If you’ve recently purchased a motorhome, you may be feeling a bit intimidated by your new rig. Motorhomes are often some of the largest RVs on the market and, as a result, can be extremely difficult to learn how to drive. However, there’s no need to panic. Below we’ve written up a number of helpful beginner’s tips to ensure you get the hang of driving a motorhome in no time at all!
Stopping and Starting
Motorhomes are typically pretty large. As a result, they often take much longer to stop and start, leading to new drivers taking turns much too quickly, and even struggling to stop at mandatory lights and signs. Obviously, issues such as these can quickly lead to accidents and—until you have a better feel of your rig’s controls—we strongly recommend keeping your speed to a minimum. While motorhomes don’t tend to travel exceptionally fast, their large size allows them to build up an impressive velocity that can be very hard to control. As such, we encourage you to stick to residential streets rather than interstates or highways as you practice stopping, accelerating, and taking wide turns in your new rig.
Parking and Reversing
Unfortunately, parking a motorhome isn’t nearly as easy as parking a car. For one, motorhomes need to be both leveled and stabilized before they can be parked in an area overnight. Before you hit the road we strongly recommend practicing parking, leveling, and stabilizing your rig in a parking lot or driveway to ensure you can complete each step successfully. It’s also a good idea to practice reversing in your rig as you work on your parking skills. Not all RV campgrounds or parking spots are easy to get into, and it’s not unlikely you’ll find yourself needing to reverse. When reversing your motorhome remember to keep your hands at the bottom of the wheel to keep movements minimal and remind yourself that when you pull your wheel one way, your hands and the rear of your rig will move in the opposite direction.
Still looking for the perfect motorhome to help you travel in style? Then come visit us here at Best Choice Trailers & RVs and browse our massive collection of class A, B, and C motorhomes! Conveniently located in Pittsburgh, PA, we’re proud to serve the nearby cities of Evans City and West Middlesex, PA, and offer a number of helpful services including RV repair, financing, and trade-in options.
