FYI over weight can cost you

[mlh]

Originally Posted by Renegade1LI

Was just speaking to a friend of mine who is an insurance agent, and had a conversation about rvs. He said the industry goes by the number, and tv's make up a small percentage of claims. If and when that changes so will the laws and rates, rvers are considered low risk which is why the laws seem lax and the rates relatively low, let's hope it stays that way.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Lynwood

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by Theunz

I used to launch my bass boat that way sometimes if the ramp was shallow, I was by myself (my favorite way to fish), and it was to cold to get wet. One time I showed up early for a tournament and proceeded to self launch. I watched my boat drift back its usual distance and then some, and then some more! Rope broke or came untied, can't remember witch. To make matters worse it was very foggy that morning. Just before it drifted out of sight another boat showed up and retrieved it for me. Talk about feeling small, I felt like I could of sat on a penny and dangled my legs
On another note, I figure conservatively I have backed a trailer well over a hundred thousand times and on some days I look like its my first time

I can relate to that one! And having the plug come out during launch in my older aluminum v bow during a December tourney too. Sucks when ya get your feet wet first thing in 30F weather......

[Jamesb]

You are correct that being over weight costs money. It costs my fuel mileage to decrease, and that is expensive. I’ve never been over weight at the CAT scales, as far as the weight police go, but when the wife packs everything, plus the kitchen sink, it costs me a lot in diesel.

[Sdgood1]

Just curious how many of us on here have hurt, maimed, or killed somebody with their RV?? Didn’t think so.. Just sayin, more laws aren’t usually the solution. IMHO

[Phil P]

.mlh

From the information I got they were pulling RV as well but seemed mostly pulling the Gooseneck trailers and 1500 and 150 pickups hauling farm products and equipment. They operate much overloaded.

Mtncrash1

I agree in my travel I have seen many new Class A rigs with the side bashed in because the driver had no clue what it take to turn into a drive way.

Theunz

I am driving on a Class A CDL and get the physical every 2 years. I am 76 have had a CDL sense they were required. I don’t see the difference between a 36,000 lb Provost RV running down the road uncontrolled with a driver in the seat that just had a heart attack than an 18 wheel 80,000 lb semi.

Think about that for a minuet

Theunz

Agreed I had a driver pulling a small Jayco 5th wheel trailer come to me to see if I could tell him my he couldn’t pull over 35 or 40 mph without the trailer swaying.

Turned out the fifth wheel hitch had been installed in his Ram 3500 5/8 of an inch behind the centerline of the rear axle.

I could see the problem before I was close enough to the rig to talk to him. The Cat Scale proved it.


Phil P

I weigh often and never travel overweight. I weigh at the beginning of a long trip where wife may have loaded more stuff than normal. The local trips we make every month we are never near as heavy as when we go cross country.

Phil P

[richfaa]

We had a CDL for years and drove truck before a CDL was required. My CDL
experience was mainly School bus and OTR bus I agree in a test of some sort for RV dr ivers mainly in the area of driving skills as they apply to RV driving and weights. Maybe a RV endorsement like my Motorcycle endorsement. We alSo both wife and I drive this Montana like a OTR driver. You are right Lynwood "every time we pass a law we infringe on someone’s rights’" and it is usually the right to do something stupid.

[mlh]

Originally Posted by Sdgood1

Just curious how many of us on here have hurt, maimed, or killed somebody with their RV?? Didn’t think so.. Just sayin, more laws aren’t usually the solution. IMHO

I agree. We have laws against killing people but look at what happened on Texas and Ohio this weekend so what good is another law going to do?
Lynwood

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by mlh

I agree. We have laws against killing people but look at what happened on Texas and Ohio this weekend so what good is another law going to do?
Lynwood

It will do absolutely nothing except make more money for states in higher license fees and tickets for those that ignore that silly law.

[Mr Pachu]

If you live in Saskatchewan, Canada and tow a non commercial trailer weighing more than 10,000lbs, you need a heavy trailer "G" endorsement on your license. You have to do some written tests and also go for a road test towing your trailer.

[GreG L.]

