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Old 11-22-2014, 08:37 PM   #1
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Transporting to Coversion Site?

Hey Guys,

Me and a friend of mine just bought a 35 seater Thomas Bus. We live in Chicago and have to travel to West Virginia to pick it. Does anyone know what the requirements for driving it will be?

I have spent a lot of time researching these but it seems like a sort of grey area...

Specifically

- do we need RV insurance on it prior to picking it up?
-Can we drive it back to Chicago without painting it?
-do we have to remove the seats if we are just bringing it back to Chicago?

Any info would be greatly appreciated

-Lonely Parasite Bus

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Old 11-23-2014, 08:25 AM   #2
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Re: Transporting to Coversion Site?

every state has their own laws and regs.
No one is going to give you an rv policy until some conversion is done. You will need commercial insurance most likely.
Go to your state website and find out what vehicles will require a cdl to drive.
Best of luck
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Old 11-23-2014, 10:30 PM   #3
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Re: Transporting to Coversion Site?

I'd try going the legal route first, check and see what's needed and how easy it will be to get done and if all else fails -------> get in it, cross your fingers & go.

We lucked out, we bought ours locally & the bus junk yard offered to deliver it to us.

Good luck and keep us posted. Unfortunately, EVERY situation turns out different from what I'm reading here.
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Old 11-25-2014, 07:41 AM   #4
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Re: Transporting to Coversion Site?

What I would try to do,
Paint or tape over the school bus and stop sign,
Talk ahead of time to the people in your state and the other state about getting temp/transportation only license plates.

Get rv insurance now or have it already set up so you just need to call to give them the vin number, I would just say it has already been converted,

From reading this blog few if any people have any issues transporting a just purchased bus, having the insurance is probably a priority if you get pulled over.
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Old 11-25-2014, 06:45 PM   #5
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Re: Transporting to Coversion Site?

Thanks for the suggestions, I was thinking the same thing about the insurance. We might just spray paint over the lettering and stop sign and put an in transit thing in the back. It's going from WV to IL, bout 10 hours total.

I'll let you guys know how it turns out. It's a 5 speed... so that's a thing....haha
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Old 11-26-2014, 05:17 AM   #6
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Re: Transporting to Coversion Site?

Just do yourself a favor and find insurance before making any other plans. I had to really look hard and they wouldn't write me a policy as an rv without an agent coming out and taking photos. Just FYI.
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Old 01-22-2015, 04:47 PM   #7
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Yo, just got $311 for year, 2003 International Bluebird.
Broker ais recreational, http://www.aisinsurance.com/
Underwriter National General.

ALL post conversion quotes!!! ahhhh...

For transport it is biggie... even the short term commercial insurance guy wouldn't quote a "product"... only option is to pay the seller to drive it to me. PITA.

So it is a risk vs. PITA decision... hate to start this gig on a bad note... and the NY troopers never have been friendly to me in their purple suits.
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Old 01-23-2015, 06:01 AM   #8
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I drove 800 miles without tags. I was worried in southern Ga, as the troopers there aren't fun.
I got a similar post-conversion quote from GMAC.
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