MovieChat Forums > RV (2006) Discussion > Driving a big vehicle

Driving a big vehicle

posted 15 years ago by peter-r-odder
7 replies | jump to latest

I have a question. Do you not need to be licensed to drive a vehicle that big in the USA? Are you allowed to drive any vehicle with a normal license?

In my country there are different licenses for different vehicles. You need to take lessons and acquire a license for a truck or bus, before you can drive it, even if you do have a license to drive a car.

I have seen other movies about an RV trip, for example Beethoven's 3'rd and Tourist Trap. In all 3 movies the father does not seem like the kind of person who would have a "big" license, they are white collar people.
In Beethoven's 3'rd the trip is planned, and the father would have had the time to get the license. In Tourist Trap and RV the trip is a last minute decision, but they still drive the huge vehicle.

[–] toddniehaus 15 years ago

No special license required! There are some circumstances where RVing requires special endorsements like double towing (when towing a trailer behind ANOTHER trailer) or if the tow vehicle is of a commercial class (air brakes). RV's like the one used in the movie are available to rent by anyone with a standard operator's license. I guess the governing bodies just figure that most incidents will be low-speed manuverability issues (like Robin Williams' character had in the movie) and mostly result in property damage for the owner/operator. If the number of accidents/incidents were out of proportion with the number of RV's on the road, then the laws might change. Those of us who do this regularly drive cautiously because we know how easy it is to lose control of a large rig. I'd say that most mishaps are of the low speed variety, I've had them myself!

[–] peter-r-odder 15 years ago

OK, then how about busses or trucks?
In my country the rule is, if the vehicle weighs more than 3,5 tons fully loaded, regardless of what kind of vehicle it is, then you need a "big" license (which is not really big, it is just the popular term for it). I think you can drive a tractor with a standard license, probably because it is so slow.
Also a vehicle with seats for more than 8 people plus driver is considered a bus, and you need the special license.
I think it is a good thing, that you are taught by a professional to control a big vehicle, before driving it on your own. An RV that big would definately fall under that category in my country, which is Denmark.
We do not have RV's as big as the one in the movie, but we do have some that require the "big" license, and we have trucks. Of course there are also RV's available that are under the 3,5 tons limit.

[–] toddniehaus 15 years ago

Sorry Pete, I've been off the boards for a while.

In the USA, anyone who gets paid to drive (commercial trucks, busses, taxi, limo, tow trucks, etc...) is required to have a special license. If the vehicle is for personal use, no special endorsement is required. There are exceptions! We have several classes of motorized RV's here, but none that I know of require a commercial license except for maybe the ones built on a tour bus chassis. A commercial vehicle is a commercial vehicle, even if it's for personal use. The driver of a vehicle with air brakes is required to have a commercial operator's license. If I want to tow a trailer or drive an RV, I insert the key in the ignition lock and turn it. That's all.

[–] peter-r-odder 15 years ago

No problem.
Let me see if I understood you.
Since big trucks have air brakes, a driver of a truck does need a commercial license? Even if he owns a truck for personal use only and does not make money with it?
Wouldn't an RV as big as the one in the movie have air brakes?

The rules in Denmark are a bit different. Anyone whose job it is to drive paying passengers, bus/taxi etc need a commercial license. You do not need a commercial license to drive goods in a truck, but you do need the "big" license.
Which means, if you want to be a bus driver, you need both the big and the commercial license.

RV's in Denmark are not much bigger than vans, I would have no problem driving one. The biggest are only just over the 3,5 tons limit, and probaby the size of a 15 seat bus.
I do not think I would want to drive a vehicle as big as the RV in this movie in traffic without practice. It is the size of a 50 seat bus, isn't it?

[–] smokehill retrievers 14 years ago

Actually, in the US the rules go by each individual State unless you are going between States.

Generally, you do not need a special license for buses or RVs unless they are above a certain limit (varies by State), are used commercially for fright or passengers, or have air brakes. In my State, Virginia, I believe the weight limit is eight thousand pounds gross weight. I drove a thousand-gallon septic trunk legally since it had no air brakes & weighed 17,000 lb loaded.

It really makes little sense to require special licenses for larger vehicles, not used for passengers or freight, since they are far easier to drive and much safer than pulling a heavy trailer, which requires no additional license at all. Pulling a trailer safely (not to mention maneuvering & parking them) is extremely difficult and little mistakes can have tragic results. i saw one accident where a guy slammed on his brakes with a trailer to avoid a tree branch in the road. He killed two people in his car, broke his own back & legs, and sent ten other people to the hospital.

[–] rob-2423 12 years ago

Hi neighbor to the north!

Listen to Smokehill Retrievers... this is the word. Here in Tennessee there are no restrictions that I know of (other than motorcycles and airbrakes, motorcycles require an "M" endorsement and airbrakes require certification, if I am not mistaken). I drive an F-350 dually (and use it often to pull a double car enclosed hauler), and am fine here, but have heard of people getting tickets for driving commercial vehicles without a CDL on the exact same truck.

By the way, by your screen name I take it you raise or train golden retrievers? I lost my 13 year old golden (medium hair, medium tone) last fall, she was the best dog in the world!

[–] htownsteve 11 years ago

I used to work at an RV rental place here in Houston. All you need is a driver's licence, insurance, and a credit card. We saw renters hit stuff while backing out of the parking lot quite a bit! All sizes and types BTW, didn't matter about weight class or anything else.

Son, you can't polish a turd