RV 101® - Trailer Towing Basics E-Book Training Course

This e-book course is your complete guide to what you need to know about properly and safely towing a travel trailer

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RV 101® - Trailer Towing Basics E-Book Training Course

This is an RV 101 online e-book training course that can be viewed from computers, tablets, and smartphones. When you enroll in our training course you have the option to simply download the e-book and read it at your leisure, and/or you can participate in the online training course. I wanted to add more than just an e-book, so the course material includes the written text, short video segments, related articles written by your instructor, helpful tips & tricks, fun RV University play & learn crossword puzzles and quizzes to help you retain the information.

Just the thought of towing a thirty-foot long, 3 ½ ton trailer down the Interstate can be somewhat intimidating, not to mention dangerous if it’s not done properly. Trailer towing is a confusing topic with all the weight terminology, hitch-work and the wide variety of travel trailers and tow vehicles to choose from.

So, whether you have already purchased a travel trailer, or you are just thinking about it, this e-book course will teach you every thing you need to know before you tow.

The e-book course walks you through how to safely and properly match the tow vehicle to the trailer, the proper hitch-work to safely tow a trailer and numerous trailer towing techniques. After you understand the trailer towing basics the course provides you with all the tools you need to become proficient at towing and backing a travel trailer.

My goal with this e-book course is to clear up some of the confusion and make your trailer towing experiences as stress free as possible. After completing the course you will have more confidence and knowledge of what is required to safely and properly tow your travel trailer.

The following chapters are included in this course:

Chapter 1 - Tow Vehicle Capacities

Chapter 2 - Matching a Tow Vehicle & Trailer

Chapter 3 - Proper Hitch-Work

Chapter 4 - Towing the Trailer

Chapter 5 - Backing the Travel Trailer

Chapter 6 - Additional Trailer Towing Videos



Your Instructor


Mark J. Polk
Mark J. Polk
Who is Mark Polk and why is he qualified to teach RV technical content?
Mark is an RVer and has a very extensive background in the RV industry. He began at age 15, washing RVs at a dealership in North Central Pennsylvania. It wasn't long before he was working as an apprentice RV technician under the guidance of the RV service manager.
His maintenance plans were interrupted when he enlisted in the military. Mark completed airborne training in 1979 and served with some of the most elite U.S. Army Airborne units, including Service Company 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 82nd Signal battalion, 82nd Airborne Division and the 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps. He spent the next 18 years with the U.S. Army eventually retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 Automotive Maintenance Technician.
In the military, he managed large fleet maintenance operations, and had to teach young soldiers how to maintain and operate ‎expensive vehicles and equipment. These soldiers came to him from very different backgrounds, and their prior experience with heavy equipment and mechanical skills were similarly varied. Mark had to learn how to ‎communicate with all of them clearly, concisely, and effectively, and he found he had a ‎talent for teaching. The Army agreed, and eventually he was asked to produce written ‎instructional materials, including driver training manuals and operating procedures for motor ‎pools.‎
When he retired from the Army in 1996, he went to work for an RV dealership in ‎sales and service. He talked to customers about their needs and desires and helped them select ‎the right RV for them. He inspected used RVs for trade-in, he serviced customer RVs, and he ‎educated customers on how to operate and enjoy their vehicles. As an RV owner himself, throughout the years, he has owned and used all the classifications of RVs (travel trailer, motorhome, pop up, 5th wheel and truck camper). He even restored, from the ground up, a 1967 Yellowstone travel trailer. It was clear to him there ‎were limited resources available to RV owners who wanted to learn more about how to operate and maintain their RVs. Owners’ manuals provide limited information, and most consumers ‎find them confusing. Anecdotal information learned around campfires from other RV owners is ‎incomplete and can be unreliable.
Mark realized he had the knowledge and teaching ability ‎to fill that gap, and so in 1999 he began writing articles and books about how to choose, buy, ‎maintain, repair, and operate a variety of RVs. To date, he has produced more than 500 educational ‎videos, and authored 15 e-books, 3 paperback books, and more than 1,600 articles educating millions of RVers. His best-selling book, titled The RV Book, has sold over 53,000 copies to date.
‎Mark's first priority is the safety of his audience. To Mark, ‎this means anticipating the risks and challenges RVers will encounter when following his ‎instructions, ensuring that the information he provides is complete and accurate, and providing ‎enough information so his audience can make informed decisions about when to tackle ‎maintenance tasks themselves and when to take their vehicles to professionals.
His second ‎priority is his audience’ empowerment. He sends his students out on the road with confidence that they are equipped, prepared, ‎informed, and ready to enjoy themselves.‎Producing material that achieves those goals is a very difficult thing to do. RVs come in ‎a bewildering variety of different types, makes, models, and vintages, and when Mark writes ‎about tasks such as winterizing an RV plumbing system, (as we know there are many ways to winterize an RV), his instructions need to walk his readers through the process ‎regardless of what RV the reader happens to own.
Like his soldiers, his RV students come to him ‎with widely disparate levels of expertise, experience, talent, and motivation, and his instructions ‎must speak to all of them. Mark’s writing and video presentations are accurate and comprehensive. It is also clear, ‎concise, and easy to understand. He breaks complex, intimidating tasks down to easy steps.

Chief Warrant Officer Three Mark J. Polk was awarded a first place US Army maintenance award from General Shelton.

Mark started RV Education 101 in 1999

History past and present:

  • Writer/ Columnist/ Contributor for numerous RV consumer & RV trade newsletters and magazines (RVBusiness, FMCA, RV News, RV Companion, Pop-Up Times, RV Free Wheelin’, Trail Blazer, RV Executive Today and RV Magazine,)
  • RV Technical Writer for several newsletters and blogs, (Go RVing blog, Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), RV Net Expert Blog, RV University This Week, Camping World e-newsletter, RV Travel, RV Trader, Rollin On TV website, HGTV and Geiko Insurance blog)
  • Script and host television segments for Rollin On TV
  • Scripted & hosted television segment titled RV Savvy for four seasons (52 episodes) with RVTV on The Outdoor Channel and three Canadian TV Channels.

Course Curriculum


  Trailer Towing Basics Downloadable PDF E-Book
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Chapter 1 - Tow Vehicle Capacity
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Chapter 2 - Matching the Tow Vehicle & the Travel Trailer
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We do not want anyone to be unhappy with our training courses. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will offer you a full refund if we can not resolve the problem
How do your online E-book courses work?
You have a couple options. You can download the e-book to your devices immediately and read it at your leisure, and you can participate in the more in-depth online e-book training course. In the course the e-book is broken down into individual chapters. In each chapter there is the written text, related short videos, articles written by your instructor, helpful tips & tricks and some fun play & learn RV crossword puzzles, all at a super affordable price.

Get started now!