Fastest Way To Go From A Class B To A Class A ?
Topic 12674 | Page 1
I'd say any company sponsored school could help you out.
Tom The Bacon Pirate wrote:
I already have a Class B with air brakes certification, and I have decided to upgrade. Any suggestions?
I really don't want to have to go back to square one.
Are there any companies that have been known to have dealt with this situation?
Welcome Tom.
Like Sue suggested, any of the company sponsored schools will get you from B to A. As far as square one, most if not all of the major carriers want to see a school certificate. So IMO the sponsored training route is your best path to an upgrade.
Here are a couple of links that can assist you in researching this further:
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
As others have elaborated.
If you're going from straight truck to combinations - you're going to have to start at the bottom of the tractor trailer totem pole.
This (usually) means signing on with a company, that does training - or going to a 3rd party school to get your Class A.
This involves the written portion of the tests, and the pre-trip/skills (yard & road tests), which, despite having some commercial driving experience in a straight truck, is a totally different animal.
Most companies are also going to want HazMat and Tanker endorsements (Prime, etc.), as even "portable tanks", over certain quantities require a tanker endorsement (even when carried in a van).
So, sorry to say, in essence - this does "look like" you are "starting from square one".
Rick
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
Depending on what you were driving, like a super 16 or super 18 is a lot better experience towards getting a class A than say, a school bus. The hard thing is you will need to master the yard skills which involve backing up with the trailer, and pass the yard and road driving tests. The fastest way to get your cdl A probably wont be the best way to land a job but really we would need more information. What do you want to do with your CDL-A, who would you be working for...do you want to go OTR...whats the ultimate goal. Tell the nice folks here where you want to end up and they can tell you the best way to get there.
Phil
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.
To start with, I'd like to be able to simply drive a dump truck with a trailer on it. Beyond that however, I'm looking towards a future where I might be doing regional or even cross country.
All of the above, from the "lowly" construction equipment driver to the long haul guys and gals, all have get the same license, CDL-A.
I'm starting with a local ready mix company next week, where I can get my feet wet, so to speak. I'd like to work my way up to a full sized semi, and see if it's even something that I'm gonna like before I get tied into a contract with prime and then find out that I'm not cut out for this line of work.
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
If the construction company will allow it, get your CDL learners permit, study the combination vehicles section here on the training program to pass that part at the DMV , you already have passed air brakes and general knowledge to get you B so maybe you don't have to retake those. What you will need to do is get some practice in with a class A vehicle, then be able to pass the yard skills test which involves backing...alley dock, parallel park, straight back, offset back, and I think that's it, might be one I am forgetting, and a thorough pre-trip with air brake check. Then you must pass a road test with a state inspector or 3rd party tester. Another way to go is to take a CDL class at a local college or branch. That's what I did for my cdl-a.
Phil
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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I already have a Class B with air brakes certification, and I have decided to upgrade. Any suggestions?
I really don't want to have to go back to square one.
Are there any companies that have been known to have dealt with this situation?