| Author |
Message |
john (192.9.25.11)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 7:51 pm: | |
Being the nervous type, I've spent the day trying to track down what the requirements are for me to legally operate the bus I'm hoping to purchase in the state of CA.
I appreciate the suggestions, by many, that one must determine what one's own local/state requirements are, so I'm trying to do just that.
As always, if you ask direct "how do I do this?" questions to bureaucrats, you get the narrowest/strictest/unfriendliest interpretation of the law. I figured I'd start there, add a dose of common sense, and a sprinkle of opinion from fellow bus nuts, to come up with some conclusions. Here's what I've found so far:
(1) You can get insurance for an "in progress bus conversion" (I called it that, not a "motor home", when requesting the quote) at one of several places referred to in other postings on this and other BBs. I got quotes for a $25K (purchase price), 1979 MC9 with 50/100/50 liability for prices ranging from $126 (liability only) for 6 months to $713 (liability plus comprehensive and collision) for 1 year. I may be able to do better as I continue to shop around -- I was just glad to get a few "yes"es after getting alot of "no"'s! By the way, both places I ended up with quotes at started out with "no"'s, and I ended up calling back and speaking to another agent. So, persistence pays off!
(2) DMV says I need a class B license because the GVW is over 26,000 lbs. They say this is regardless of whether the vehicle is classified as a bus or a motorhome. I'm awaiting printed materials with more detail, but I believe CA has a "basic" type of class B license, without a passenger endorsement, that has a written and a driving test. One question I forgot to ask is whether I need an "air brake" endorsement.
(3) A watch officer at CHP told me on the phone: "we won't cite you" for driving the bus home from where you bought it... "unless you get in an accident". I took this as: you can take your chances driving the bus home, and you'll probably be OK. I presume that if I get in an accident, or make a bad lane change or something, I'll get nailed. The "we won't cite you" was followed by a "how likely are you to get pulled over?" (rhetorical) question, and a comment like "we'd look at the INTENT of the vehicle" (i.e., if the seats are out and I tell them I'm taking it to be converted, this particular guy wouldn't hassle me... again, as long as I didn't do something stupid or have an accident).
Bottom line, it looks like to be legal in CA, you need the Class B. Sorry if that's bad news to any other CA bus nuts out there... and I'd appreciate hearing any counter-evidence to this interpretation by the DMV agent (however, this *does* indeed appear to be consistent with a strict, literal interpretation of the DMV code that you can get on-line at the DMV web site).
My next decision is whether I should buy the bus and try to drive it home while I find a way to get my Class B. Sure would like to be able to get started on converting, but I have to admit, I don't have *complete* confidence that I can drive home safely, since I've never driven one on the road before (99% confidence yes, but there is that glimmer of doubt). I'd have to go about 50 miles -- mostly highway, but some local streets.
Anyway, for anyone else investigating this stuff, I thought I'd pass it along. And again, I'd appreciate hearing any supporting or dissenting opinions.
John |
RJ Long (66.74.169.186)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 8:12 pm: | |
John -
CA's not that bad - you just have to know how to ask the right questions!!
Call the DMV back and ask them what class of license is required to drive a 40' RV. Don't tell them anything else, just that it's a 40' RV.
You'll be surprised at the different answer. . .
RJ |
dougthebonifiedbusnut (24.147.153.205)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 8:47 pm: | |
i dont care what state you drive in if it is privetly owned and you produce no revenue with it you need no special licence to drive it there coulkd be some problem if youwere to have an accident while the seats were in it i would pull about three seats out put a porta potty in it and if the accident is that bad even a poor layer could probobly get you out of trouble the last thing i would ever do is ask the dmv any question more complicated than what the date was |
madbrit (216.67.211.56)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 8:49 pm: | |
I picked up my bus from Hausman in Los Angeles. Sice I live in Kingman AZ, most of my journey would be on California major routes. I got the salesman to take the bus to the local diesel pump as he knew the area better than me and it was a really tight corner gas station too. After dropping him back, it was all down to me. Headed out to the I-15 and home on the I-40.
Prior to making the trip I called the California Highway Patrol and asked them exactly what I needed. My questions and his replies were:
There are no current plates..... Then you must have a temporary tag permit.
Do I need to remove the seats?...... No, just do not carry more than 16 people including the driver.
I have an normal Arizona operator's license...... That is fine, you are not a company are you?
I said No....... Then it is no longer a commercial vehicle as you are driving on a temporary plate.
Is there anything else I need?......... You must remove all commercial lettering from the coach and not have any destination showing on the sign, put it to PRIVATE if you can. Oh and don't forget that temporary tag!!!
We just over painted the lettering with a couple of spray cans.
This is what I conformed to and had no problems. I took insurance out with Progressive prior to setting off as I had already agreed to purchase it and paid a substantial deposit.
Good luck with your trip.
