Alright, lets get to the bottom of this.

[richfaa]

The CDL license is a result of the " Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986" Is is a Federal regulation designed to regulate and standardize the requirement for drivering skills and knowledges regarding COMMERCIAL operators of Motor Vehicles. It establishes MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. A CDL test taken in Florida will be the same test given in Ohio in terms of MINIMUM requirements. The individual State can ADD to the requirements but can not go below the minimum requirement. My Ohio drivers license indicates that it is a Commercial Drivers License and we can drive a Commercial vehicle in every State...The cost to get my CDL was, as I recall 150.00 and the transit Company I worked for paid the cost. The company I drive for now also reimbursed me for the cost of my renewal which I think was 55.00. You may have heard on the news about the "formaldehyde" issue in the FEMA trailers. A Problem Rv'ers have known about for years but nothing was ever done about it... Now that the Issues is at a Federal level it will no doubt have a ripple effect redarding RV safety... and it is about time..

[traveltunes]

I found this website interesting and helpful from the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648toc.htm
Start at the (Purpose of this Booklet) and read on from there. I wish other states would follow suit on some of the requirements.

[emdavis]

I agree with richfaa, there is to many rv users that don't have any idea about operating an rv , much less safely. Too many are over loaded and do not have proper towing equipment. the vast majorty of us do have the proper towing equipment and are safe drivers. just my 2 cents.

[Longwell]

I finally received a response from the Federal Highway Administration. It says something about commercial vehicles but it can be read either way. It does say that it's up to each state to determine which vehicles they require to be weighed, as follows:

Subj: RE:'DBMainID=090-264' Weight Stations
Date: 7/23/2007 1:21:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: dot.comments@ost.dot.gov

To: LarryLongwell@cs.com

Received from Internet: click here for more information



Dear Mr. Longwell,

According to the Federal Highway Administration's Vehicle Size and Weight Q&A(http://vsw.fhwa.dot.gov/qa/qasearch.jsp?q=stations):
What vehicles must stop at weigh stations? (23 CFR 657.15)
States determine what vehicles must stop at weigh stations. Some require all commercial motor vehicles to stop, while others require only those above a certain weight to stop. Ultimately, States must certify that they are enforcing their weight limits on certain highways in order not to jeopardize their receipt of Federal highway funds. Excluding a significant number of heavy vehicles from stopping at weigh stations would be inconsistent with such a certification.
For 23 CFR 657.15 Certification Content, see http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/w...cfr657_07.html

Sincerely,

Reference Services
National Transportation Library
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
U. S. Department of Transportation

[richfaa]

Excellent Government response..They did not answer your question but gave you a bunch of information that did not help///

[stiles watson]

The speed limit in many of the states I am traversing on my trip to Nova Scotia are set at 65 mph. The vehicles I see violating these limits are autos and truckers, not RVers. The threats to our safety by cutting in front of me, while I try to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of me, are automobile drivers.

I have seen a couple of dingbat Rvers traveling at excessive speeds (75 mph or more), but I have seen thousands of auto drivers speeding. So the ratio of dangerous drivers in RVs to drivers of other vehicles is statistically small.

I have passed weigh stations in four states today, VA, WV, MD, and PA. All were open, but not one of them were stopping anyone but commercial rigs. This was also true in AR, TX, and TN as we drove through those states.

Now these are facts I have observed. When traveltunes initiated this thread, he asked for facts not commentary or speculation. Honestly, I don't think we are any closer to "the bottom of this" than when we began.

[traveltunes]

I had a feeling this would happen. I do appreciate everybody's response though. My wife and I have decided, for our own personal safety and the saftey of others, to purchase a bigger tow vehicle. We have been looking at 08 dooly's from the 3500HD to the Ford F-450. I think a truck like that will be enough for what we are doing. I really would like the bigger fuel tank too. I will let everyone know what we decide on. I think this forum is a great tool for making the right decision in the "rv world". It is kind of like that annoying scratch in the middle of your back you can't always reach, but eventually rub on something to get. lol. I have learned a lot from all the combined experience here and hope others have as well. Thanks to everyone for the extra research on this topic. At least I can be somewhat sure about whether or not to cross weigh station's. Be safe out there.

