Big5er

".............................................., Darryl is right." Phil, Aug. 2017

Carl, gremlins with the Xantrex are what cost me everything in the refrigerator and freezer, including $5k worth of medicine. Those gremlins are also the reason I replaced the Xantrex with a Magnum. 

17 hours ago, GlennWest said:

Will not build but about 50 lbs idling. Will drop to 50 rather quick also. Does good running down road, So building air but leaking badly.

There is a reason that an issue like that is an out of service violation for commercial vehicles. It's called "unsafe". 

2 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Look for a KW Studio sleeper bed. Wall to wall sofa, converts to a bed when needed.

and it still won't seat 9. 
I can't imagine stuffing nine people into any non custom, stretched (like a limo), HDT. I think they would be better off with another vehicle following. Something like a van or SUV.

1 minute ago, GlennWest said:

Now Phil, nowhere on my license does it say non commercial. Just DL Class A. 

Correct. It is either a "Commercial" Drivers license or its just a Drivers License. 

4 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Doesn't TX offer a non-commercial DL-A?

Glenn's answer should have been "yes". The rest of his info is correct.

3 hours ago, Sculptor said:

Hi Phil, a few posts above, I posted a link I found about the Texas licensing requirements for an HDT motorhome.  My assumption is, the couple who wrote the article were misinformed about the need for the testing and licensing they did.  Is that too simple of an assumption?

And thanks also for your expertise in these matters.

Quoted: the bottom line is that you must have a CDL-B type of driver’s license to (A) drive non-commercial, personally owned vehicles like a motorhome, (B) if that vehicle exceeds 26,000 pounds GVW, or (C) has air brakes. We met all three criteria. 

http://www.aboutrving.com/rv-topics/moving-to-texas-and-passing-the-motorhome-driving-exam/

Texas requires you to have the proper class (A,B or C) of drivers license for the type of vehicle you are operating. Texas has Class A, Class B and Class C Commercial drivers licenses and Class A, Class B, Class C and Class M (motorcycle) drivers licenses. 
As long as you are exempt from the CDL requirements, you just need the proper class of DL. 
Also, air brakes is a commercial DL only thing so for your purposes it is immaterial. 

On 8/1/2020 at 8:24 AM, GlennWest said:

 

You are associating a CDL with "commercial". But you are correct in that the law in Texas says you need a CDL...but that does not make you "commercial", ie DOT number, markings etc. 

On 7/30/2020 at 7:59 PM, GlennWest said:

 You stated if you registed an HDT as a private truck in Texas you need to be commercial.

Nope...never said that. Maybe you misunderstood??

On 7/27/2020 at 2:01 PM, GlennWest said:

Well, it tows 21k+ weight. Weighs close to that by itself. In Texas it would be. It is a commercial truck. You register as a truck not an rv. 

No Glenn. You can register it as a unicycle if you want to. It's based on what it's doing. A motorhome can be commercial...or not. Even a moped can be commercial in the right situation. 

11 hours ago, rickeieio said:

There are multiple members here who are registered in FL.  I wish they'd stop by and explain how they did it.  Jeff and Cindy Brett (bandbuds) for sure, and I believe Raymond and Janet Church are registered FL too.

I'm not saying that either of the ones you mentioned did this, but I know that some in Florida just lie about having a hitch on their truck and hope they don't get caught.

15 minutes ago, Pete Kildow said:

Seen a Gal yesterday, she was wearing a Thong for a mask. Lady asked at the checkout isle. Why she could not at least use a clean one. That girls face turned bright red at that. Sad but all kinds of new Stupid's are out these days.

 

https://youtu.be/VS_xFfr49j4

DO NOT WATCH if you are one of the sensitive people. For giggles only....Easily offended people should not view, etc etc, etc. It's called humor. 

Sorry Vern...Pete's post made me do it.

On 7/16/2020 at 10:32 PM, GeorgiaHybrid said:

2 bolts per ramp and not an issue. Then again, every Herrin bed I have ever looked at had that arrangement and funny thing, never have heard of a car sliding the ramp off the bed....

Mine was the 2nd smart bed that Larry Herrin built. I don't "know" about the 1st one but he built mine, like you said, with 2 bolts per ramp. The man knows what he is doing. I changed the bolts out with detent pins many years ago. But in 10 years, neither ramp has moved at all. 

Gravity Securement...always fails
Glad it worked out ok, Brad. 

Damn Paul. That sucks. Sure do miss the 3 of ya. 

On 7/3/2020 at 10:34 AM, oldcodger said:

In my experience fleet based operations are all "private truck not for hire" i.e HEB grocery,Walmart,Coastal Transport etc. They do not carry product or freight other than their own. All commercial trucks carrying for hire including trucks leased to companies or businesses, to my knowledge, must display current IFTA stickers.

Dave

Dave,  Walmart is no longer "Not for Hire". They will actually take a load back for someone else rather than run empty (so I am told). And your analogy does not apply to all "fleets".  UPS (19,000 tractors), Fed-Ex (29,000 tractors), J.B. Hunt (14,500 tractors), Schneider, Yellow (now YRC), and Knight-Swift are all nationwide, very large, fleets that are all "for hire". And any carrier that operates "interstate" is required to have IFTA and stickers, unless they are doing single trip tax permits. The company I now work for is "Not for Hire".  Any of our 1-tons when pulling a trailer,  all our 3 axle fuel trucks, skid trucks, and of course our tractors are all operated in "interstate commerce" and require IFTA stickers. We have over 200 vehicles that that need them. 

