FMCSA renews exemption for Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is renewing an exemption that allows drivers from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association to operate without a CDL.

FMCSA’s notice of renewal published in the Federal Register on Thursday, May 19.

The exemption allows drivers to deliver certain newly manufactured motorhomes and recreational vehicles to dealers or trade shows before retail sale without a CDL.

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association said it needs the exemption “because compliance with the CDL requirements prevents its members from implementing more efficient operations due to a shortage of CDL drivers.”

It’s a five-year exemption, which covers employees of all drive-away companies, RV manufacturers and RV dealers transporting recreational vehicles between manufacturing sites and dealer locations and for movements prior to retail sale.

Drivers engaged in drive-away deliveries of RVs with gross vehicle weight ratings of 26,001 pounds or more will not be required to have a CDL as long as the recreational vehicles have actual gross vehicle weights or gross combination weights that do not meet or exceed 26,001 pounds, and any RV trailers towed by other vehicles weigh 10,000 pounds or less at the time of transportation.

Recreational vehicles with a gross vehicle weight or gross combined weight exceeding 26,000 pounds are not covered by the exemption.

The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association previously received a two-year exemption in 2015 and a five-year exemption in 2017. This exemption expires on April 6, 2027.

“FMCSA is unaware of any evidence of a degradation in safety attributable to the current exemption for employee-drivers of drive-away-tow-away companies, RV manufacturers, and RV dealers transporting RVs between the manufacturing site and dealer location and for movements prior to first retail sale,” the agency wrote. LL