not for hire
- Thread starter windell
- Start date
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
If it has living quarters (including a FULL bathroom) you can register it as an rv and drive it with NO CDL, just like all these elderly people with the class 8 truck rv's and bus conversions.
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
Like cheri said if it has air brakes and it is not registered as an rv even under 25999 you will need an air brake endorsement. The RV registration will get you around that. Some states will let you register the truck as an rv if you tell them you are towing a travel trailer with it, I know that Florida does this.
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
You need to check with your state the race car thing is a gray area some states say that because you collect prize money it is considered commercial.
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
then you can register it anyway you want and do anything you want with it until you go FOR HIRE then its all different MC, DOT, BOC-3, Insurance, permits, driver drug testing program and on and on.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
OK, let's get this straight;
You got a pete with a sleeper you want to use as ?? A glorified bus... that's cool but...
It will have to be considered an RV and in order for that to happen, you have to have a toilet, fridge and a bed in it, more or less mounted to get it registered. Once that is done, you happen to be renovating it and took everything out but couldn't miss the races...
It is the registration thing that you have to worry about....
Oh by the way, it has nothing to do with the weight of the truck but has to do with it can haul.
You got a pete with a sleeper you want to use as ?? A glorified bus... that's cool but...
It will have to be considered an RV and in order for that to happen, you have to have a toilet, fridge and a bed in it, more or less mounted to get it registered. Once that is done, you happen to be renovating it and took everything out but couldn't miss the races...
It is the registration thing that you have to worry about....
Oh by the way, it has nothing to do with the weight of the truck but has to do with it can haul.
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
exactly, my father in law drag races and uses a frieghtliner columbia rv conversion with a 40 foot fifth wheel trailer at about 70000 LBS loaded up with 4 cars and he drives it with a regular licence, No scales, no logs and he doesent even no what a CDL is!!!
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Well see I think that is commercial with four cars. It no longer is a hobby because of the investment. I guess ever since I almost got killed on I40 in North Carolina by a 'race car hobbiest' who lost control of his M2, trailer and bobtail in the fog while passing the trucks at a high rate of speed, I think there is a real reason to license these guy just like us.
Andrew0580
Seasoned Expediter
I agree, if it has air brakes you should be required to take the test. "RV" does not make a difference you should still have the education for the larger vehicle.
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
I have to agree with you. It doesn't matter if you call a large vehicle an rv it still causes the same damage as one that weighs the same amount and is called commercial.
guido4475
Not a Member
In Ohio, the gvw rating of the truck determines if you need a cdl to drive it if it has airbrakes.I had 3 trucks under 26,000 gvw that had both airride and airbrakes that I ordered new and airbrakes were not required,as per the Ohio dot. They said it is a "gray area". Some states may be different, however.
Dakota
Veteran Expediter
same with Indiana anything under 26000 doesn't require CDL not sure about a semi tractor though
wellarmed
Not a Member
It seems that getting the CDL would be the best thing to do. you may run into an officer that interprets the laws a little different than another. As for the RV thing,it looks like you may have to loose a bucket seat and replace it with a porcelain throne that could double as a cooler,be sure to add a seat belt to it.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Well all of that is good advice but here is the thing.
If he decides not to go down the RV path, then he has to get a Class A CDL with airbrake endorsement, then he has to have DOT numbers and then insurance to boot - pretty hefty thing when you add up the cost.
But if he gets the toilet, bed and fridge in it, and takes it to the nearest Motor Vehicle department of his state and apply for an RV registration, he avoids the hassles of being a commercial vehicle. Now this does not mean he doesn't have to have an RV license but it means that his insurance may be less than 800 a year compared to 6000 and he won't have to log.
AND of course he has to take off the fifth wheel equipment and put a deck there.
If he decides not to go down the RV path, then he has to get a Class A CDL with airbrake endorsement, then he has to have DOT numbers and then insurance to boot - pretty hefty thing when you add up the cost.
But if he gets the toilet, bed and fridge in it, and takes it to the nearest Motor Vehicle department of his state and apply for an RV registration, he avoids the hassles of being a commercial vehicle. Now this does not mean he doesn't have to have an RV license but it means that his insurance may be less than 800 a year compared to 6000 and he won't have to log.
AND of course he has to take off the fifth wheel equipment and put a deck there.