License to drive

[Matt]

Some friends of mine who form a band have recently purchased a large coach to tour around in. Pardon my ignorance for not knowing many details about it, I'll try to explain what I can. This thing looks like a bus. I believe it is 48 feet long. Diesel powered with air brakes. Inside though it is probably like most coaches. It has two sofas, a small kitchen, a dining table, couple storage closets, bathroom, 12 bunk beds, and an entertainment room with a large TV, stereo, satellite cable, etc. 6 members of the band travel in it.

My question is, do they need a Class B CDL to drive it? None of them have one and 3 of them take turns driving it.

[TechTalk]

License to drive Commercial Drivers Licenses are probably required for the use you describe. CDLs are issued by the individual states as a result of Federal mandate. Although the requirements for CDLs tend to be fairly uniform, they are not identical state to state. The need for a CDL to operate a particular vehicle is triggered by the vehicle's size. However, virtually all states include a specific exemption of the CDL requirement for privately operated motor homes. The use you mention, transportation of a professional band, would probably not fall within the private use requirement of the motor home exception. However, if you would like to consider avoiding CDLs, we suggest you read the particular CDL statutes for the state(s) in which the drivers of this vehicle are licensed. However, we are not optimistic.