Planning On Getting Into Trucking As Husband-Wife Team And Have Many Questions

Topic 15406 | Page 1

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Danielle H.'s Comment
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Hi. My name is Danielle. I live in South Florida. My Husband and I have been tinkering with the idea of obtaining our Florida class A CDL's for about a year now. We have now started getting real serious about it and taking necessary steps and putting plans into action. We have had our medical screenings, have been studying religiously for the permit tests for a couple of months now.

We'd visited the licensing office where we will take the tests several months ago and my Husband had attempted to take the general knowledge test once back before I started helping him with studying. He didn't pass and he got discouraged and kind of put the idea on the back burner for a few months until other family members started really encouraging him to try again.

I myself haven't taken any of the tests yet because I wanted to make sure that I was well prepared and studied hard. We are planning on taking our General Knowledge permit tests on my next day off of work, next week.

I have a few questions and if anyone can help me out, I would be very grateful.

- How many questions are on the Florida general knowledge CDL permit test? How many questions are on the air brakes and the combination permit tests? What is the time allotted for taking the tests?

- I know that it it is free the first time that you take the test and if you fail then it's $10 to retake the test. But how many attempts are you allowed to have on taking the test? How long is the waiting period before you can re-apply for testing should you exceed the number of attempts?

- How is job market for trainee permit holders in Florida? What is the average pay / cents per mile for newbies or trainees? How competitive is the job market. How difficult is it to get hired?

-How long do you have to train after obtaining a CDL permit before you can attempt to get the Class A CDL?

I'm sure more questions will come to me later, but for now, this is what is hopping around in my brain.

Thank you for your time and input.

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

Welcome Danielle.

The absolute best place to ask questions like that is on this forum. Here is what we typically suggest to a person "kicking the tires", check out these links:

Of particular interest is the High Road Training Program. This self-study course is designed to take the guess work out of passing the permit exams and also provide additional information relevant to subsequent schooling.

Danielle asked:

- How is job market for trainee permit holders in Florida? What is the average pay / cents per mile for newbies or trainees? How competitive is the job market. How difficult is it to get hired?

There are options in Florida. You could look into Paid CDL Training Programs available in your geography or if you can afford it, attend a private Truck Driving School. Ask the school what companies typically hire their graduates.

Danielle also asked this question:

-How long do you have to train after obtaining a CDL permit before you can attempt to get the Class A CDL?

The minimum you can expect is 160 hours of instruction in school. Their mission job is to teach and instruct on the bare minimum needed to pass the CDL tests. Once the CDL is obtained, the real schooling begins with 6-8 weeks of road training that your new employer will require of a new driver before qualifying you to either solo or teaming.

Good luck and let us know what other questions you have.

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.
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