New Guy Here
Topic 13290 | Page 1
Welcome Bryan, I'm new here too. LOL!
JJ
Brian & Jim, welcome to Trucking Truth!
Be aware many companies have special programs for vets. I went with Swift, who gives vets a 100% "scholarship" for school tuition. (It still takes a year of driving, though.)
Here's some stuff to get you started:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
The High Road Program is all but guaranteed to get you through your CDL test. 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.
Errol and Jim thanks for the welcome. I've applied for my GI Bill benefits so I should get reimbursed 100% plus a housing allowance when all is said and done and I won't be contractually obligated to any company. It is nice to know that companies do have programs in place for vets though.
I do have a question regarding the testing. I was told by a person at the school I'll be attending that because I already have my class B I won't have to take the general knowledge or air brakes portion of the test. According to her I will only have to take and pass the combination vehicles portion and, of course, the driving skills portion. In your High Road Training Program you have 12 different catagories to study. Which will I need to be able to study and pass since I do have my class B? Will it be just the combination vehicles portion as she told me? Will there be tests on the subjects of cargo safety, weight and balance, logbook , pre-trip inspection , transporting cargo safely and driving safely or are those subjects just "for your information" and not required to get the cdl?
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I'm 45 and am single with no kids so it may be right up my alley.
This is what I'm thinking too because I'm in the same situation, except I'm 39. People in our position are generally outsiders looking in to begin with, so the trucking lifestyle sounds like a really good fit for us. One of the top complaints people have about trucking is being away from home, and that's not really an issue for us. At the very least, we'll be able to avoid one of the things that causes most truckers stress, thus, we can proceed with optimism. I'm new here too, so welcome aboard!
Forgot to mention this in my last post but the reason I asked if those subjects are part of the test or not is because she gave me some study materials specifically for combination vehicles but nothing else. Also, is there a way to go back to a previous post and edit it?
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I would recommend that you take the GK and Air brakes test on High Road and see how you score. Depending on how long you have had your Class B, you may or may not be a little rusty. These are great practice tests and learning tools. It will give you a percentage score as soon as you finish
Here's how our High Road Training Program breaks down:
To Get Your CDL Permit:
- Rules & Regulations
- Driving Safely
- Transporting Cargo Safely
- Air Brakes
- Combination Vehicles
- Pre-Trip Inspection
- Driving Exam
To get your CDL endorsements which are optional but highly recommend:
- Transporting Passengers
- Doubles And Triples
- Tankers
- Hazardous Materials
Two sections we've built ourselves with info you'll need for everyday life on the road:
- Logbook
- Weight & Balance
Two sections for anyone considering flatbed:
- Cargo Securement
- New York State Coil Endorsement
To be honest, I would just study everything for the permit and study for any endorsements you want. We always recommend that you get all of the endorsements so you don't limit your opportunities for better jobs and better freight.
Remember, you're talking about driving an 80,000 pound rig. You're not always going to have an opportunity to stop and look things up when you need to know them. So it's not just about passing a test, it's about having the knowledge you need to keep that rig on the road safely. So study hard.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
I've been lurking around the site for a while, but I've just passed my permit test (thanks for the great training materials, Brett!), and I'm waiting to hear from Roehl regarding a start date. My contact there says there's some delay with the results of my physical for some reason. Because I need to start bringing home a check ASAP, I was wondering if there are any other reputable companies out there that pay during training. How do you feel about Swift, Errol?
Best of luck, Bryan and Jim!
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.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
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Hey all just want to introduce myself. My name is Bryan and I should be starting school next Monday to obtain my class A. Went today and applied for my TWIC card and to get my TSA background check done so I can get my hazmat endorsement. I'll be attending United Trucking in Murfreesboro, TN. I have never had a class A before but at my old job we had to have our class B so we could transport folks on 52 passenger buses on occasion. That job ended recently so I'm going to give this a shot. I'm a vet and in the Army I was an engineer so we had to haul our equipment (dozers, graders, loaders, etc) on 40 ft lowboys. I hope to eventually land a local gig but will take OTR to get some experience. Who knows I may end up liking OTR. I'm 45 and am single with no kids so it may be right up my alley. I will be lurking on the site and if I have questions I will be sure to ask them here so I can get real answers from the experts.
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
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.