How long to stay in Livingston to setup?

TedandElle · July 29, 2016

EDIT: Since the majority of the replies deal with the A/B license, I'll state here what I should have in the first place: our MH rating is 22,000#. The way I understand Texas requirements, that means a standard license, not A/B. Thanks, I knew I should have included that info but somehow it got lost when I edited and re-edited the post.

Hi, we're new SKP members and preparing to launch full time next month if our house buyers don't back out of the contract :angry: (that's a whole other story).

We have very flexible travel plans and my job permits me to live near any of more than 100 cities. We're planning to head to Livingston after launching from Arkansas, and I'm wondering how long you'd recommend staying there to complete our SKP mail setup and vehicle/driver's license registration there in Livingston. We were planning to start out near friends in Weatherford, TX but thought it would be easiest to swing through Livingston first and get everything done in person. I want to be sure I budget the right amount of time to get everything done so that we can get started on our full time adventure.

bja1234 · July 29, 2016

6 hours will be plenty

chiefneon · July 29, 2016

Howdy!

That might be fine unless you need to upgrade you license to a Class A or B, then you going to need more time. Written test is not a problem but they schedule you for a later date to take the driving part of the test.

"Happy Trails"

Chiefneon

dewilso · July 29, 2016

"Budgeting" time sure doesn't sound like a good start to me.

GlennWest · July 29, 2016

Toke my class a license test here. 6 weeks till driving test

TreyandSusan · July 29, 2016

The exempt/non-cdl Class A or B driving skills test wait can vary depending on their schedule. I was able to schedule it the same week. A year later and at a busier time of the year, Susan (my wife) had to wait 3 weeks to get an appointment.

You can see from above posts that the wait could be even greater. There is no way to know until you get there to schedule it. You may be able to call the Livingston Licensing office and ask for an estimated time to get an appointment for the skills test.

FYI drivers license for exempt (non-cdl) class a or b is in two parts A written test and a skills test. The written test can be done immediately after completing the paper work. You can take the written test in one location and the skills test at another location.

However, Livingston is probably easiest location to currently do the driving test.

Or you could always come back once the test time is scheduled to take the test, depending on how you want to do it.

Weatherford to Livingston (267 miles)

Bill B · July 29, 2016

Mailbox - a phone call will do, and you want to start that early. Banks, insurances, CC cards.

You can start the mail today, and just have them forward to your current home. Don't do my trick, house to Livingston, Livingston to house, that got messy quick!!!!

Then there are wills, different state, different laws, but bring your old one to modify.

LindaH · July 29, 2016

I'm wondering how long you'd recommend staying there to complete our SKP mail setup

I wouldn't wait to set up your mail forwarding service until you get there!!! Do it NOW and start the process of getting all your mail changed over to the new address!

TedandElle · July 29, 2016

Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned our MH has a 22k# rating so as I understand it just a standard license. As far as budgeting time, my job allows a lot of flexibility but not infinite time off. I do have to plan how long we stay places and when/where we're moving because my wife prefers to have me there when we move somewhere new. I probably will start the mail early, although that requires a notarized form. Since I travel so extensively for work, physical forms with no online option (and a notary requirement to boot) are a little more difficult for me. I figured I have to move somewhere when the house sells so I might as well move to Livingston for a short while.

TXiceman · July 29, 2016

When we went full time, we started the mail service by phone about 2 months before we went full time. Notify as many people and services as possible with the new address. As noted, having the post office forward to Escapees and then Escapees to you can get messy.

Switch as many things as possible to paperless statements .We do not get paper statements from the credit card companies, the bank or the broker. We get notices by email and then go online to see the statements. The statements can be saved as PDF files.

Be sure to keep the computer backed up to another drive or a couple of CD ROM disc. There are also Cloud services if you want to go that route.

As for the Class A or B test, get that done ASAP because the wait to get a time slot for the driving test can vary from a few days t a few weeks.

There is a separate thread about the changes coming on the driving test procedures and locations. Not all locations will do the CDL and Exempt driving test .

You can go online at the state site and schedule a test time for the driving portion.

http://www.dps.texas.gov/administration/driver_licensing_control/rolodex/scheduledrivetest.htm

http://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/ScheduleCDLTest.aspx?location=8276&queues=19946

Ken

whj469 · July 29, 2016

As stated above the CDL, if required, could take some time. If not, a day or two

will be good. Also it is not the best time of the year to be in Livingston, way to hot and humid.

Good Luck

TedandElle · July 29, 2016

As stated above the CDL, if required, could take some time. If not, a day or two

will be good. Also it is not the best time of the year to be in Livingston, way to hot and humid.

Good Luck

Thanks, it won't be much better in AR. I had planned to head north to SD first if the house sold in spring, but now our closing date is about a month away from an obligation in AR we'd like to keep. I don't really want to drive 1100 miles north on my few days off only to drive right back the next time I come home from work. My family would enjoy the Rapid City area, but I wouldn't have time to...

Also, the MH is 22,000 lbs. No class A/B for me.

