CDL Permit Studying - Jurisdiction, Endorsements, Brakes, Expiration

Topic 10734 | Page 1

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Miss Miyoshi's Comment
member avatar

I'm planning on going to Prime in the early spring, so I've decided that getting my CDL permit before I go would give me an edge during the orientation period. I'm trying to narrow down what to study for, and it looks like that is determined by where I obtain my permit and what types of vehicles I'll be driving/load I'll be hauling. So this leads me to several questions:

1. If I go with Prime and live in Virginia, will my Virginia permit be ok while I'm training in another state?

2. If I get my permit in Virginia and train with Prime and they send me for the actual CDL license, is there a conflict between the permit state and the licensing state (especially if that licensing state is not my state of domicile)?

3. I know Prime has refrigerated and dry freight, flatbed, and tanker. Are there any other types of endorsements I would need? (VA endorsements include hazardous, tank, passenger, school bus, and double-triple trailer.)

4. VA requires a designation of air or non-air brakes. If I do not take the air brakes exam I cannot drive a vehicle with air brakes. I'm assuming from what I've seen about the pretrip check that trucks have air brakes? (No laughing, I'm super green at this! Hahahaha!) It also allows for "combination vehicles". Should I study/take that as well?

5. Assuming I can get to Prime in the spring (sometime between March and May of 2016) how long is a permit valid? If it's 6 months or less I'll just take the tests closer to my target leave date, which gives me more study time. But if I feel confident that I could pass the tests earlier, would obtaining the permit several months prior to my departure be a bad idea?

Thanks in advance!

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.

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

Miss Miyoshi's Comment
member avatar

Oh! One more: It has a section for combination vehicles. I'm presuming I need to study for that as well?

Basically, should I just memorize everything from cover to cover in the training manual they have online? Hahahahaha!

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

I'm planning on going to Prime in the early spring, so I've decided that getting my CDL permit before I go would give me an edge during the orientation period. I'm trying to narrow down what to study for, and it looks like that is determined by where I obtain my permit and what types of vehicles I'll be driving/load I'll be hauling. So this leads me to several questions:

1. If I go with Prime and live in Virginia, will my Virginia permit be ok while I'm training in another state?

YES 2. If I get my permit in Virginia and train with Prime and they send me for the actual CDL license, is there a conflict between the permit state and the licensing state (especially if that licensing state is not my state of domicile)?

You will need to take the test in the state that issued the permit 3. I know Prime has refrigerated and dry freight, flatbed, and tanker. Are there any other types of endorsements I would need? (VA endorsements include hazardous, tank, passenger, school bus, and double-triple trailer.)

Depends on what you want to run. If you think you might want tank (I think Prime has food grade, refer to Daniel on this, tough gig for a new driver), get that endorsement, same with hazmat. 4. VA requires a designation of air or non-air brakes. If I do not take the air brakes exam I cannot drive a vehicle with air brakes. I'm assuming from what I've seen about the pretrip check that trucks have air brakes? (No laughing, I'm super green at this! Hahahaha!) It also allows for "combination vehicles". Should I study/take that as well?

You will need "air-brakes", so yes. 5. Assuming I can get to Prime in the spring (sometime between March and May of 2016) how long is a permit valid? If it's 6 months or less I'll just take the tests closer to my target leave date, which gives me more study time. But if I feel confident that I could pass the tests earlier, would obtaining the permit several months prior to my departure be a bad idea?

180 days and I think you can renew it once for another 6 months if need be Thanks in advance!

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.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

Sorry for that last post, cleaned it up a bit:

I'm planning on going to Prime in the early spring, so I've decided that getting my CDL permit before I go would give me an edge during the orientation period. I'm trying to narrow down what to study for, and it looks like that is determined by where I obtain my permit and what types of vehicles I'll be driving/load I'll be hauling. So this leads me to several questions:

1. If I go with Prime and live in Virginia, will my Virginia permit be ok while I'm training in another state?

YES

2. If I get my permit in Virginia and train with Prime and they send me for the actual CDL license, is there a conflict between the permit state and the licensing state (especially if that licensing state is not my state of domicile)?

