Skoolie is owned by a University, can't find insurance.

[jplebrun]

Hi there,

I'm the President of an engineering society at a Florida university. We own, well not really us...but the University owns a 1992 International 3900FC that belongs to my organization. Anywho, it's registered as a state-owned RV through the University which is fine and dandy. That said, this year we've been forced to find our own insurance since the school is kicking us off their policy on October 1st. (They'll no longer insurance drivers who aren't employees of the University. As students, we are the opposite of employees.)

I've run into a few issues finding insurance:

1) Insurance carriers want my drivers to have CDLs. I'm pretty sure that as long as it's registered as an RV, we carry fewer than 15 passengers + driver, and we don't use it for a commercial application, we shouldn't need drivers with CDLs and experience, just drivers with valid licenses. Anyone know what's up with that?

2) Insurance carriers also want to have the RV in one person's name and wont insure us otherwise. Our Skoolie is owned by the University, not one person. Anyone have any experience insuring their not-for-profit-owned Skoolie?

Thank you!

 

[BUBB-SKO]

I have found that in texas and most states that a RV that weights 26000 lbs or more does need a different license, in texas the normal license is a class C, I need a class B non cdl since my bus is over this limit, this type of license is pretty easy to get but if you have student drivers rotating in and out ever few years that may cause a problem.

 

[jplebrun]

I have found that in texas and most states that a RV that weights 26000 lbs or more does need a different license, in texas the normal license is a class C, I need a class B non cdl since my bus is over this limit, this type of license is pretty easy to get but if you have student drivers rotating in and out ever few years that may cause a problem.

Yes! However I think that our Skoolie is within the weight limit and we don't need special licenses. We never have in our nine years of having the bus.

 

[Crazy]

Ask to keep it on the school insurance and reimburse the cost. Then have your students hold a fundraiser like our Prez.

 

[jplebrun]

Ask to keep it on the school insurance and reimburse the cost. Then have your students hold a fundraiser like our Prez.

It's not the cost that's making the school kick us off. It's the fact that we're not University employees. The school doesn't want to be liable for us. We have been doing what you recommend for nine years...up until right now.
Thanks, though. I appreciate you trying to help.

 

[Crazy]

You probably need to put it in your name.

 

[r_w]

You will run into problems as long as it is owned by the school and the insurance is not. Need to transfer the ownership to the organization. As long as the RV is in the school's name, they still have the liability!

As for the CDL, that is the law for transporting students or more than X people in some cases so they are going to say it is true in all. Lots of churches are getting rid of their bigger buses because of this restriction, too. College kids + bus must equal PARTY BUS in their minds, even if it is the furthest from the truth.

I have had the name problem with things that were owned by trusts, LLC's, and charities--it is just a square peg in a round hole on their forms. Even for commercial insurance, they want a NAME of a PERSON to put on certain parts of the form.

 

[jplebrun]

You will run into problems as long as it is owned by the school and the insurance is not. Need to transfer the ownership to the organization. As long as the RV is in the school's name, they still have the liability!

As for the CDL, that is the law for transporting students or more than X people in some cases so they are going to say it is true in all. Lots of churches are getting rid of their bigger buses because of this restriction, too. College kids + bus must equal PARTY BUS in their minds, even if it is the furthest from the truth.

I have had the name problem with things that were owned by trusts, LLC's, and charities--it is just a square peg in a round hole on their forms. Even for commercial insurance, they want a NAME of a PERSON to put on certain parts of the form.

Thanks r_w, I've come up to those dead end several times. No matter what we're using it for, it counts as a commercial vehicle.

As you can imagine, no one is going to want to have the bus in their name. Even with our clean 9-year record, it's a huge liability. Also super predictably, the school's not just going to transfer it, they'll want to sell it even though it was a donation back in 2005 when we got it. The school hasn't spent a penny on that Skoolie, we have paid for everything.

I've also found out that there's no way to hire us at the university so that we can be insured without actually getting paid positions that we have to apply for. I've almost accepted my defeat.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I know this frustration- its part of being a bus person.
I had one that circumstances forced me to let go of. I still get mad thinking about losing my Ford. It was given to me for free by a company that was upgrading.
Your situation sounds pretty crappy, I wish I had some bit of wisdom to impart. But as long as you can, keep trying. Something may give. Best of luck!