LFDR3116 · July 29, 2016

We started our mail service early also. In S Dakota when you go to get your drivers licenses you need 2 pieces of mail that has been sent to the S Dakota address assigned to you. By starting it early and getting the address changed on everything, we had mail at that address 6 wks later when we physically went to get our drivers licenses. Don't know if this is part of TX requirement or not.

kb0zke · July 31, 2016

It generally takes businesses a couple of weeks to get addresses changed. Family members may take longer. <grin> Seriously, get started NOW with the mail service. We use a SD service, but I suspect that they all operate pretty much the same. You can have Escapees hold your mail until you want it sent, or have it sent on a regular basis. Just tell them where to send it. As long as you are at your current house you can have it sent there. As soon as Escapees gives you your new address you change your mailing address to that by contacting those who send you mail. Try to go paperless as much as you can. Once you leave your current residence for the last time you can have the Post Office permanently forward all of your mail to Livingston.

""Budgeting" time sure doesn't sound like a good start to me." Sounds reasonable to me. I like to have at least some idea of how long something ought to take. I wouldn't want to figure that I can arrive in Livingston one afternoon and expect to be 200 miles down the road the next, after getting a driver's license, licensing vehicles, and registering to vote. It might be possible, but it certainly isn't probable. On the other hand, it probably won't take a month, either.

To answer the OP, if all you are doing is changing licenses, and you don't need anything more than a standard license, a couple of days ought to do you. You can probably also get registered to vote in that time. Redoing wills, though, is likely to take a bit longer. We're SD residents, formerly from MO, and after getting a price quote from an attorney in Sioux Falls, we decided to go with LegalZoom to do our wills. MUCH cheaper, and all done online.

ms60ocb · August 20, 2016

I won't state the how process but Read what is required for obtain a Texas Drivers license.

As stated earlier you have have some record of residency, Vehicle inspected, Registration ( Title change), BIRTH Certificate or Passport. I had a Certificate of Birth which wasn't acceptable so I had to wait for my Passport to be overnight-ed to me so I ended up there in Livingston 6 Business days (one more day than planned having done the Mailing and Bank Acct. previously). Of course going for the driver's license put in the the office 3 separate days, The first day after hours their computer went down and could not take new applicants, the next day I wasn't there at opening so a long wait (the previous day new applicants were already there) then I found out without an original Birth Certificate (birth county never produced one during the War years) I needed more ID. When I returned the following week, Spring Break was over and things were fast. I was impressed by the state of Texas that first week as busy as they were, they didn't let up following the law to ensure that drivers license was a proper legal document. I saw a lot younger people rejected for various reasons including "you lived in the United States how long" (something 17 years) and don't speak English. I think they held his Birth Certificate.

That being said allow for more than on day. The people of Livingston were great and understood the Escapee's family.

Good Luck

Clay

Non CDL class "A" being over 26,000# previously from IL so driving Test was waved.

coachmac9 · August 23, 2016

Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned our MH has a 22k# rating so as I understand it just a standard license. As far as budgeting time, my job allows a lot of flexibility but not infinite time off. I do have to plan how long we stay places and when/where we're moving because my wife prefers to have me there when we move somewhere new. I probably will start the mail early, although that requires a notarized form. Since I travel so extensively for work, physical forms with no online option (and a notary requirement to boot) are a little more difficult for me. I figured I have to move somewhere when the house sells so I might as well move to Livingston for a short while.

Hey, there's worse places to move to!!!! LOL!! I was born and raised there so I am a little bias on the place. Unfortunately we moved away and just visit a few times a year. Actually, for a winter stopover it is a pretty nice little community...beautiful state park on Lake Livingston, couple of very outstanding eating places and very seldom freezes all winter. Enjoy your stay!!

GlennWest · August 23, 2016

We truly enjoy staying in Livingston. Can get rather hot there summer months.

coachmac9 · August 24, 2016

We truly enjoy staying in Livingston. Can get rather hot there summer months.

Glenn, that might be the understatement of the year!! The 100 degree heat combined with the high humidity makes the summers pretty tough on man and machine!!! I look back and wonder how in the world we survived without AC when we were growing up in the area...guess it's what you get used to!!!

September 16, 2016

EDIT: Since the majority of the replies deal with the A/B license, I'll state here what I should have in the first place: our MH rating is 22,000#. The way I understand Texas requirements, that means a standard license, not A/B. Thanks, I knew I should have included that info but somehow it got lost when I edited and re-edited the post.

Hi, we're new SKP members and preparing to launch full time next month if our house buyers don't back out of the contract (that's a whole other story).

We have very flexible travel plans and my job permits me to live near any of more than 100 cities. We're planning to head to Livingston after launching from Arkansas, and I'm wondering how long you'd recommend staying there to complete our SKP mail setup and vehicle/driver's license registration there in Livingston. We were planning to start out near friends in Weatherford, TX but thought it would be easiest to swing through Livingston first and get everything done in person. I want to be sure I budget the right amount of time to get everything done so that we can get started on our full time adventure.

You are correct, if your GVWR (not the actual weight) is less than 26,001 lbs, then all you need is a class C (car) license. I have no idea how long the other stuff will take as we are already Texas residents and have our domicile established.