Drive your Motorhome Like a Pro

Review

Ask a professional truck driver, and I'd wager any one of them would tell you that RVers would be better drivers if they had more training in driving safety, maneuvering their motor homes, and towing trailers and dinghies. While motor homes are far easier to drive than 18-wheelers, they do require more knowledge and skill than that needed to drive a standard auto or SUV.

In just under 70 minutes in a detailed, clearly demonstrated video, Lorrin Walsh does an excellent job of providing just that-professional driver training for RVers. Walsh, a professional driver for Gray Line of Seattle, drove motor homes for years before getting his commercial driver's license. He says he never realized how much more there was to know. Most of it, he says, is not obvious enough to make RVers to seek the answers.

Walsh demonstrates tips and gives insider safety advice, all tailored to our needs for driving motor homes or pulling fifth-wheelers, trailer and dinghies. Having been through training to get my own commercial driver's license, I'm impressed with how concisely he presented this information, leaving nothing out.

Throughout this video, he gives the "whys" and "mechanics" of each driving technique that he presents. Lorrin explains the difference in the dynamics of driving a motor home from those of driving an automobile. Among these is how to prepare for maneuvering out of tight situations. These aren't things you learn on the spot, but skills you learn over time. Mark explains some simple, but essential principles that will change the way you drive your motor home, forever.

Terms such as off-tracking and reference points are no longer proprietary to the professional driving field now that Walsh has shared them with us. Within the first few minutes of this video you'll not only know what these terms mean, but how to apply them to driving your motor home or pulling a trailer. Add a tow vehicle, and the rules change again. And, again, he shows you how to apply the variables for safe driving, turning and passing. Then he gives more insider techniques to determine a safe distance when following other vehicles. (HINT: The two-second rule is just for cars.)

Subtler techniques, such as how to hold the steering wheel-and more importantly, how NOT to hold it, managing highway tracks and sway, and establishing reference points were probably not covered in your salesman's walkthrough. Walsh tells you all about them. These skills take a bit of practice, for sure, but knowing they exist, how to identify them, and how to apply them, no matter which motor home you drive, will put you in full control behind the wheel.

He teaches you professional techniques for driving on hills, protecting your brakes, engine and transmission. He teaches about different motor home brake systems, and different motor home braking techniques. Brake systems are critical, and air brakes are complex. Be sure to take good notes here. He covers dozens of points in just a few minutes.

Speaking of braking, Walsh gives a detailed explanation of the physical and bio-mechanics involved in braking, slowing and stopping, including what you can and can't control. Special attention is given to controllable factors as he covers his 3Ps and their associated responses. Braking and stopping are only two of the many skills you will learn. You'll learn how to anticipate and avoid tight situations before they occur, maintain control, and be proactive rather than reactive. Again, you'll have to spend some time developing these skills, but you will appreciate learning so much that you didn't know about.

But there's more to safe driving than just how you move, maneuver and stop your vehicle. Professional drivers have strict pre-, mid-, and post-trip checklists they go through every time they get in or out of their vehicles. Walsh gives you a comparable list of checks and tests for motor homes and towed dinghies.

How you sit, position your mirrors, manage blind spots, use the pedals, are peppered throughout the lessons. Do you know the critical information that should be taped to your dashboard? Mark shows, as well as tells you as he points out the less obvious things you should observe. He demonstrates using spotters, communication techniques, and blind backups.

The bonus segment included at the end of this course is worth many times the price of this video. Do you have any idea how many ways there are to improve your motor home's fuel efficiency? Do you know how many ways are under your control? You will after watching this video. Walsh included tips that help improve the fuel efficiency of your motor home from 3% to 40% per tip. You'll easily save the cost of this video by implementing just a couple of these tips.

Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro is available for online viewing from RV Education 101. Choose a single viewing or unlimited views, online, from your computer.

Online videos can be viewed using a PC running Windows XP or Vista. Windows Medial Player 11 is required. Mac users will need an Intel Mac in Boot Camp mode, and Windows XP or Vista.

If you can't view Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro online, be sure to check out RV university, where you can buy this video, or any of the RV Education 101 videos in DVD format.

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