5th wheel endorsment

[JD_Diesel]

Went to DMV to day to get my 5er endorsmnet. Or a class A non commerical. They all looked at me funny took the test pasted okThey where going to give me a class A NON. But could not figuire out what to do do. ended up just getting a 5er endorsment on my C. All in all only took me hour and fifteen min. Any body have any experance with this. Now I'm legal, WAAAAAAA HOOOOOOO. JD

[DmaxMaverick]

Congrat's all around!

Typical DMV. If you want the REAL answer, talk to the CHP commercial officers. They'll tell you which doc #s and endorsement codes needed. No more than a trip to your local CHP office. There's usually one haning around, or they can tell you when he/they will be there.

I have a CDL, so I didn't have to go through it. But, I did help a good number of friends get legal. It's amazing how many 5'er drivers (and some pullers) are out of compliance. It really doesn't mean anything until it hits the fan, anyway. But, Officer......

I know of one person that had his 5'er impounded until he showed up with an endorsement, or a legal driver. The fine wasn't too bad, but the impound and storage fees were huge. Of course, he was on vacation, and a loooooong way from a familiar face. If he didn't have his family with him, they would have impounded the truck, too.

If you need a 2500HD or 3500 to meet the weight capacity requirements, you probably need an endorsement. It's even more strict for commercial rigs, like hotshots and haul-for-hire trailer movers.

[OC_DMAX]

The law is very specific in CA for recreational vehicles. If the sticker on your 5th wheel indicates a GVWR of 15,001 pounds or greater, then you need the Class A license (either commercial or non-commercial will do). If the GVWR of your 5th Wheel is 10,001 to 15,000 pounds, you need the RV endorsement (Actually Restriction 41 ). If the GVWR of your 5th Wheel is 10,000 pounds or less, then your Class C license is sufficient. For a regular ball hitch type trailer (not 5th Wheel), anything over 10,000 GVWR requires a Class A license (once again, for recreational purposes, either a commercial or non-commercial license will do).

I took the Recreational Vehicle written test about a year ago and got the Restriction 41 added to my Class C license. I had the same problem as you did, the DMV counter personnel did not know what to do. I had printed out some info from the CA DMV website, so the counter person took it to the floor supervisor. They went through the code book and determined (correctly) what test to give me. They were not supposed to charge me for taking the test (specifically indicates this on the website), but I wasn't going to push my luck and try to argue with them. It was only $25.

So for my situation, I am legal. A number of the people I go camping with are not. They lack the endorsement. A bigger problem in the state is all the people pulling the large ball-hitch Toy Hauler trailers. Most of these trailers are above 10,000 pound GVWR. I know of no one that has the proper license Class A license to pull those trailers. I believe part of the problem lies with the selling dealers. At last Octobers Pomona Fairgrounds RV Show, I asked every salesman that I came across whether a "special" license was required to tow "a trailer with a GVWR above 10,000 pounds". Not one sales person answered the question correctly. Amazing!!

Anyway, congrats on getting the endorsement. Anything dealing with the CA DMV is a hassle. In the end, it is worth it to be legal.

[JD_Diesel]

Oh poo I just remmered the darn thing gross's out at 15500. But DMV said I needed the health some thing to get the Class A non. Does any body know if this is true. Thanks JD

[Inspector]

Is this a California requirement for residents of that state?
I have driven down there with my 5er which is registered in Utah. Did I need to have an endorsment on my drivers liscence to drive in CA? Its not a requirement in Utah I don't think. I'll have to check into it.
Denny

[tanker]

Must be a California requirement. Which is good. There are way to many people out there driving big units, without a clue. All is well until something happens. Stopping distances are much longer, center of gravity is way high, plus common sense, which many lack.
Just follow a 26ft. U-Haul with a car on a trailer behind down the interstate highway, some weaving in and out, no special license or training etc. makes you wonder how political that is.
I've been driving for 46 years, learning on the farm with hay wagons etc., then trrough the military with various wheeled and tracked vehicles and up to semi's with a class A CDL. Then I see the novice on the road without a clue.
Should be a law nationwide (like California) for anyone who wishes to drive rigs over a certain GVW or length or articulated to have an endorsement on their license. However I'm sure the RV industry would be in Washington to lobby against such a law. Oh well, just had to vent a little.

[DmaxMaverick]

Oh poo I just remmered the darn thing gross's out at 15500. But DMV said I needed the health some thing to get the Class A non. Does any body know if this is true. Thanks JD
You do not need a medical card for an RV endorsement. Non commercial CDL does, if you are not hauling an RV. An RV isn't necessarily a travel, or camp trailer. It can be any trailer, towed for recreational purposes, that falls into the weight category, such as a car hauler used to haul ATV's, recreational buggies, etc. A non commercial, non RV would be like a car hauler (with a non recreational type vehicle), or cargo trailer, towed for no compensation.



