It took a wine delivery to our condo to alert me to the operators designation on my drivers license. When FedEx delivers packages labeled with alcohol contents, they require capturing the bar code on the reverse of the license for identification. I actually
read the statement directly below that bar code for the first time and it struck me to look into the motorhome weight. It turns out I had a designation that allowed me to operate a vehicle within 26,000 pounds, so I immediately dug into the motorhome specifications.
The specifications state that the vehicle Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is 26,000 pounds. The dry weight is 21,352 pounds allowing for 4,648 pounds of payload. Payload is everything placed inside the motorhome including people, our dog, food,
clothing, pots & pans, utensils, etc. and it also includes anything stored in the bays outside the vehicle. I realized that we would come close to meeting the gross weight and a certain level of panic set in. I researched some of the states we plan to visit or
travel through and was met with staggering fees upon exceeding weight restrictions. Now granted, RVer’s are not generally targeted for roadside weight checks but if a situation occurred such as an accident or traffic violation, vehicle weight may come into
investigation and the fines are insane. My next step was to look up So. Carolina DMV process to get my license class
upgraded. By the way all of this occurred two weeks prior to our departure. To attain the proper class designation, SC DMV requires a vision and written test to obtain a learners permit which is good for a year to schedule a safety and road exam. Linda and I
immediately scheduled an appointment to get our learner permits and aced both tests even though the whole experience was slightly stressful since I hadn’t taken a DMV test since 1972. We spent the year honing our driving skills and educating ourselves on the safety and road exam. I made an appointment to take that road test and aced it with just a few mistakes but nothing that would affect getting my gold star. In retrospect, I feel that RV dealerships should enlighten the buyer that vehicle weight and proper operator licensing
require investigation by the consumer.