Q: I was in the right lane of a two-lanes-in-each-direction road. An RV came up in the left lane and swung slightly right – wheels still in the left lane, but wide-mounted mirrors extending into my lane. The RV’s mirror passed over my driver’s side mirror by a few inches. If I’d been in a taller vehicle they would have clipped. It seems the driver wasn’t aware of the size of their vehicle. Is there any license requirement or training for driving bus-sized vehicles?
A: Imagine you’ve hired a contractor to build you a brand-new house. On the day of completion the contractor hands you the keys and says, “I did the absolute bare minimum to meet code requirements. Enjoy your new house.” That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, does it? I have a similar lack of confidence in RV drivers who rely only on their experience driving the family minivan in preparation for operating a 45-foot motorhome.
When my kids were young we had a oft-repeated phrase in our home: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I’ve since realized that this is a good mantra for adults, too (myself included). Yes, you can legally drive a three-million dollar bus conversion (assuming you have money to burn) with just your standard issue driver license and no practice, but should you?
Washington’s commercial driver license (CDL) law applies to drivers operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or actual weight, of at least 26,001 pounds. That could be a single vehicle, like a motorhome, or a combination that includes a trailer of at least 10,000 pounds. But there’s an exception. If you’re “operating a recreational vehicle for noncommercial purposes” you don’t need a CDL. Conceivably then, if you had a family band that traveled to gigs in a big enough RV you’d need a CDL, but you wouldn’t need one to visit the Grand Canyon.
That’s not how it works in every state though. A few states don’t make an exception for noncommercial driving, and some have noncommercial special licenses for driving large vehicles (typically over 26,000 pounds). I get that an RV driver wouldn’t want to go through commercial driving training, but I think it makes sense to have an RV endorsement, and the training to go with it, to drive big RVs.
But special endorsements wouldn’t solve the lack-of-training problem for most RV owners, because most RVs aren’t over 26,000 pounds. You can even find 40-foot motorhomes that barely squeeze under the limit. The solution, then, is individuals making a commitment to get the training they need to become skilled and safe drivers of whatever size vehicle they operate.
Sure, training can be expensive. But the first time you scrape the side of your RV across the bollards at the gas station you’ll spend more on repairs than you would have in an RV driving class. Plus, if you’re driving a vehicle that’s five times the size and weight of a family car, you have a moral obligation, if not a legal one, to be qualified to operate it.
That’s what it comes down to. Are we the kinds of drivers that have absolutely bare minimum skills to legally drive, or do we strive to be excellent drivers? There are a lot of things in life that involve risk but require minimal to no proof of skill; cliff diving, rock climbing, storm chasing, base jumping, parenting. I wouldn’t settle for the bare minimum when engaging in any of those (especially parenting). A driver license isn’t proof that you’re a good driver. It’s just a starting point.
Am I correct that with a Washington Driver’s License you can drive a motorhome in states with the greater restrictions?
Seems sort of odd that the limitations are based on weight rather than width. It’s much harder to drive a dually pickup or tow an 8′ wide trailer than to drive a standard pickup or 7′ trailer. Or at least it takes more attention. And that isn’t at all dependent on the weight of the truck/trailer.
In the motorcycle world I believe Washington now has multiple categories, but being an ancient fossil with an old endorsement I can ride anything except a three-wheeler. I’ve not researched what’s so much different about those, or even if a motorcycle endorsement was originally required.
I haven’t looked up the reciprocity agreement laws in other states, but every RV website I’ve looked at assures RV drivers that if they have the proper license for their state, they’re good to drive in every state.
In 1982 Washington began requiring different motorcycle endorsements based on engine size, but eliminated that in 1999. Currently, there are two kinds of motorcycle endorsements – one for two-wheeled motorcycles and one for three-wheel motorcycles.
It has always amazed me that there were no endorsements needed to drive rv’s- or a Uhaul. My dad was a long haul truck driver. He said worse than a motorhome is a motorhome pulling a boat or a vehicle.