Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-26-2017, 08:26 PM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Question Getting A Bus Home W/O CDL?

I'm sure this has been asked already, and I've searched as best I can, but I just can't seem to find a satisfying answer:

If I buy a bus that's exactly what I'm after but rather far away, how the <blankety-blank> do I get it home?

I'm thinking its in this order:
  1. Complete financial transaction and get bill of sale / title (but negotiate about a month's worth of storage);
  2. Do the "Vermont Trick" to re-title to a motorhome (about two-three weeks' time);
  3. Once that is done, get insurance (Progressive? A few days' maybe);
  4. Now, schedule a trip out to pick up the bus and drive it home.
What other options am I missing that won't break the bank?

MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 08:39 PM   #2
Skoolie
 
Scott Marcano's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Tavares, Florida
Posts: 157
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Bluebird
Engine: Caterpillar 3116
Rated Cap: 78?
some states don't require a CDL, check yours, but if you have a bill of sale and or title in hand with a fresh date on it, the cops usually don't bother you. Make sure all the lights and brakes lights are working of course.
Scott Marcano is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 08:46 PM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
If you want to "do it right" then getting it titled as an RV before moving it or finding a buddy with a CDL to drive it for you would be good options.

Most of us here, myself included, drive it CAREFULLY home, pull the seats & title as an RV before driving it any more than necessary.

Make sure that the rig is legal as far as lights etc, drive the speed limit etc.

As far as insurance goes, chances are that your existing liability coverage will extend to a new purchase for 2 weeks (check with your agent) so insurance would not be an issue for the trip home.

Just my $0.02

Good luck.

S.
PNW_Steve is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 08:54 PM   #4
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Marcano View Post
some states don't require a CDL, check yours, but if you have a bill of sale and or title in hand with a fresh date on it, the cops usually don't bother you. Make sure all the lights and brakes lights are working of course.
So, referring to RV Driver's License Requirements it seems that Indiana doesn't require CDL for a vehicle until its over 45' long. I'll try verifying it with our DMV once it opens on Tuesday (Indiana's DMVs are all closed on Mondays!).
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 08:56 PM   #5
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
If you want to "do it right" then getting it titled as an RV before moving it or finding a buddy with a CDL to drive it for you would be good options.

Most of us here, myself included, drive it CAREFULLY home, pull the seats & title as an RV before driving it any more than necessary.

Make sure that the rig is legal as far as lights etc, drive the speed limit etc.

As far as insurance goes, chances are that your existing liability coverage will extend to a new purchase for 2 weeks (check with your agent) so insurance would not be an issue for the trip home.

Just my $0.02

Good luck.

S.
So if I'm extra careful, #2 and #3 wont be necessary until after the conversion?
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 08:58 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Indiana DMV Reference

Well, now that I know what to look for, I found this: : Frequently Asked Questions

Pretty clear cut - especially since the bus I'm looking at now doesn't have very many seats in it....
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:09 PM   #7
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Question 40' Having A GVWR Of Over 26k lbs.?

Next question based on what I'm reading: do 40' skoolies really weigh in at over 26k lbs.?
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:10 PM   #8
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
A CDL is generally a commercial for profit license. Most states don't require special licensing for private use vehicles, like motorhomes with air brakes.

I spent one winter in Indianapolis. Painful cold.
__________________
Robin
Nobody's Business
Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:34 PM   #9
Bus Crazy
 
Scooternj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
Rated Cap: 75
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
Next question based on what I'm reading: do 40' skoolies really weigh in at over 26k lbs.?
Mine's rated at around 33k, and its a 40'.

And as for your initial question- Go pick it up, get in, drive home and don't be a schmuck about it. I drove home from Maine, through NYC evening rush hour traffic, without a CDL. I drove both defensively and responsibly.
__________________
Hey! That's not an RV, that's a school bus.
Well thank you for noticing, Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious on deviantArt
Scooternj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:42 PM   #10
Bus Nut
 
Alan N's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Gonvick MN
Posts: 339
Year: 1975
Chassis: Gillig
Engine: Cat 3208t/10 speed transmission
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
I'm sure this has been asked already, and I've searched as best I can, but I just can't seem to find a satisfying answer:

If I buy a bus that's exactly what I'm after but rather far away, how the <blankety-blank> do I get it home?

I'm thinking its in this order:
  1. Complete financial transaction and get bill of sale / title (but negotiate about a month's worth of storage);
  2. Do the "Vermont Trick" to re-title to a motorhome (about two-three weeks' time);
  3. Once that is done, get insurance (Progressive? A few days' maybe);
  4. Now, schedule a trip out to pick up the bus and drive it home.
What other options am I missing that won't break the bank?


