Should RVers be required to have a CDL?

Last Saturday, a 72-year-old man was driving a 2008 Allegro RV on I-65 in Indiana, pulling a horse trailer. He was driving in the fast lane. When traffic halted, he put on the gas instead of the brake, plowing into a van with a couple and their two young children. The van was pushed into a truck, which then hit three more vehicles. Traffic on I-65 was closed for several hours.

The driver of the RV was cited for driving in the fast lane illegally, driving a vehicle-trailer combination exceeding the maximum length and speeding when required to reduce speed. He also was given a warning for having an expired trailer registration plate.

It's accidents like these that make some people - and some states- believe that RVers should be required to have a CDL, or at least a special license, in order to drive an RV or combination over 26,000 pounds (see photo). While having a CDL doesn't mean that it will stop drivers from doing something stupid or being poor drivers, but it would mean that RV drivers of big rigs would need to know the law in order to be licensed and possibly pass a special driving test to make sure they can safely operate their RV.

Some states already require that drivers of large RVs have a special license. Changing Gears has a list of all states and notes which ones require a CDL or special license.Of the popular domiciles for RVers - South Dakota, Florida and Texas - only Texas requires a non-commercial A or B license for RVs over a certain size.

What do you think? Should RVers with large rigs be required to have a CDL or non-commercial driver's license? What it improve safety on the road? Would an accident like the one above possibly have been avoided had this man been required to have a special license? Leave a comment. Let us know what you think. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Comments

[Donna]

Yes! I say Yes they should be required a type of CDL pass to drive an RV. Between a whole new level of stopping distance, looking More ahead of you than if you were in a car, and controlling an RV while passing and changing lanes, this isn't your typical family station wagon. Special training should be required for drivers to also help them realize what exactly is 20 to 30 feet attached behind you. If you think you are a good driver in your SUV, this is a whole new ball game....

[Will Imanse]

Hi Jaimie.
I believe that people should be licensed to drive the larger rigs. All truck drivers need special licensing both here in Canada, and in the USA. Many of the Rigs that RV'ers are now driving are as large as some of these trucks. Most people today have never driven anything larger than a Pontiac, and for the last few years the vehicle of choice has probably been a Honda. I encourage people to practice various driving techniques even before purchasing an RV but having some kind of mandatory training would be better.

[Jessica]

When we bought our 35ft fifth wheel and 1 ton truck I was FLOORED that we didn't need a special license to drive it. We never had a mishap but if we did it would have done so much damage to whatever we plowed down.

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

Thanks for your comments. I think most people do recognize a need for training, though some don't like the idea of a license. Driving an RV is different than driving the family car. Many RVers are clueless about stopping distances and weight. Training would make a difference. In the meantime, an RV driving course at an RV event would help make better drivers.

Jaimie