Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

So you just write in sharpie "Not Legal" on the others, sweet. :D
You basically have two options if it was a school bus:
- Either reduce the seat count and install four pieces of RV equipment (heating, electrical, bed, sink, refrigerator, that sort of thing)
- Paint it any color that is not school bus yellow.

If it was not originally a school bus, you have to go the equipment route.
 
In the US, you don't actually need a bus license until there are more than 15 people on board.

I think the same is true here as well (as least it used to be) but you still need to have a license to operate vehicles over 3.5 tons GWVR.
 
I think the same is true here as well (as least it used to be) but you still need to have a license to operate vehicles over 3.5 tons GWVR.
For that, we call @Galantti
 
I think the same is true here as well (as least it used to be) but you still need to have a license to operate vehicles over 3.5 tons GWVR.
Yeah, my regular license lets me do whatever up to 13 tons truck+trailers (trailers not exceeding 5 tons).

And for most people, that's terrifying to consider.
 
Went and got dad's name taken off the tow rig today. The clerk at the title agency noticed something odd. The DMV had registered and titled it as a bus.

I'd always wondered why the registration fees didn't quite line up with what they should have for a truck of its weight.
 
Yeah, my regular license lets me do whatever up to 13 tons truck+trailers (trailers not exceeding 5 tons).

And for most people, that's terrifying to consider.

That's more or less what my license allows. 7.5 tons plus 3.5 tons. I got that license last year (upgrading from a normal plebian car license) and I can't say the course material or test contained anything that wasn't common sense anyway.
 
Erm… hold up. So in Americaland, I can buy a bus and LEGALLY drive it as long as I rip the 15th and above seat out of it? Despite not having any experience with this kind of car ?

So I guess the legal amount of people you can endanger on the road is 15 then (including myself)?
 
I think Aging Wheels covered most of this on the first videos about his school bus RV project, the fact that he was removing a huge section of the cab (and therefore seats) made it legal. It's pretty terrifying to think of people driving what are effectively buses with no previous experience, people around here are bad enough when renting a big Transit for the first time.
 
Erm… hold up. So in Americaland, I can buy a bus and LEGALLY drive it as long as I rip the 15th and above seat out of it? Despite not having any experience with this kind of car ?

So I guess the legal amount of people you can endanger on the road is 15 then (including myself)?

Assuming you have a normal plebian spec B license, you can endanger 9 including yourself.
 
EVs, and the fact that some people dare to like EVs, really seem to grind people's beefgears.
 
I think Aging Wheels covered most of this on the first videos about his school bus RV project, the fact that he was removing a huge section of the cab (and therefore seats) made it legal. It's pretty terrifying to think of people driving what are effectively buses with no previous experience, people around here are bad enough when renting a big Transit for the first time.
I THINK you can drive a "historic" (over 40 years old) class bus/coach on a standard car license over here if you only have 8 seats fitted and are only using it for personal transport, not reward or hire.

I know a couple of people who've run old busses though and they're ruinously expensive to run/maintain/store. They make shit old cars look like a walk in the park. My week has featured a high amount of walking actually, things aren't looking good across the Cpt.70s fleet.

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Frequent drops down to 0/4 functional automobiles.

The (borrowed) Saab has an intermittent starting problem, the Acclaim blew it's main fuse, the Dolly 1300 is 95% welded but needs finishing and the 1850 has no floors of chassis legs.

CFjJjsCUgAEuxGq.jpg
 
Intermittent starting problem sounds a lot like a crankshaft sensor.
 
Erm… hold up. So in Americaland, I can buy a bus and LEGALLY drive it as long as I rip the 15th and above seat out of it? Despite not having any experience with this kind of car ?

So I guess the legal amount of people you can endanger on the road is 15 then (including myself)?

It's more of a tonnage thing. Here (at least in the states I'm familiar with), you are allowed to drive a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles (truck/trailer) up to 26,000 lbs/~11,800 kg on a standard license. School buses are typically below that and can be found cheap just about anywhere.

As far as removing seats, not sure about that as I haven't ever looked into that. I do remember a county sheriff telling me that over a certain number of seats on a bus (I think it was 12), drinking can legally happen on board.

Now, if it has air brakes, at least in Missouri, you are supposed to have an air brake endorsement.
 
Erm… hold up. So in Americaland, I can buy a bus and LEGALLY drive it as long as I rip the 15th and above seat out of it? Despite not having any experience with this kind of car ?

So I guess the legal amount of people you can endanger on the road is 15 then (including myself)?

 
Now, if it has air brakes, at least in Missouri, you are supposed to have an air brake endorsement.
Heh, that reminds me of something. Comedian Jasper Carrott on getting pulled over while driving in the US:

Cop: "Hey, you're a pretty good driver!"
Carrott: "Am I?"
Cop: "You sure are, you've been endorsed three times."

Over here, endorsements are bad things that have accrued points.
 
Thats 12 tonnes that can legally be driven by anyone with a license? Over in euroland everything over 3,5 tonnes requires a new license… which may be overkill on the other side of the spectrum….
 
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