The Quest for the 'D"

As RVers with a large motorhome it has been unclear exactly what licence you needed to drive.  When we purchased our Winnebago Vectra in 2004 the dealer prompted us to get an Air Brake Endorsement.   We picked that up with a course at Durham College in September 2004 and have been happily driving it, all over North America, ever since.

About a year ago at an Ontario Trillium Travellers (OTT) outing someone brought out that to drive a motorhome  over 25000LBs GVW (11000KG) you needed a 'D' Licence.  We debated this on and off for a few days and came to the conclusion that we really didn't know.  A quick search of the MOT web site provided absolutely no additional insight.   This all changed at the OTT's May outing this year.

Again, we debated the issue.  One of the members reported that he had talked to an MOT friend who had explained that a 'D'  would be and is necessary.  So ... back to the MOT web site.

This time it was very clear.  Here is the link:  http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/recreational-vehicles/part2a.shtml .

Armed with this new knowledge., Bettyann and I parked the motorhome and searched out the best way to proceed.  Unfortunately, we had to miss the June outing.  Barry B.  suggested a guy who would do the training and allow you to use your motorhome for the training and the test - it was only a few (about $300) hundred.  Not bad considering...

Bettyann and I had taken our Z-Endorsement at Durham College back in 2004 and that was a great experience given that most of the information you study is useless except to pass the ministry's test.   We went to class, they provided a truck and the same day we had passed the test.  That was good for 5 years.

So we searched the Durham College site for more than a 1/2 and hour and couldn't find anything on driver training but eventually found the exact link:  http://www.corporatetrainingservices.ca/driver-training/licensed/ 


At $775 ($1550 for both of us) it was a little expensive but, given our earlier experience, we enrolled for the June 17th course.  At least they didn't charge us for parking!


There are a few prerequisites, though, before you can attend.  You must pick up a medical form at Service Ontario, take it to your doctor and pass the medical (only $40 each).   It's not covered by OHIP.  You need that form to write the 'D" test.  Then, you need a driver's abstract ($12 each) - also available at Service Ontario.


Now, armed with all this documentation, Bettyann and I show up at Durham College classroom 1-9 at 8AM on the 17th.  The lecture part of the course is 4 hours and that prepares you for the written test.  After that, if you've had a Tim's, were half awake during the lecture, and can fog a mirror you are going to pass the written test.


We finished at about 11:30AM, drove to the Driver testing location and by 12:30PM we had passed and were on our way to a patio to have lunch and a beer.   Oh a couple of more things - when we arrived at the Drive Test location, in Oshawa, we had to get an eye test and pay $85 each to actually take the test.   


So far, we haven't learned anything more we can actually use and we are out-of-pocket $1824 - thank you Dalton McGuinty! 


Now, with the driving test scheduled for July 11th, on to Driver Training in a 24' straight truck....