[sreigle]

We've never been pulled over nor been through a weigh station except a closed one when I wanted to see if I could use the scales to weigh our rig. There was an officer there who told me the scales were turned off because of a computer problem.

I did get pulled over once when by myself on the way home from a fishing trip. I was towing a 25 1/2 ft fifthwheel with 19' bassboat behind that. I was pulled over and told that my right wheel on the boat trailer had no rubber on it. I couldn't see it back there and there was no sway. The officer even helped me change that wheel and put on the spare. He never once asked about weight nor overall length. In Kansas, doubles are legal so long as one of the trailers is not a bumper/ball type hitch and total length does not exceed 65 feet. At 64' 10" I was legal. I believe both trailers have to have brakes, also, but don't recall the law on that. I was towing this outfit with a Ford F150 "heavy half ton" which means gvwr is more than the standard half ton but less than the 3/4 ton. I was over the GCWR but that was not even mentioned.

[dsprik]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Excellent Government response..They did not answer your question but gave you a bunch of information that did not help///

Didn't you used to work for those guys, Rich... ?

I read that gov doc as aiming at (ambiguously, as Rich points out) trying to police trucks and rigs that are approaching twice our CGVW. Correct me if I'm wrong, they seem to be concerned with vehicles that could damage roads if not watched closely. Someone can clarify this if necessary, but a one ton dually pulling a maxed out Montana down the highway will approximate 21K-22K lbs. A commercial carrier can top 48K. Truckers, please clarify these figures for me, but I believe I'm in the ballpark. The Feds are concerned with abuse tearing up the roads at an abnormally high rate. That's why they are not focused on RVers. Even if RVers are overweight, that is not their job to police that. That is NOT what those scales were set up to do.

If the roads are needing repairs more often than normal, the Feds will have to deal with the states coming to them sooner asking for more money for rebuilding roads and bridges.

This would also cut into the "pork barrel" fund in Congress, which is a definite no-no. How the heck are these guys supposed to get elected without bribing the electorate??? Spending money to fix roads and bridges in this country, indeed!!! They may have to rely on actually working in Congress to get themselves a reputation as men and women of integrity who are working hard to make this country a better place to live... but I digress...

What were we talking about???

[richfaa]

37 1/2 year as a Fed. That is a typical Fed document. The focus is on Commercial vehicles not the Rv'er. There are absolutely no regulations on the Rv'er concerning weight or safety. Remember that the Typical Rv'er has absolutely no training in driving their rig. Why I have a endorsement on my Licenses to operate little ole MC and had to take a test to demonstrate my skills in doing so.In Ohio I need a MC endorsement to drive a MOPED..but can drive any size or weight Rv without a second of training and drive it as heavy as I wish. I stand by my statement that Rv'ers are among the most dangerous on the road and proper licensing, training and regulation are in order.

[Delaine and Lindy]

richfaa, I agree that in the future there will be some type of requirement to tow 5th wheels and drive MH. I have a Commerical Lic. Class A CDL with the M indorsement and in the past had indorsement for Haz mat, doubles and passengers veh exceeding 15 passengers.

However with fuel going up the Rv industry will slow down because of the fuel price, will probably go over $80.00 a barrel this month. The DoT's of the States can't enforce the Laws for the Trucking company's. There are many Drivers running 2 Log books and unless they are in a accident most often they are never caught. The other problem is you must take a Physical, and if your B/P isn't under control or if you are a diabetic on insulin you want get a CDL. As you know there are a lot of us that are senior citizen's and do have some Medical issues and most all do vote.

It does amaze me to watch some of the rigs running down the highways, and just watch some trying to back into some of the small Rv site's. It will be a problem for sometime, but one of these days the States will see all the money that they can make in making the Rv'er get some type of License. Good Luck to all... GBY....

