Small percentage of RVers hurt our reputation - Montana Owners Club

Wrenchtraveller · 04-07-2006, 04:39 AM

Well driving my folks home from Yuma, Arizona back through Quartzite and up to Jackpot, Nevada I passed many many Snowbirds going home.

I saw a few Montys going the other way but I never passed any. The vast majority of the RVs were great but I did see a few people that have their rigs locked on cruise and going a little slower than the flow of traffic. This is fine but I saw several that were being passed by Tractor trailers and allowed the trucks to stick out beside them for a long time. These are two way traffic roads and I saw two cases where traffic was approaching from the other direction and the Class A motorhomes would not take their rigs off cruise and allow the truck to go by. They put themselves at risk and a lot of other people as well.

This is a no brainer, if you are being passed by a big rig, help yourself out and him by taking your rig off cruise and let him sail by. All the Fiver drivers were great and these Class A rigs that were doing this were driven by very elderly people.

I know there are a few bad truck drivers out there but the vast majority of them are real terrific drivers and we all have to share the road so it annoys me when I see fellow RV drivers giving us all a bad name. Take care.

HomeOnTheRoad · 04-07-2006, 05:00 AM

Also when a parade gets behind you, find a place to pull over and let them go by. That irks me when they keep on going and the line gets longer and longer.

Sunshine · 04-07-2006, 05:08 AM

And don't try passing with a stong headwind, when you are approaching a hill and a no passing zone, then cutting in at the top of the hill and almost sideswiping the person you just passed. This happened to us last year in Nevada - a Class A towing a Jeep Cherokee - a fellow Oregonian, no less. We watched him as he almost wiped out a few other people further down the road also. When we reached Fallon that evening, there he was, in the Walmart parking lot - I guess he was afraid he wouldn't get that free space! Hubby wanted to stop and have a "chat", but I didn't think I had bail money so nixed that idea.

vickir · 04-07-2006, 06:06 AM

Sad to say, we see lots and lots of inconsiderate drivers on the road ... driving all kinds of vehicles, from semis to RVs to cars to minivans. I am totally convinced that most, if not all of them, are completely oblivious to everything around them and just continue along their merry way, not realizing the problems they're creating.

cmp-shooter · 04-07-2006, 06:12 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by vickir

Sad to say, we see lots and lots of inconsiderate drivers on the road ... driving all kinds of vehicles, from semis to RVs to cars to minivans. I am totally convinced that most, if not all of them, are completely oblivious to everything around them and just continue along their merry way, not realizing the problems they're creating.

YOU STOLE MY WORDS

richfaa · 04-07-2006, 08:03 AM

Being a CDL holder, and that does not make me a perfect driver just one with more training,I at times cannot believe what I see on the road with Rv's at times.TT's seem to be the worst offenders with improper hookups causing the TT to ride way to high or way to low. I have even seen them with NO stabilizer bars or sway control bars. Fifth wheels riding way to high and the worst offenders..look at me, iv'e got a big powerful truck and look how fast I can go with this big camper.I am all for laws that would require proper training in hooking up, weight distribution and driving skills involving RV's.Why laws, because it is obvious that there are many of us that will not do it without them. It is hard to believe that you can buy a big truck and a big camper hook it up and drive off having NEVER driven a mile in one before and it is done everyday.. Sorry but this is one of my major pet peeves.

Mac · 04-07-2006, 12:06 PM

I think it's just drivers in general. My dad was drove tractor and trailer for many years and I remember the time when the truck drivers were the most friendly group on the road AND you could always count on them to lend a helping hand. Somewhere over the years that has changed, I remember sitting along the side of a highway in NV about 12 years with flats the passenger side dual of a class C. Truck driver after driver passed us by without stopping and it was myself, my wife and our two young daughters. Back in the day that would have never happened, and it seems like it just keeps getting worse.

I don't know if I'm just getting old or things really are changing, daily, and not always towards the positive.

mac

Bill Frisbee · 04-07-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Being a CDL holder, and that does not make me a perfect driver just one with more training,I at times cannot believe what I see on the road with Rv's at times.TT's seem to be the worst offenders with improper hookups causing the TT to ride way to high or way to low. I have even seen them with NO stabilizer bars or sway control bars. Fifth wheels riding way to high and the worst offenders..look at me, iv'e got a big powerful truck and look how fast I can go with this big camper.I am all for laws that would require proper training in hooking up, weight distribution and driving skills involving RV's.Why laws, because it is obvious that there are many of us that will not do it without them. It is hard to believe that you can buy a big truck and a big camper hook it up and drive off having NEVER driven a mile in one before and it is done everyday.. Sorry but this is one of my major pet peeves.

Rich, I could not agree more. The big problem here in Ontario is not the absence of laws requiring a Class A driver's license (the same license as a tractor-trailer driver) but the failure of the police to enforce the laws and the refusal of dealers to tell new buyers that they will need to get a new license. In fact, dealers routinely lie ... denying that a special license is required. Every Monty on my dealer's lot exceeds the weight that requires the Class A license but all sorts of people who have never driven anything heavier than their Buick 4-door sedan routinely pitch up in their new truck, hook-up 6 or 7 tons of fifth wheel, and head down the highway. It is a VERY scary situation ... but the Province of Ontario apparently values tourism dollars and sales tax revenue from RV sales more than public safety and enforcement of the laws designed to protect it. Why am I not surprised?!

