was at the DPS office to renew my CDL I asked about motorhome licensing requirements. The supervisor told me that TX has been lax for years on this topic but are now starting to enforce. If you drive a motorhome in TX (no weight was mentioned) you need to have a Class B, Non-Commercial license. This is different from the Class B CDL. The CDL is $61 for five years where as the Class B NCDL is $16 for four years.

If you are e TX resident and own a MH you might want to check with the DPS.

This is not an opinion, just a relaying of the information as told to me by this DPS employee.

Did the supervisor tell you how the Texas DPS was going to enforce this law (like start pulling over RV's on the Hwy's.)?In Washington State there is no requirements (special license to drive any type of RV) What happens to us when we get pulled over in Texas? This whole RV license thing sounds like a $$$ scam to me. If there really worried about safety all RVers should have a health card! It's scary to think about people driving vehicles with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure etc. JMHO

They will enforce it the same way they enforce every drivers license law.

Thanks Mr. Smith! And thanks for not being so harsh like the other poster who answered me! I'm a real sensitive guy and he hurt my fee fees!

J-Rooster wrote:

afrescop wrote:
Yesterday while I was at the DPS office to renew my CDL I asked about motorhome licensing requirements. The supervisor told me that TX has been lax for years on this topic but are now starting to enforce. If you drive a motorhome in TX (no weight was mentioned) you need to have a Class B, Non-Commercial license. This is different from the Class B CDL. The CDL is $61 for five years where as the Class B NCDL is $16 for four years.

If you are e TX resident and own a MH you might want to check with the DPS.

This is not an opinion, just a relaying of the information as told to me by this DPS employee.

Did the supervisor tell you how the Texas DPS was going to enforce this law (like start pulling over RV's on the Hwy's.)?In Washington State there is no requirements (special license to drive any type of RV) What happens to us when we get pulled over in Texas? This whole RV license thing sounds like a $$$ scam to me. If there really worried about safety all RVers should have a health card! It's scary to think about people driving vehicles with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure etc. JMHO

They will enforce it the same way they enforce every drivers license law.

J-Rooster wrote:
What happens to us when we get pulled over in Texas?

Regarding your driver's license, as long as it valid, absolutely nothing!

Why is this so hard for people to understand? If you have a valid driver's license to operate your vehicle in your home state, if your vehicle is properly licensed in your home state and you have insurance coverage from your home state, you are legal to drive in any state as long as you don't violate any height, length or weight restrictions which may be in place on certain highways in other states.

afrescop wrote:
Yesterday while I was at the DPS office to renew my CDL I asked about motorhome licensing requirements. The supervisor told me that TX has been lax for years on this topic but are now starting to enforce. If you drive a motorhome in TX (no weight was mentioned) you need to have a Class B, Non-Commercial license. This is different from the Class B CDL. The CDL is $61 for five years where as the Class B NCDL is $16 for four years.

If you are e TX resident and own a MH you might want to check with the DPS.

This is not an opinion, just a relaying of the information as told to me by this DPS employee.

Did the supervisor tell you how the Texas DPS was going to enforce this law (like start pulling over RV's on the Hwy's.)?In Washington State there is no requirements (special license to drive any type of RV) What happens to us when we get pulled over in Texas? This whole RV license thing sounds like a $$$ scam to me. If there really worried about safety all RVers should have a health card! It's scary to think about people driving vehicles with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure etc. JMHO

wny_pat wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:

wny_pat wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
More and more states are coming in with the standardized driving laws. Don't know if it makes us any safer out there. Test isn't that difficult. Probabably the majority of RVers on the forum could pass it without any extra effort. Few things like how many feet out to set flares etc may be a guess unless you read through the book.

Nope - 50 different little countries with 50 different requirements. Nothing standardized about it!

Actually there is "some" standardization in it. The weight and length requirements are all coming from Federal law. So the States that are requiring the extra licensing requirements are at least using that standard. The only difference seems to be whether they require a higher class of license or not.

There is no federal law or regulation for weight and length for a regular drivers license, only for the CDL licensing, and only on interstate and federal designated access routes. You get off those routes and the state laws, which are completely different, apply. Some states even allow more weight on their state highways than is allowed on interstates, while others allow less.

Not at all what I was talking about, but okay.

msmith1199 wrote:

wny_pat wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
More and more states are coming in with the standardized driving laws. Don't know if it makes us any safer out there. Test isn't that difficult. Probabably the majority of RVers on the forum could pass it without any extra effort. Few things like how many feet out to set flares etc may be a guess unless you read through the book.

Nope - 50 different little countries with 50 different requirements. Nothing standardized about it!

Actually there is "some" standardization in it. The weight and length requirements are all coming from Federal law. So the States that are requiring the extra licensing requirements are at least using that standard. The only difference seems to be whether they require a higher class of license or not.

There is no federal law or regulation for weight and length for a regular drivers license, only for the CDL licensing, and only on interstate and federal designated access routes. You get off those routes and the state laws, which are completely different, apply. Some states even allow more weight on their state highways than is allowed on interstates, while others allow less.

WyoTraveler wrote:
More and more states are coming in with the standardized driving laws. Don't know if it makes us any safer out there. Test isn't that difficult. Probabably the majority of RVers on the forum could pass it without any extra effort. Few things like how many feet out to set flares etc may be a guess unless you read through the book.

I believe in those states that have the additional licensing requirement there is a written test and also a driving skills test that goes along with it. That means taking your RV down to DMV and driving around with an examiner. Not a super big deal, but a minor irritant. I saw one state that required you to parallel park your motorhome as part of the driving test. I don't know about you, but I've never been in a place where I had to parallel park my motorhome. I don't think I'd have a problem doing it for an examiner, but I know people who can't parallel park a car, and some of them have RV's!

wny_pat wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
More and more states are coming in with the standardized driving laws. Don't know if it makes us any safer out there. Test isn't that difficult. Probabably the majority of RVers on the forum could pass it without any extra effort. Few things like how many feet out to set flares etc may be a guess unless you read through the book.

Nope - 50 different little countries with 50 different requirements. Nothing standardized about it!

Actually there is "some" standardization in it. The weight and length requirements are all coming from Federal law. So the States that are requiring the extra licensing requirements are at least using that standard. The only difference seems to be whether they require a higher class of license or not.

BB_TX wrote:
I think the supervisor needs some training. The class of license depends on the weight ratings as per the statute noted above.

not defending the supervisor, but just for information, with the complexity of the regulations involving motor vehicle licensing, drivers licensing and regulations - it take well over a year or two just to train a clerk who issues driver licenses or vehicle registrations. And to train a "good knowledgable" supervisor I bet you are looking at 10 to 15 years, and then they are changing the regulations she has to keep track of on a weekly basis. Plus they have to have the right personality to put up with what they put up with. And we have not even talked about the issues that come up in those offices. In my county there are people who are not allowed into a DMV office unless accompanied by a LEO. It isn't a easy job!!!

WyoTraveler wrote:
More and more states are coming in with the standardized driving laws. Don't know if it makes us any safer out there. Test isn't that difficult. Probabably the majority of RVers on the forum could pass it without any extra effort. Few things like how many feet out to set flares etc may be a guess unless you read through the book.

Nope - 50 different little countries with 50 different requirements. Nothing standardized about it!