Unless it has changed the legal weight of a 18 wheeler is 80,000 lbs total weight, unless you have a permit for over size and or over weight, some states are different like Ky because of the Coal mining. As for the Rv'er running the high speeds its just a matter of time before they will a have tires blowing out. The tires that come on Rv's aren't designed for high speeds. I never even think about going into weight stations (Chicken House's) as the Truckers call them. Unless your directed to do so stay out of them. It could cost you a lot of money????

[richfaa]

Sure do agree with all of the above.My Rv tires are rated for 65 MPH... That is as fasy as we run.Sooner or later someone is going to realize that at least 70% perhaps higher of the Rv's running out there are running over weight or are running unsafe equipment and the states could make a fortune applying and enforcing weight and safety laws.If I am medically unfit to hold a CDL why should I be able to operate a 21K Plus RV?????(We call them chicken coops around here)

[Glenn and Lorraine]

I hate speculation and hear say even more so. One thing I can't stand is someone saying, "I was told by my brother's father-in-law's best friend's Uncle who said he was told by his neighbor that he read on some RV forum that said you can't..."
Like Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet said, "The facts mam, just the facts". In a court of law everything other than the facts are considered "hearsay" and CANNOT be believed. I want the info straight from the horses MOUTH and not out it's BUTT. We all know what happens when we ASSUME something is the way it is when we don't have all the FACTS.

The following is ALL FACT and NOT HEARSAY!!!!

As a Full Timer, I have been dragging my Monty's down the road for nearly 4 years and never once did I stop at any weigh station as we are not required to do so. I have never once been stopped by any law enforcement officer or DOT official to have my weight checked.
HOWEVER, In early July (this year) I was stopped by the New York State Police for speeding thru a construction zone. We'll discuss that at a later date. The trooper walked past my Monty and didn't even look at the Monty. He took my license and registration and returned to his patrol car. After a bit he again walked past the Monty to give me a ticket to the policeman's ball. A rather expensive ticket considering I don't even dance. He than said "Slow down and have a good day" and than proceeded back to his patrol car and again he never even looked at the Monty.

The following can be considered speculation..

• Will we ever be required to stop at a weigh station some year down the road? Probably
• Will we ever be required to have a special RV license? Probably
• Do I feel we should have to stop at weigh stations? Why not?
• Do I feel we should all have a special RV license? Absolutely! And the license should be a requirement BEFORE you can even buy an RV.
• Should we be required to have a physical in order to get an RV license? YES. We all know that RVer that has years of experience pulling or driving his RV down the road. BUT over the years his/her age has been catching up to his/her skills. His/her mental and physical health is on a downward slide. His/her reflex time is many seconds rather than mili-seconds. His/her eyes and hearing are also beginning to fail. Besides the untrained RVer, these are also some of the drivers that need to be taken off the road.
  Would I like to lose my license because the state feels I no longer have the mental or physical health to continue? HE%% NO! but that's life and it shouldn't be any other way!!!!

[bsmeaton]

Traveltunes - You are making the right choice. I also know how really hard it is for a guy to go out shopping for a new truck (hahahahaha). Have fun ! I never stop shopping and was eyeballing the new look on the front of that Chev following me yesterday.

Glenn - I was chatting with a Canadian at a campground in Montana yesterday and he was telling me in his province, any trailer over 10,000 lbs dry required 2-year license and physical. He said it was a limiting factor on his purchase. Not sure I would agree that the physical capabilities of the elderly are any more of a threat in an RV than they are in any auto. Not sure the numbers would support that segregation. Be careful what you ask for or physicals may be required for all over 65 just to drive!

[richfaa]

My Mother was 82 Years old and a driving hazard to everyone around her but she insisted that "She had been driving for years and never had a problem"(her car looked like it had been in a demolition derby)When her license was due for renewal I called the PA DMV and asked that they require a physical before she could get her license, They can do that, She raised H*&^. My Mother was very good at that and they gave her the license.She later drove the car through the garage and later a supermarket window., Brakes failed she said, (they were fine..) I finally conspired to have the car fail the PA inspection and a friend mechanic to declare the car un repairable.Told her we would buy her a new one but she soon forgot that cars exsisted.