The one statement I see that is correct is more laws are not the solution, enforcing the ones on the books is. Every state has weight restrictions, if they keep being ignored them the signs will change from All Trucks to All Trucks and RV's at the scales.

[Richard Blackwell]

5vr's over 15000 gvw require a non-commercial class A license, which consists initially of written tests (x2), inspection test and driving test, which DOES include a backing up from one lane to an adjacent lane without pause or resetting direction...basically the same testing overall as is required for a commercial license application. Bumper tows over 10000 gvw require the same. Class A's over 40' require a Class B...bus driver application.

[navybanker]

Would never pass that backup test especially under that kind of pressure!!!

[Clarky]

Up here in British Columbia, Canada you need to pass a written and vehicle pre-inspection / road test for a class 7 endorsement for towing anything over 10400Lbs. probably has to do with our geography, giant mountains and steep grades. No medical required however. And from what I have heard many folks still don’t have this endorsement but chose to drive their rigs anyway. Some knowingly but many just don’t know. Serious lack of education and many RV dealers here don’t even bring up the DL endorsment issue when you are looking at heavy rigs unless you actually ask them. They just want to sell the rig. You may never get pulled over and checked but if you have an accident the insurance companies will not pay up if you don’t have the endorsement. All you can do is make sure your safe and avoid all the other rigs out there. Leave lots of distance to the guy ahead of you and let the impatient, soon to be train wrecks, pass and get a good distance ahead. Be safe and happy trails.

[Mark N.]

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

Well there ya go. Now how does that 1 ton dually look to everyone?

Still ugly. In fact they're "fugly". But they serve a purpose. I'll just NEVER cross that weight line because of that reason. My SRW Ram diesel will pull all I'll ever want. It did my Montana 3400RL for 6 years with total adequacy. Now its doing 10ft less.

[StageCoachDriver]

I pull a High Country that grosses 200lbs above my GMC 2500HD's GVWR. Don't have a washer/dryer or generator, but I guess I could be in trouble if I ventured into Florida which I never intend to do. :/


Thanks for the heads up!

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by Mtncrash1

How long will it be before a cdl is required? Let’s face it folks there are many out there that have never pulled a trailer or driven a big class a. All of our rigs fall under the requirements for needing a cdl. If they do that they should also make us all compliant with the requirements of a cdl. Including the physical requirements, hours of service and, blood alcohol levels. How many have pulled your rig 10-12 hours or more at a time? How many could pass a cdl physical? How many have stopped for a meal somewhere and had a drink or two? I’m sure this isn’t a popular opinion but, the truth is these rigs are ever bit as dangerous as the commercial vehicles going down the road and in some cases more so.

One word.... NEVER!

[1retired06]

Not the rigs that are the problem, rather the drivers. Based on this thread, glad I am not Canadian or a Californian. Bought our first rv trailer used in 1984. Now 2019, one accident in all those years, other driver was cited, and we all drove our vehicles away from the scene with nobody hurt. More wary of eighteen wheelers than RVers when I am on the interstate, and they have all the certifications.

[Mr Malibu]

CDL‘s for RV fifth wheel towers not a good deal in my opinion. It’s the government stepping in to control what we do on our fun time. As far as the truck we pull with it’s a ram 2500 and like you I’ve done modifications not certified but still there I carry a scale ticket and copies of certifications of weights and towing capacities. And occasionally I pull triples
And that’s where you start running into length limits.
But that’s a whole Nother topic and conversation

[richfaa]

We had a CDL for years and drove truck before there was a CDL. I do not understand why a person can purchase a truck and 5th wheel or a large motorhome and just drive it away. Our rig is 53 feet long and weighs in at 23K more or less.I think more. I had to have a motor cycle endorsement just to drive a two wheel MC take a test and written exam yet we can careean around in a large RV no experience required.

[mlh]

Again I don’t see where RV owners are causing a problem. This looks to me like it’s fixing a problem that doesn’t exist.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and keep the government from getting farther onto our business. We certainly don’t need any more government in our lives. Big government can’t fix everything.
Lynwood