Comments By Nacho B.

Wait! Did I read that correctly on their website?!? That $80 actually INCLUDES that ridiculous $20 access fee that they generally tack onto their advertised plan price? Sweet deal! I currently have T-Mobile which offers some really great stuff, but I already know it'll be a challenge with T-Mobile when I start OTR. Thanks for sharing this

Pete! Thank you so much for sharing your story. You've taken a ton of weight of my mind. As I'm very early in the search, I thought this may be an industry wide thing that I hadn't prepared for. I'm glad you did your due diligence because I apparently didn't do so well with mine. And yes, Prime was the one that gave me that response

Hey all (but mostly Rick S because he seems to really know about these things! ;),

So I got my CDL from a private school on Feb 1. I've started applying to a few companies I have had my eye on. One contacted me immediately and we are in the process. (Recruiter called immediately to talk, then he invited me to formally apply and sent link. then called to confirm he has my app, then called the next day to schedule a 1st interview the next day. Had that interview and my app is being 'sent upstairs' for review and a 2nd interview scheduled). That was Friday.

Cut to this morning when a SECOND company I applied to on the same day last Wednesday, who never got in touch with me, sends me this message. "We cannot move forward at this time. You have to have your license for one full year in the U.S."

Is this just THIS COMPANY'S policy?!?

I am USA born and raised. Got my first DL in 1986. In 2008 I moved to Canada for my job, and got a Canadian DL since I was residing there. In June of 2016 I moved back. When I got my Illinois DL reissued to me, it was the same DL# that I always had since 1986. When I got my MVR prior to CDL school, the only thing it shows is when I added my motorcycle endorsement in 2004, so it's clearly showing things prior to June 2016.

I've heard about the whole "gotta have a license for a year thing", but that was for getting a CDL, which I indeed DID already GET, so clearly DOT didn't have any issues. And then, there's this from the FMCSA website.

I'm wondering if this recruiter was just going off the fact that their Intelliapp application asks for 3 years history of residence. So my app shows me starting in Ontario and then moving on to IL just this past June. Her message came to me through DriverPulse, and I immediately replied telling her this wasn't my first USA driver's license but heard nothing back.

Ugh, what a mess. I guess this is more of a sharing/venting thing than a question....

One of the first things I'll do when on a truck is measure to see if my folding bike will fit. It measures 23 x 22.2 x 10.6. I'm hoping it will fit in that space under where the lower bunk lifts up. I've read some other threads about mounting a regular bike to the back of the tractor. A few people reported that while it DID work, the bike got so incredibly grungy being exposed to the elements all the time that the owners rarely wanted to ride it/deal with it. Plus, as a company driver, I can only assume companies will have a policy on what you can and cannot attach to their equipment.

Hey Mister B., can I ask if there is any particular reason why you need to go back the very next day to try again? There were a few students in my school who didn't pass on their first attempt, but I know that they didn't necessarily attempt to take it again the very next day. I have no idea what the guidelines are for that but perhaps spending a bit more time studying would be useful.

I also highly suggest taking advantage of the "Skip" feature during your tests. You are not penalized for skipping a question. Granted, if you get enough other questions wrong, those skipped questions will indeed be presented to you again, but you may not need them because once you reach enough questions to pass the test, the test ends right then and there.

Well, I’m all done with my schooling and currently holding my CDL-A. I'm proud of myself and I’m scared as all get out! Back in July I started my research into pursuing this career and stared CDL school in mid-November. It’s been an incredible journey so far and, while I’m excited about the future, I’m also really frightened! I KNOW that I can survive the aspect of long days on the road and being away from home. In fact, I very much WELCOME that part. My professionalism and dedication to do a job correctly, safely and efficiently also poses no concern to me whatsoever.

I guess I’m mostly afraid of just not being ABLE to do the job. I’m hoping this is normal to feel this way.

I’m not sure what I’m hoping to get from this post. I guess some reassurance that just merely GETTING a CDL has NOTHING to do with the job, and companies know this and accept this and to not worry because it’ll be the company that trains me for the REAL elements of truck driving. Does it matter that since my state requires skills testing in only straight line, offset, and parallel parking that I never once even attempted a 45 or 90 degree alley dock? Does it matter that I have no clue how a truck, in practice, reacts when heading up or down and incline? Never moved tandems? Never coupled or uncoupled a tailer?…and a whole lot more….sigh…

I want to thank everybody who contributes on this site. Reading your thoughts and advice is extremely helpful.

Well I guess it’s time to start applying. I’m very curious about the “Apply for Truck Driving Jobs” that truckingtruth.com offers. Can somebody tell me what companies that actually goes to? I’ve been doing a lot of research on companies and have a pretty good idea of what I’m looking for, but I’m also open to seeing what some that I may not even thought of has to say. (I just don’t want to be overwhelmed or waste anybody’s time if I already know it’s not going to be a good fit).

Right! After you get your driver's license, adding endorsements is just a test similar to the way you test for the air brakes, and combination vehicles portion. There's a cost for each, but it's minimal. In Illinois, it's $5 per endorsement. So 15 bucks if you want to add Hazmat, Double/Triples, and Tankers. (The Hazmat background check, separate from the DMV charge, was $86.50 for me here).

You are correct. However, with Hazmat, you need to have your background check done prior to any kind of testing. At least in my state, This is NOT done through your states DMV, but from a third party service. I'm assuming your are from PA from your profile information. Here is some information on Hazmat for PA. Note that it can take anywhere from two weeks to a month to get your results. (Mine was one month and one day).

Can I make one suggestion though? For your permit, just take your General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Combination tests. While you are in school and getting your license, you can apply for your Hazmat background check as well as study for any of the others you may want or need. The main reason for this is that you only need those first three tests for your schooling. If you DO have other endorsements on your permit, be aware that while taking your pre-trip test, your examiner is free to ask you all sorts of other stuff pertaining to those endorsements. Why add that stress?

Once you finish school and have successfully passed your pre trip, skills, and road tests, you can right there on the spot add the add'l endorsements and take the appropriate tests needed for them.

Hey there. I've noticed on Wil-Trans and Jim Palmer's website that their health benefits are offered through something called True Choices marketplace or something like that. Can you briefly speak about this? I apologize for prying, but can you give a ball park of what your premiums are? I'm currently on the general government "affordable" care act marketplace and it's anything BUT affordable! ;) Thanks for any insight

Congrats Reaper! We're fully expecting a blow by blow in the CDL Training Diaries forum! Any word on when you'll be starting?