The clerk at the
Livingston County, Texas DMV office instructed me on the use of their
exam system. “It works better if you use the pencil eraser than
your finger [to answer test questions],” she said, pointing to a
small screen and chair in the corner of the office.
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I sat down at the
testing station and entered my DMV number. Up popped question 1: How
many inches off the ground can mud flaps be on a commercial truck?
How the frack should I know!!! I made my best guess. Eight
inches. “Correct. 1 of 20,” read the screen. Next question: Which
of the following vehicle types is not required to have mud flaps in
Texas? Crap! I don't know this one, either!
And so it went.
Turns out I had studied the wrong section of the Texas commercial
drivers license manual. It was my university general chemistry first
semester final all over again.
Our carefully
thought out plan to become licensed Texas drivers was now at risk.
Even before Leonard and I had entered the DMV office to take our
written exams – a pre-requisite for taking the road skills test –
completing the licensing process was proving to be more difficult
than either of us expected. We had a narrow window between the time
we arrived in Livingston until the time we needed to depart for
Topeka, Kansas to accomplish the deed. (For reasons I won't go into
here, a late arrival in Topeka was simply not an option.) By the time
we completed everything needed to schedule our written tests (see
previous post for details), we had enough time left for just one of
us to book an appointment, thereby becoming a fully-licensed Class A
non-CDL driver.
Leonard was the
obvious choice since he had logged so many more miles towing Kong
than I had. What's more, unlike Leonard, I had never backed up the
KongZilla combo. So, I would get a learner's permit, giving me until
my birthday of 2020 to take the road exam. Meanwhile, I could drive
KongZilla when accompanied by a Class A licensee (and drive
Truckzilla without restriction). Failing my written test would force
Leonard to bear the entire towing burden solo until such time as we
could return to Texas when I would retake the exam. While I have
absolutely no problem riding along the nation's highways being
carried like Cleopatra sitting in her barge down the Nile, it would
be neither fair nor safe to place all that responsibility on one
member of our two-person team.
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RVers are exempt from getting the full commercial
license. My advice? Study sections 2 and 14, 14, 14!
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Don't panic,
Sally. You can do this!
As with that college
final, my guessing skills and some deep breathing carried the day. I
passed. The clerk printed out my temporary Texas learner's license.
Now, it was Leonard's turn.
He sat down at the
terminal. A very short time later, he stood up, looked at me and
shook his head from side to side. Oh, no!
Undaunted, Leonard
returned home and spent the rest of the day studying. He passed the
exam the following day and even managed to talk the examiner into
scheduling his road test for our last day in Livingston. And, yes, he
passed that with flying colors. Phew!
Today, we trek
northward in our rolling condo. Just two real Texans and a beagle. Git along, little doggie!
I had no idea it is so tough to get this process completed in TX.
ReplyDeleteIn hindsight, our experience would have been less stressful had we gone to Livingston sooner and gotten a jump on the process. We still would have had to complete the same steps but would have had more time to do so. From what we've heard, Livingston appears to be the "go to" place for RVers to get licenses because the DMV staff here understand the non-CDL exemption in Texas' law. We've spoken to people who went elsewhere and had to complete some unnecessary steps, like taking parts of the written test meant only for commercial drivers.
DeleteOn a slightly related note, I was able to get a library card in Livingston - something I wanted so I'd have online access to borrow e-books. The Sioux Falls, SD library would not issue me one unless I paid (something like) $100. When the librarian in SD recognized my address as being an Alternative Resources box, she told me I wasn't eligible for a free card because I "don't pay property tax" in her county. The Livingston librarian? She welcomed me to town then pulled out a card with the name of Escapees' designated contact written on it so I could use that name on my application. I felt very welcome.
We have given thought to becoming TX residents but after reading your post, I shuddered. If I understand you correctly, Livingston does not require you to answer questions meant only for commercial drivers, and they do not look at full-time RVers as needing a CDL license. Is this correct? I got the impression that your husband was required to also take a driving test that involved having the RV in tow. Although I do some of the driving, I have not yet tackled the backing in part.
ReplyDeleteI am weighing in on this a little late but there are technicalities to consider. Leonard and Sally, as do we, have tow vehicles that are rated for a gross combined weight rating of 26,001 pounds or greater. That is the trigger for requiring a class A license. If you have a motor coach or truck that has a certified rating of 26,000 pounds or less you can get a straight forward class C.
DeleteAnd boy was Sally right about DMVs at different places across the state have a different way of administering the tests. If you are getting the class A license you do have to drive the rig. That will be true no matter which DMV location you use. But not every location is fully versed in how the test is administered. Some places will require you to parallel park the truck and trailer just as if you were getting a license to drive the family Buick. But the places that do it "right" will at least require to back the rig in a straight line for a hundred feet or so.
Under Texas law, any RVer needing either the Class A or Class B license who does not plan to drive a commercial truck or bus can get an exemption from taking the comprehensive commercial drivers licence tests. The form requesting exemption is available through the Texas DPS web site (link provided in my post).
ReplyDeleteThe Livingston licensing staff know about the exemption because they deal with so many RV clients. They understand which sections of the written and road skills test to administer. I have spoken with (and read about) drivers who say this was not necessarily true elsewhere.
My advice to anyone going through the process in Texas is to do it through the Livingston office. They will find it to be a much more RV-friendly experience and won't risk having to educate a DMV officer about the law.
As for backing during the road skills test, I am told this amounts to going in reverse in a straight line for about 50 feet. (Leonard didn't even have to do that much during his exam.) No one I've spoken to about this has had to park their rig by backing in.