Is this a California requirement for residents of that state?
I have driven down there with my 5er which is registered in Utah. Did I need to have an endorsment on my drivers liscence to drive in CA? Its not a requirement in Utah I don't think. I'll have to check into it.
Denny
No Denny. CA accepts what is legal in the state you are licensed in. If you aren't required any special endorsement in Utah, you can tow non commercial in CA. Commercial towing in CA requires a CDL and medical card, according to the weight/cargo class, regardless of where you are licensed. Similar requirements for hauling passengers for hire, like a charter bus or van, but not motor homes if for personal use.

[Inspector]

After consideration I suppose that what Tanker is proposing is not a bad idea. I have witnessed many trailers improperly setup and drivers, as he has said, weaving all over the road. I forget all the training that I have had to do my job and the OTR drivers and their training.
I will have to jump on the band wagon for endorsments and training or at least a demonstration of competance for we RV users as well. A nationwide standard would probably be a good idea as well. Of course as Tanker has said, the lobby community would be all over that.
Safety,Safety,Safety.
Denny

[Craig M]

The CDL licensing (medical card, one state only drivers license, airbrake test, weight requirement for a CDL, etcetera) is a nationwide thing, and is not specific to California. CDL is Commercial Drivers License. Rv's are not commercial, so I guess that is where the different state issues come up. My CDL allows me to drive tripples, but California (where I got the license) does not allow tripples (only doubles). If I were driving in Nevada or Oregon (where tripples are allowed) my endorsement for tripples would be required. Many RVers think they are exempt from all "big truck" rules (that is not true), and many are complete ignorant of the rules. I specially love the trucks pulling boats out to the river at 75 mph on the freeway. 75 is legal for cars, but any vehicle with a trailer in California is limited to the 55 mph limit. Historial vehicle license plates can add even more confusion to the issues!

[OC_DMAX]

JD Diesel -

For your 5th Wheel with a GVWR of 15500 pounds and being registered in the State of California, you need as a minimum, a Class A Non-Commercial license. The requirements to get this license are:


To obtain an original noncommercial Class A license, you must:

* Complete an application for a driver license (DL 44).
* Pay the application fee.
* Submit a Health Questionnaire (DL546) dated not more than two years prior to the date of your application
* Pass the basic Class C law test (unless you qualified for a Class C license within the past 12 months).
* Pass the Noncommercial Class A Vehicles test.
* Pass a vision test.
* Pass a pre-trip inspection test.
* Pass the skills test.
* Pass a driving test towing the type of vehicle you wish to tow.



So you do not need a physical check-up, you just need to complete the questionaire. The biggest HASSLE is the driving test. You need to hook your rig up and take it down there. (You may need to get someone who has the equivalent license to legally drive the vehicle down there for you - though you may want to ask the DMV about this one)

The DMV booklet at the web address below contains all the info you need. You have essentially passed the Written Test mentioned above. The written test that you took for the Class C RV Endorsement is the SAME written test as the Class A Non-Commercial.

Good luck,
Alan

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648.pdf


Also - here is the health questionaire:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/dl/dl546.htm

Not really a big deal,,,,


PS - Another thought, call the Trailer Manufacture and see if they will issue you another sticker for a GVWR of 15000 pounds. I know that Weekend Warrior (as an example) will do this for their customers (this assumes you do not need the extra 500 pounds of weight capacity).


For the others posting about commercial licenses - this is not required in California to tow a recreational vehicle at the weight that JD Diesel has above. He just needs a NON-COMMERCIAL Class A license. Each state is different. Once you begin to drive PROFFESIONALLY (ie for compensation), then you need the COMMERCIAL License to tow the weights listed above.

[lvrver44]

Any NV residents...This is what is required in Nevada:

Endorsement J - Allows Class C license to tow a vehicle over 10,000 pounds GVWR. Additional written and skills tests are required.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any additional info on their website. Guess I'll have to get this one too cuz our rig has a GVWR of 12k. Who knew? That's why I love this forum.

[OC_DMAX]

Looks like Nevada is slightly more restrictive than California (hard to believe!!)

This link identifies the classes of licenses:

http://www.dmvnv.com/nvdl.htm#Classes


This link is the study guide:

http://www.dmvnv.com/pdfforms/dlstudyguide.pdf



When I took the 5th Wheel Endorsement test in CA, the written test came from the Non-Commercial Class A study guide. Unforturnately, it "appears" as if you have to take a driving test (though I would look into that). Nevada does not appear to make a destinction between 5th Wheels and regular ball-hitch trailers (CA does).

[Trailboss]

All I can say is, he's correct about untrained drivers. I was one. Had a U-haul / inertia brakes behind my K5 going down the hill in Roswell and it tried to pass me !! I will get training B4 doing that again.!