Peter. |
sam (205.188.193.172)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 9:30 pm: | |
I bought my bus from ABC bus in garden grove cailf. they gave me a one way permit to kellyville ok. we left july 5 and drove straight thru. just drive the speed limit and acted like we had good sense .it took us 3 days to get home and we slept in it all 3 days . so I say buy the bus and drive it home and don't look back
sam |
RJ Long (66.74.169.186)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 24, 2001 - 11:53 pm: | |
As is usual with government agencys, the info John got from the CA DMV wasn’t totally correct. I think the primary reason we get misinformation from them is that they can’t figure out what to do with converted buses. They don’t fit into any of their pigeon-holes.
Here are the CVC statutes that exempt our bus conversions from the CDL requirements:
~362
~12804.9(b)(3)(C) & (E)
~15210(b)(2)(A)
The trick is registering your coach under the definition specifically spelled out in ~362.
Want to know what ~362 is? Here’s the URL:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d01/vc362.htm
Might be a good idea to print it out, maybe make the necessary changes for your coach, and carry copies of the above codes w/ your registration and insurance paperwork. . .
As for getting it home from the seller, get a trip permit (as defined in CVC4156) and a binder from your auto insurance agent for moving a 40' diesel-pusher RV from the sales lot to you.
Enjoy! 8^)
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA |
john (192.9.25.11)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 - 1:57 am: | |
I do stand corrected... sorry if I caused any concern... I should learn to read these statutes more carefully (reading every other line just doesn't work ;-)
I re-read the section of the CA motor vehicle code and it says that a class C license is sufficient to drive any "housecar". Housecar is defined elsewhere in the code to include any vehicle "permanently altered... and equipped for human habitation".
Thanks for the input, as usual.
John |
jack (209.221.198.31)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 09, 2001 - 4:55 pm: | |
you guys ask to many questions im 21 and drive my parents 40ft diesel motor home all over ca with all my friends in it and all is good i have a standard class c licence all is good in ca as long as the
coach isnt longer then 45ft your fine dont ask so many questions to the dmv they will screw yah everytime try every other resourse
happy traveling |
curmudgeon (24.127.9.168)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 09, 2001 - 10:49 pm: | |
jackifyourecentlygraduatedfromcollegeorevenifyouonlyjustgraduatedfromhighschool
theleastyoucoulddoistrytosendamessagewithsomepunctuationinit
doyourparentsknowyouredrivingtheir40ftdieselpusherallovercawithyourbuddies
onboardandhowmanykegsofbeerinthefridgedidyousayyoustartedoutwith
greatexampleoftheuseducationsystem
Sorry |@n, had to vent. . . |
Ian Giffin (Admin) (64.228.35.88)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - 9:02 am: | |
Yeesh!
Ian
www.busnut.com |
You_Want_Fries_With_That? (65.2.65.246)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - 8:32 pm: | |
Curmudgeon:
Pretty funny response.
But you forgot spelling in general.
{to many questions}
{your fine}
In any case, College and/or High School doesn't necessarily provide an education. |
RJ Long (24.127.9.219)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - 9:02 pm: | |
YWFWT -
yer write, Curmudgeon furgot spellun'.
Syntax* also:
{They're} going over {there} to get {their} bus.
{Two} people were going {to} the store, {too}.
{You're} going to have to use {your} brain to write English intelligently.
High School and College are supposed to provide an education, but when major corporations have to send new employees through English composition classes in order to write simple business correspondence, you KNOW our education system is turning out semi-functional illiterates. . .
FWIW,
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA
*Syntax - what you pay at a brothel? (sin-tax)
[Sorry, I know it's a bad pun, but couldn't resist. . . 8^) ] |
Donald Peter (Don) (172.149.110.44)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 11:18 am: | |
I'm not trying to defend our semiliterate friend Jack, but most likely he is not a 21 year old college student or graduate. I'd be willing to bet that he is most likely 15-16 with his learners permit and dad let him move the RV once. Remember being 16 and getting to drive for the first time?
Very likely he hasn't even been to a brothel either. :-) -- Don |
David & Lorna Schinske (Davidschinske) (65.90.110.164)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 5:26 pm: | |
Just tagged our Eagle in Tennessee. When I first went down to County Clerks office for tag, Clerk said I had to "show" her that it was converted or else get commercial tag. Then when I said that I had found out on the Internet that other states do it and other people in TN tagged their busses as motorhomes, she told me "Well, I guess that you had better just go on the Internet and find out how they did it, because I don't know how." After logging onto the Department of Safety Title and Registration Division at the State of Tennessee 'Official' website (www.state.tn.us) I asked (via their e-mail)and got the information I needed and NO HASSLES when I went back to get my tag (passenger type NOT commercial). Don't waste your time, just go to your state's website and ask them.
Lorna |
rcook (198.207.223.231)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2001 - 12:05 am: | |
When I originally filed for my registration in Colorado, I had to go to the State Patrol so they could classify the bus. The reason was that they knew it was a motor home, but they wanted to have the proper designation on my registration so they would know what type of vehicle to look for if it was stolen. So I am licensed as a Motor Home but have a body style of a bus. No problems otherwise. Most of my problems were that I bought the bus in Canada, so had a few other hoops to jump through.
Rod Cook
4905 GMC |