Bill

richfaa · 04-07-2006, 01:00 PM

Bill, If you are stopped for any reason and it is noted that you do not have the proper license is that not enforced or is it a "gottcha" and a big fine.

gkbutler · 04-07-2006, 01:21 PM

I have to say that while driving on I 90 near Wisconsin Dells a few years ago, I actually saw a Cadillac pulling a fifth wheel!! The fifth wheel hitch was in the trunk. I had to look twice and almost ran off the road. Now what was that driver thinking!

Bill Frisbee · 04-07-2006, 03:40 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Bill, If you are stopped for any reason and it is noted that you do not have the proper license is that not enforced or is it a "gottcha" and a big fine.

Hi, Rich ...

I really do not know. What I have heard second hand is that the police will issue a "warning" but that is entirely rumor. I have not heard of anyone getting a ticket or (what I am told the police are supposed to do) having their RV impounded. I do know that if I was caught driving an 18-wheeler without the proper license, I would be in a bunch of trouble. The punishment for doing the same hauling an RV appears to be much less severe. Perhaps there are others out there who have a different experience. Whatever the facts of the matter, there is a whole bunch of folks around here who are hauling big 5ers with the same license required to drive a Honda Civic.

My other concern is insurance. If you have an accident hauling an RV without the proper license, I suspect your insurance company might have some hesitation about paying your claim. The bottom line is that it is the law and it exists for a reason. More important, it is remarkable how much one learns about how to properly handle a truck and fifth-wheel combination while becoming qualified for a Class A license.

B

richfaa · 04-07-2006, 04:09 PM

Bill.We are going to be not all that far from you July of this year in Blyth for the FCRV International Campvention. Some MOC'ers will be along also.

Bill Frisbee · 04-07-2006, 04:38 PM

Rich ...

During that period, we will be closer to your area ... spending two weeks in Mercer, PA camping
with one of our sons and his family (more importantly, two of our grandkids!)

Bill

Montana_5429 · 04-07-2006, 04:57 PM

I have a CDL and when gas got high I joined a carpool with 3 other guys, 2 with CDLS. 2 of these guys drive real crazy. They fly alongside of a line of cars waiting to get on the freway and cut into line at the last minute. They speed, they weave, they run red lights (when no ones coming). I always wondered what idiots like that were thinking when I saw them in traffic. Well, now I know. They think it's funny. They think they're smarter than everybody else cause they can drive faster. They think they are better drivers and know the extreme limits of their cars. They plain don't care.
They're in there 50's so they're not young, just stupid.
One of these days they're gonna startle some unsuspecting older driver, or some young driver who just got their license and there's gonna be a wreck. I bet they'll just drive off laughing.
I tried talking to them about it, but that just made them wanna show me how fast they could really go. I'm driving myself now and buying my own gas. I feel alot safer outta that car. Watch out for these kinda drivers, they don't respond to common sense and they just don't care.

Bill Frisbee · 04-07-2006, 05:54 PM

Further to my earlier post, I just did a bit of snooping in the fine print of my insurance policy. It states,

"We will not pay for loss or damage caused by an incident if you are convicted of one of the following offenses under the Criminal Code of Canada relating to the operation, care or control of the vehicle, or committed by means of a vehicle, or any similar offence under any law in Canada or the United States:
.
.
.
(viii) operating a motor vehicle while disqualified from doing so."

Since the weight of my Monty requires me to possess a Class A license in Ontario, it is clear that hauling the Monty without possessing a Class A license makes me legally "unqualified" to do so. Whether that is equivalent to being legally "disqualified" and therefore constitutes grounds for rejecting an insurance claim is something for a lawyer or judge to determine. My assumption is that an insurance company would attempt to make that argument.

B

Longwell · 04-07-2006, 06:44 PM

Bill Frisbee: I live just 8 miles from Mercer, PA in Grove City, PA (Actually, I live 1/2 mile from the Outlet Mall near I-79).
If you'd like to meet for lunch, dinner, whatever, let me know and I'll "private message" my phone or email.
Larry

stiles watson · 04-08-2006, 01:31 AM

Back to the driving issue, I'll just borrow a line from one of my favorite fantacy characters, Forest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

richfaa · 04-08-2006, 01:35 AM

Bill.Mercer,PA is actually my home ground. We are from New Caste, PA and camp in many CG's in the area.Most of them older and will not be able to handle the 3400.

richfaa · 04-08-2006, 01:41 AM

Having the knowledge and being smart enough to use it are two different things. We have one of those guys in our local camping group.Is a "professional"(HA.. truck driver who thinks if you can't drive fast and control your vehicle you should not have the license. Speed limits are informational only.. Forest is right..

Bill Frisbee · 04-08-2006, 03:21 AM

Rich ...

We quite enjoy the Mercer area and it is a very convenient location for us to meet with family (despite the "Cumberland Trail quality" of I-79 near Meadville!). The grandkids enjoy the KOA and the new managers have made a tremendous effort to improve both the facilities and the atmosphere. The picture on my signature was taken at the pull-thru patio site we had at the Mercer KOA last fall and will have again this summer. And, of course, we will be making our periodic donation to the good merchants at the Outlet Mall as well as the campus store at Slippery Rock University, an icon of American academic folklore!

Bill

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