The easiest option is to get in the bus and drive it home.
Drive carefully.
Unless you do something dumb you will be fine.
__________________
Remove hence to yonder place....
Alan N is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:43 PM   #11
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
And you know how school bus drivers always look annoyed? Practice that facial expression.

You should be fine. Just make your route as easy as possible. It's always good to avoid rush hour, but then again rush hour brings anonymity.
__________________
Robin
Nobody's Business
Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:50 PM   #12
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
A CDL is generally a commercial for profit license. Most states don't require special licensing for private use vehicles, like motorhomes with air brakes.
That may be, but a LEO pulling me over and seeing that (1) I don't have a CDL, and (2) I'm "driving" a "commercial" vehicle, may become dubious fairly quickly, hitting me with some nasty fines. Since I'm contemplating a 2000mi trip if I get the particular bus I'm looking at right now, LEOs will have quite a chance to pull me over and "check my papers". I'd like to minimize my inconvenience as much as possible - that means "blending in".

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
I spent one winter in Indianapolis. Painful cold.
Yep, I'm pretty sure I know which winter you're talking about. I've been here about 14 winters now and there's been at least 7 or 8 that I didn't like, and about 5 of those would rate pretty high on the "pain scale". I'd much rather go back to Oklahoma where I was raised. Long, hot summers, but the winters barely dipped below 40F (unless you factored in wind chill). I also love the thunderstorms in Oklahoma where the thunder just rolls and rolls and rolls. Here in Indiana the thunder just doesn't do that very often.

But Indiana does have its positives - Indiana's weather isn't as extreme as Oklahoma's (I didn't know what a "garden variety shower" was until I moved to Indiana...). Many times I could do outside work even though it was "raining". Also, drivers are generally more friendly. Oh sure we still have the nuts that go 85+ in 55 mph zone during rush hour, weaving in and out of traffic, but generally people get in the left lane and just, well, go. Okies have people who will just sit in the left lane going 10 under (usually right next to someone in the right lane, which causes a 'rolling roadblock'), causing everyone behind to boil.
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:52 PM   #13
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
Next question based on what I'm reading: do 40' skoolies really weigh in at over 26k lbs.?
My 40' bus weighs 17.9k lbs.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:54 PM   #14
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Mine's rated at around 33k, and its a 40'.

And as for your initial question- Go pick it up, get in, drive home and don't be a schmuck about it. I drove home from Maine, through NYC evening rush hour traffic, without a CDL. I drove both defensively and responsibly.
No schmuck here, I drive a little Aveo and am as nice to the truckers as I can be. I was on the road a lot one year and saw some accidents that would turn people white as a sheet. Every one of them was car vs. 18-wheeler and that cured me of being a schmuck. I just don't mess around with moving steel like I did when I was a "kid"....
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:56 PM   #15
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
And you know how school bus drivers always look annoyed? Practice that facial expression.

You should be fine. Just make your route as easy as possible. It's always good to avoid rush hour, but then again rush hour brings anonymity.
Thank you. Its been a really long time since I drove anything that big. Last time was a 20' box truck when moving the family....
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:57 PM   #16
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
My 40' bus weighs 17.9k lbs.
Beautiful!
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 09:59 PM   #17
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
GVWR and curb weight are two different things, though. My bus' GVWR is 33k.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 10:00 PM   #18
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Thank you all for your advice! This point has had me a bit concerned since I started investigating skoolies. Its had my wife petrified. Now I can soothe her worries....

I'm still a bit concerned driving an unknown vehicle so far, but I'm much more confident about it now.
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2017, 10:02 PM   #19
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
GVWR and curb weight are two different things, though. My bus' GVWR is 33k.
Unfortunately, Indiana CDL regs are for GVWR, not curb weight.

But with the advice here I know how to proceed.
MarkyDee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2017, 07:50 AM   #20
Bus Nut
 
BurlKing's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 502
Year: 92
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 5.9L
Rated Cap: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
Unfortunately, Indiana CDL regs are for GVWR, not curb weight.

But with the advice here I know how to proceed.

same here in MN, regardless of actual weight if the GVWR of what the manufacturer made the vehicle to handle exceeds 26,000 you'll need a different class license. (im pretty sure that applies to all vehicles, although not entirely sure)

-that being said though. i still drove mine home without a different license.
BurlKing is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
home

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.