You will need to take the test in the state that issued the permit

3. I know Prime has refrigerated and dry freight, flatbed, and tanker. Are there any other types of endorsements I would need? (VA endorsements include hazardous, tank, passenger, school bus, and double-triple trailer.)

Depends on what you want to run. If you think you might want tank (I think Prime has food grade, refer to Daniel on this, tough gig for a new driver), get that endorsement, same with hazmat.

4. VA requires a designation of air or non-air brakes. If I do not take the air brakes exam I cannot drive a vehicle with air brakes. I'm assuming from what I've seen about the pretrip check that trucks have air brakes? (No laughing, I'm super green at this! Hahahaha!) It also allows for "combination vehicles". Should I study/take that as well?

You will need "air-brakes", so yes.

5. Assuming I can get to Prime in the spring (sometime between March and May of 2016) how long is a permit valid? If it's 6 months or less I'll just take the tests closer to my target leave date, which gives me more study time. But if I feel confident that I could pass the tests earlier, would obtaining the permit several months prior to my departure be a bad idea?

180 days and I think you can renew it once for another 6 months if need be

Thanks in advance!

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.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

Oh! One more: It has a section for combination vehicles. I'm presuming I need to study for that as well?

Basically, should I just memorize everything from cover to cover in the training manual they have online? Hahahahaha!

Yes to "combination"

Combination Vehicle:

A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.

Miss Miyoshi's Comment
member avatar

Thanks G-Town! I appreciate the info.

So a follow up question or two:

According to the Prime info on here tanker requires 1 year of experience first, so I won't be eligible right away. Should I still take tanker/hazardous endorsement tests?

After training, do they send me home to take the CDL then I go back to Prime to pick up a truck?

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.
G-Town's Comment
member avatar

Thanks G-Town! I appreciate the info.

You're welcome!

So a follow up question or two:

According to the Prime info on here tanker requires 1 year of experience first, so I won't be eligible right away. Should I still take tanker/hazardous endorsement tests?

Probably not a bad idea, you never know where this job will take you.

After training, do they send me home to take the CDL then I go back to Prime to pick up a truck?

I don't specifically know how Prime does this. All things PRIME, refer to Daniel. A call to PRIME wouldn't hurt. I am sure Daniel or Brett will respond when they are able.

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.
Miss Miyoshi's Comment
member avatar

Yeah, I know a couple of Prime people are on here, and I'm hoping they chime in. I'm holding off calling anyone at any company since I'm not ready, and I understand recruitment is sales, and from what I've read recruiters might not be able to (correctly) answer questions like these.

I'm weighing whether or not I should just take a CDL class here in VA and go to Prime as a CDL licensed trainee or just do the initial prep and learn everything there. I almost feel like I should do it all local, so that if I am just THAT dunderheaded that I can't learn to shift properly, back a trailer, and/or can't pass the actual licensing test, I will not have wasted a company's time and I'll be closer to home. (Wouldn't look forward to a 2 day greyhound bus trip home with that kind of failure to think about the whole way home.)

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.
Miss Miyoshi's Comment
member avatar

So, is there a difference in the training you'll get between a private school and a company sponsored training program? I'm still considering Prime's training, but wondered if I should do private at home instead and just go to Prime a couple of steps ahead of the game.

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

So, is there a difference in the training you'll get between a private school and a company sponsored training program? I'm still considering Prime's training, but wondered if I should do private at home instead and just go to Prime a couple of steps ahead of the game.

The training is pretty similar. Company-sponsored training will give you more company-specific materials where a private school will teach you things that apply across the board. Company-sponsored training is faster paced and they tend to send people home if they aren't able to maintain a certain pace of learning. Private schools are a little slower paced and they'll work with you a little more patiently overall.

If you know you want to work for one of the companies that offer training then go to their school directly. If you're not sure where you'd like to work and you can afford a private school then that's the way to go.

In the end both types of schooling will work out just fine. One isn't necessarily better than the other, just different.

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.

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

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