On 6/29/2020 at 8:16 AM, solo318 said:

I gotta Say that this is SOUND advice. We each got a filet and a spaetzle for the table. What a wonderful evening out. We always try to have dinner at the camper, and we eat out generally once per trip. This was AWESOME.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Can't be beat for the price. 

Cory, if they make you feel better, I am happy for you. Personally, I think you wasted $110. You are legal, yes? Correct registration? Properly licensed? 

Have you ever seen a Prevost Motorhome going down the road with signs that say "Private RV. Not for Hire."? Why not? Because they don't mean a thing....but like I said, if YOU like em, and it's your truck, I'm happy for ya. I still look forward to our next meet-up. The drinks are on me.

On 6/16/2020 at 10:07 AM, JPL said:

Phil   If You go east will you get to the coast? if you get close to Va Beach/Norfolk give me a call and I'll take you on a tour of the worlds largest Naval Base! Even within a few hundred miles let me know. We do keep DP on ice!!! Glad you are working again at something you enjoy and that someone is paying as they should. 757-646-1686. The cell is on most of the time except when it's off!      Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

Thanks for the invitation Pat. I'll keep your number handy if I get up that way

On 6/13/2020 at 5:00 AM, Sculptor said:

Hi Phil, I’m glad to read the latest and see you are doing well.  Congrats!  I am heading down the retirement road this year.

Kevin, thansk...hope you have fun. I know I enjoyed it, for that short time. Looking forward to doing it again LOL

1 hour ago, Jack Mayer said:

WHAT!?  No way. You need to come, Danielle and Keyah will miss you.

Well hell, thats a mighty tempting invitation, Jack. We'll see. I'll just have to look at my schedule closer I guess.

On 6/9/2020 at 10:42 PM, cactus said:

The "Q" for us as its close enough to visit Kali Family and Eastern friends in Mesa -Phoenix

Lungs seem to work better than SLC. No new Pepper bottles but always on the lookout.

Best wishes

Glad you are well. My DP bottle is still prominently displayed in its position of honor. Thank You. 

dblr, thanks   this really was "too good" to pass up. So, I guess I am flunking retirement.  I'll let you know before I head east...looking at a DRV rally in Dandridge, TN...in Oct.

5 hours ago, GlennWest said:

Congratulations Phil. Yes, a company that appreciate you is rare item these days. I sure miss it.

Yeah, Glenn they never cease to amaze me. I'm not used to spending other peoples money....but I'm liking it.

5 hours ago, mr. cob said:

Howdy Phil,

As they say down under, "Good on ya mate."  Glad to hear your doing well.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Hope y'all are well too. I really didn't want to go back to work, but this is letting me build a decent "oh shit" account...quickly.

3 hours ago, solo318 said:

Glad to hear you are still alive and well. I thought about posting something controversial like "not for hire" decals to rattle your cage.

 

Hey, not my job anymore LOL
And I have figured out there are people that want to pay for my opinion. And when I say "it's like this" they never argue

2 hours ago, cactus said:

Good to hear you are well and busy

P.S. Thanks for taking the time to say hello in Hutch.

Thanks for the shout out. It's kinda nice to be missed and thought about.
I'm not sure I am gonna make Hutch this year...I may be going east. What about you??

Did I hear someone say "Dr. Pepper"?

Hi yall, I'm still around....just not here a lot. After I retired I had a trucking company call and ask me to come do their driver training and DOT compliance work. They made me a sweet deal, too sweet to pass up, so I went back to work....for a while. I'm traveling a little for work, some in my rig, some in those pet friendly hotels. Its nice working for someone that takes care of their employees for a change...and I'm dealing with a lot fewer idiots.

A) I agree that the virus is a bad and real thing.

B) I agree that people are dying

Now, having said that I agree with Dave, the media and the politicains are lying to us AND the politicians ARE using this bad situation to panic the people and they are using the panic, as they did after 9-11 to erode more of our rights. Johns Hopkins (updated daily) shows the reported number of deaths. Covid isn't even close (worldwide or U.S.) to annual Flu deaths. 

Whether it is true or not, I can't say but read todays USA Today. They are reporting that the Governor of NY is signing an executive order to have the NY National Guard SEIZE unused medical supplies so he can redistribute them where HE thinks they need to be. Uh, isn't that un-Constitutional? The Constitution does not allow for that, even in a pandemic. 

What rights are we giving up (that we will never get back) in the name of a virus? Free travel has never been restricted in this country, but it is now. States, counties and cities are using the National Guard and their police to stop and order out of state travelers to submit to a quarantine agreement. Where is this legal? China, Russia, North Korea? Since when is having the states license plate on your car "probable cause" for a traffic stop? Since when are border checkpoints to see where you reside legal? This panic is crazy...This MUST stop before this country implodes, and our economy dies. 

Don't stop at the scales. Your temp tag will probably say "truck", and absolutely nothing about commercial or otherwise. Ditch those silly "Private Coach-Not for Hire" signs. They mean absolutely nothing and it is "signage". Pepsi-Co is the largest private motor carrier in the U.S. They have (last I looked) over 11,000 tractors. They are "not for hire", but they are still a commercial motro carrier. With a temp tag, not hitch, and no airlines why put any signage on it? The signs are a placebo. It makes the driver feel better, as a retired DOT officer I can tell you it means nothing. My truck has no signs and never will.

Drive it home. If you have your story straight you will be ok....the big question is, what type of license will your home state require, and do you have it?