Registering a 5th wheel in Nevada

trvlbug2 · July 7, 2023

We are looking into domiciling in Nevada, but according to their DMV handbook, one must have a Class A license for any rig (truck & towable) with a GVWR over 26,000 lb. Our rig will definitely exceed that by about 2-3K lb. Anyone out there with a rig that heavy and is registered with the Nevada DMV who has run into this issue?

TXiceman · July 7, 2023

We lived in Texas and they too required a class A license for a combination over 26,000 lb. My wife and I both had the Class A licenses for better than 10 years. It was not that difficult to pass the written or driving portion for Texas. There are better than a dozen states with similar requirements.

Ken

packnrat · July 14, 2023

i have just retired. and the dmv office in ca. said i could not keep my class A. if not driving commercially.

so avoid ca.

Chad Heiser · July 14, 2023

1 hour ago, packnrat said:

i have just retired. and the dmv office in ca. said i could not keep my class A. if not driving commercially.

so avoid ca.

I am retired and still have a valid California commercial drivers license. Having a job is not a requirement to get a commercial class A in California. If you can’t pass the medical or the driving/written test then they can pull your license.

Lou Schneider · July 14, 2023

The requirement to keep a Class A isn't driving commercially, you can keep a commercial Class A if you're laid off or unemployed. The catch is keeping the medical certificate that accompanies the license current, i.e. having to take and pass a CDL medical exam every year after age 65.

When I retired in CA I traded in my commercial Class A for a noncommercial Class A (the RV version) which only requires a self certified health statement when it's issued, not ongoing medical exams.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Lou Schneider

Lou Schneider · July 14, 2023

On 7/7/2023 at 1:14 PM, trvlbug2 said:

We are looking into domiciling in Nevada, but according to their DMV handbook, one must have a Class A license for any rig (truck & towable) with a GVWR over 26,000 lb. Our rig will definitely exceed that by about 2-3K lb. Anyone out there with a rig that heavy and is registered with the Nevada DMV who has run into this issue?

I'm in Pahrump and when I moved here I was told by the local DMV office that I couldn't get a noncommercial Class A license unless I had a rig that needed it. I was looking at a diesel pusher in AZ that required the non commercial Class A drivers license. The catch is only a few DMV offices administer the driving part of the CDL tests, the one nearest to me is in North Las Vegas and I couldn't legally drive the rig there to take the test or back if I or the rig failed the test (one issue was the low air brake pressure warning light was inoperative). I'd have to hire a driver to get the motorhome to the DMV office to take the driving test.

I decided this was more hassle than it was worth and decided to pass on that rig, getting one that weighed less than 26,000 lbs instead.

Here's a link to Nevada's Nevada's Noncommercial Class A Study Guide. It says which DMV offices administer the driving tests but doesn't address how to get the RV there so you can take the test.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Lou Schneider

Tulecreeper · July 16, 2023

On 7/14/2023 at 2:57 AM, Chad Heiser said:

I am retired and still have a valid California commercial drivers license. Having a job is not a requirement to get a commercial class A in California. If you can’t pass the medical or the driving/written test then they can pull your license.

^^^ That ^^^

I kept mine when I retired from the state of CA. I only gave it up later because I didn't need it anymore.

Tulecreeper · July 16, 2023

On 7/7/2023 at 1:14 PM, trvlbug2 said:

We are looking into domiciling in Nevada, but according to their DMV handbook, one must have a Class A license for any rig (truck & towable) with a GVWR over 26,000 lb. Our rig will definitely exceed that by about 2-3K lb. Anyone out there with a rig that heavy and is registered with the Nevada DMV who has run into this issue?

The term you're looking for is GCWR (Gross Combined Wheel Rating), not GVWR (Gross Vehicle Wheel Rating). GCWR is for the total allowed weight of the trailer/5th-wheel + the tow vehicle together. GVWR is for the total allowed weight of either one by itself.