No Driving History

Topic 10637 | Page 1

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Double Dipper's Comment
member avatar

Hello! I've been lurking around the forums for awhile and finally registered because I've been unable to find information about people who are in the same position as me. I'm 25 years old and only just now received my driver's license (I'm from nyc, so I never needed one) and I plan on getting my cdl permit very soon, so I would like to know if trucking schools accept students that don't have a driving record? Any information is appreciated.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Susan D. 's Comment
member avatar

You have to have a driver's license at least a year before you can apply to get a CDL. In the meantime, I'd go ahead and learn everything I could. Figure out how you ate going to get school financed. . That sort of thing. Also if you have a friend or relative who drives OTR and their company allows riders, maybe you could ride a long to see if this is what you're really interested in doing.

Its definitely a lifestyle thing that not everyone is cut out for.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Double Dipper's Comment
member avatar

You have to have a driver's license at least a year before you can apply to get a CDL. In the meantime, I'd go ahead and learn everything I could. Figure out how you ate going to get school financed. . That sort of thing. Also if you have a friend or relative who drives OTR and their company allows riders, maybe you could ride a long to see if this is what you're really interested in doing.

Its definitely a lifestyle thing that not everyone is cut out for.

Oh my gosh! I didn't know that. I've looked on a lot dmv websites and all they seem to say is that you need a driver's license to qualify, but doesn't say how long you should have one before applying. This is really disappointing.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

miracleofmagick's Comment
member avatar

A year isn't really that long to wait, though it may seem it at the time. Do like Sue said, use that year to learn as much as you can about the industry. Use the tools on this site and you will learn a lot. Try and get to a truck stop and ask a few questions. The better prepared you are, the better your chance of succeeding as a trucker.

Susan D. 's Comment
member avatar

It's seriously not as long as you think and there is SO MUCH TO LEARN! Go ahead and download the New York state manual, a link is available on this website. Also take advantage of the High Road Training right here. The pretrip alone has 200 or so items that you must be able to point out, and know how they work. Learn this stuff inside and out, research schools, trucking companies, and try to get a ride-a-long with someone. By doing all this in advance, you will find school a breeze and so much less stressful. Hours of service rules to memorize and sometimes those rules make no sense at all, doing logs correctly.. those arent even really covered well in school :-/ That way, when you do attend school you won't have to worry about anything but the actual driving skills and basic control. You'll be way ahead of the learning curve. . Its very steep!

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar
You have to have a driver's license at least a year before you can apply to get a CDL

Ok the TruckingTruth Research Arm has been looking into this and it appears that this is a state by state requirement. In this case, New York State makes no mention of requiring a driver's license for one year before applying for a CDL. Other states do indeed mention this requirement.

Here is a snippet from the New York State - Getting Your CDL page:

To apply for a Commercial Driver License (CDL), you must have a NYS driver license (Class D, Class E, or Non-CDL C) or a valid CDL from another state.

When you apply for an original NYS CDL (Class A, B, or C) you must certify that:

  • You did not hold a driver license in any state or in the District of Columbia except NYS in the last 10 years or you must report every US state (or the District of Columbia) where you held a driver license in the last 10 years.
  • You meet the Federal medical examination requirements (see Medical Certification Requirements for more information). 1

You must also prove your legal presence in the United States.

Per new federal regulations, the DMV will check for any open suspensions or revocations you may have in any state. If you have an open suspension or revocation, we will reject your application.

So it seems you do not need a driver's license for a year in New York State before you can apply for a CDL. If anyone finds information to the contrary please let us know and we'll correct this.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

A trainer told me he had a student with six months dl....he almost ran over a parked car on a downhill and did hit two trailers. CR England hired him and he hit his cdl. This is not easy for me who has 25 yr driving a car. ...get a lot of practice in the car. ..and good luck

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Double Dipper's Comment
member avatar

Thank you everyone for the replies and tips.

@Brett Aquila This is great to hear! I'm going to try and call someone at the DMV this week to confirm on whether I need driving history in order to get a CDL permit. It'll still probably be difficult to find a trucking school who will accept me though, right?

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

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