Starting School 1/3/17
Topic 17364 | Page 1
The High Road Training Program will have you over prepared. 
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.
Sound like you have it all covered. When you take your test you have the option to skip questions that you might not be sure of, the test will end when you have the min number of correct answers. Good luck
Start sending out applications now. You could easily have several pre-hire letters in you pocket before your training begins. That will be one less thing to distract you during training and help boost your confidence (we all need some of that from time to time). Plus, it will allow you to have a firm start date (and place!). You will also be able to minimize the time between graduation and orientation (if that's important to you).
I'm a big fan of getting most of the hard work out of the way early in the game. It allows you to coast to the finish line (which appeals to my inherently lazy instincts) while everyone else is huffing and puffing under the heavy load.
Give it a try, you won't regret it.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
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.
Sound like you have it all covered. When you take your test you have the option to skip questions that you might not be sure of, the test will end when you have the min number of correct answers. Good luck
Cool, didnt know that!
Start sending out applications now. You could easily have several pre-hire letters in you pocket before your training begins. That will be one less thing to distract you during training and help boost your confidence (we all need some of that from time to time). Plus, it will allow you to have a firm start date (and place!). You will also be able to minimize the time between graduation and orientation (if that's important to you).
I'm a big fan of getting most of the hard work out of the way early in the game. It allows you to coast to the finish line (which appeals to my inherently lazy instincts) while everyone else is huffing and puffing under the heavy load.
Give it a try, you won't regret it.
Working on that now... Trouble for me is I'm not 21 so i have to find local companies that will take me on. Calling one back Monday to schedule a visit/interview next week that's a small excavation company (and pretty much exactly what i want, so any pointers in the dump truck/heavy equipment area would help) and I've spoken to several grain companies but they all said to call back closer to actually having my cdl because they might not have a position available. Understandable, as it's winter.
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
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.
During my break in service I drove a CATepillar 775B, 50 ton Haul Truck. Driving a Haul truck, off road dump, or similar will be good experience with larger equipment. I personally would wait until closer to your 21st birthday to get your CDL-A. The reason is most companies will not accept local for OTR experience.
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.
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Im starting school with my local community college in a few weeks What can i do to prepare for my permit test? Getting my learners permit prior to the start of school. I'm doing the High Road program (which is INCREDIBLY HELPFUL!!) I've also read the cdl manual cover to cover several times. Is there anything else i should be doing, or am i just stressing?? I go for my physical on friday, and will be going to the DOT in the next two weeks to get everything settled for my permit.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.