CDL or CDL-B??

[Rusty-SKO]

honest ?

What about those skoolie owners & YouTubers that get sponsors and monetize their videos? Would that be considered a commercial activity?

 

[cadillackid]

from the way i undertsand it is that if your bus is an integral part a business activity then its commercial.. now I dont know the rules on such if it is used for photo-ops as opposed to transporting persons and / or goods used for commerce-purposes.

another one of the many Grey areas..

dont drive to attract attention, be cordial and i dont think you get bothered...

when I broke down the other day on I-75, a police car stopped and asked if I needed any help.. I hadnt yet assessed what i was going to do.. he never asked "wheres your CDL"...
-Christopher

 

[Gypsy Clipper]

No. At least not in Illinois. Your income is not derived from hauling freight or people.
But in this entire debate the point I am trying to get people to understand is that carrying a Commercial Drivers License increases the penalties for all motor vehicle infractions whether or not you are driving a car or your bus/motorhome. It's just adding a liability to an already difficult vehicle to drive. You are going to be taking your bus into places that were not designed for a vehicle of that size. Therefore you are increasing the likelihood of an incident minor or otherwise. As soon as you produce your license to an officer of the law or an insurance adjuster you become a target for a lawsuit. You also become a statistic to pin another black mark on CDL holders. Just getting out of a Walmart parking lot driving a school bus has the potential for an accident. It takes a lot of practice to know how to account for just the added length of the bus behind the back wheels. I have driven a school bus for a living and learning how much room it takes not to hit anything when the added length swings over the line in a left turn lane.

 

[MarkyDee]

What about those skoolie owners & YouTubers that get sponsors and monetize their videos? Would that be considered a commercial activity?

That's making money from the vehicle, so, yes, you're in CDL area now....

Those coaches hauling music groups around? Pretty sure a CDL is needed....

Hauling off-road bikes, trikes, and quads to the desert in a 13 ton+ vehicle - to participate in a contest with a purse? Pretty sure a CDL is needed....

Driving a bus carrying your family and personal belongings to "just see the sights"? Nope, no CDL. <--- this is what most of us are doing (not sure about a few of you, though... )

 

[cadillackid]

marky: yeah if you notice those busses carrying race car parts and bands are also displaying DOT numbers as well. anything being driven with a DOT number is a CDL territory.. even the guys running Crew cab dually pickups with trailers on the back hauling stuff..
-Christopher

 

[PNW_Steve]

There are some states that do require a CDL for private RV's over 26k lbs.

Here is a good breakdown with links to the individual states regs:https://www.outdoorsy.co/blog/guide-rv-drivers-licenses-requirements/

 

[CaptSquid]

Fortunately, I'm in a state that does NOT require a CDL. Besides, when I surrendered my CDL, I had to sign a release form.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

There are some states that do require a CDL for private RV's over 26k lbs.

Here is a good breakdown with links to the individual states regs:https://www.outdoorsy.co/blog/guide-rv-drivers-licenses-requirements/

CDL regulations are federal, not state.

There is an exemption for RVs of any weight, and none of the 50 states can over rule that.

They can add an endorsement requirement for air brakes, but that is an endorsement to a regular license.

 

[PNW_Steve]

CDL regulations are federal, not state.

There is an exemption for RVs of any weight, and none of the 50 states can over rule that.

They can add an endorsement requirement for air brakes, but that is an endorsement to a regular license.

If you follow that link it will tell you which states do require a non-commercial class B and which states require a CDL and under what conditions they are required. Weight, length etc.

It is up to the individual states as to whether they require special licensing for RV's.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

That's making money from the vehicle, so, yes, you're in CDL area now....

Those coaches hauling music groups around? Pretty sure a CDL is needed....

Hauling off-road bikes, trikes, and quads to the desert in a 13 ton+ vehicle - to participate in a contest with a purse? Pretty sure a CDL is needed....

Driving a bus carrying your family and personal belongings to "just see the sights"? Nope, no CDL. <--- this is what most of us are doing (not sure about a few of you, though... )

It's really not "making money by driving a vehicle".

It's making money from making a video. The carriage of goods or people for commercial gain would be the usual test.

It's highly unlikely that any individual would be prosecuted for this activity, if they are clearly a family simply sharing videos of their activities. It's the driving that is licensed, and critical is that the driving involves a vehicle carrying from one place to another, for gain.

Adding value by creating a video would be a very difficult case to take forward.

It is a grey area, and as usual not drawing attention to yourself is always good advice. Once you have been stopped by a cop, all bets are off.

 

[MarkyDee]

It's really not "making money by driving a vehicle".

It's making money from making a video. The carriage of goods or people for commercial gain would be the usual test.

It's highly unlikely that any individual would be prosecuted for this activity, if they are clearly a family simply sharing videos of their activities. It's the driving that is licensed, and critical is that the driving involves a vehicle carrying from one place to another, for gain.

Adding value by creating a video would be a very difficult case to take forward.

It is a grey area, and as usual not drawing attention to yourself is always good advice. Once you have been stopped by a cop, all bets are off.

I would tend to agree with you, but where the gov't (and, by extension, lawyers) are involved, anything is possible. If you have sponsors for your bus or having economic gain in any way related to the bus (and the payout is big enough), they will come after you and make something stick - even if it is nothing more than civil asset forfeiture. Gov't is supposed to be afraid of the citizens, not citizens of the gov't, but keeping your head down is best in this day-and-age.