Got Accepted To CDL Training Any Advice?
Topic 1803 | Page 1
Theres alot to do before you go to school !!! you need to get your permit, endorsements, pack your stuff, get your bills, etc in order, store your stuff if necessary....and STUDY STUDY STUDY theHigh Road Training Program So were I you, I'd aim for the January start date. AND its the holidays...so you will be in and out of school during that, which will mean either away from family, or at the very least, your school time will be broken up...I'd go for January...
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.
Drew. first of all congrats for getting accepted. I had the same situation, however I had already spent some time (about 1 solid week) going through the high road program. I did my process in 11 calendar days. Had I not already had most of the high road done I could never have been successful. I in fact am on the road now to Marshfield WI to start Roehl's CDL school on Monday. I made a slight detour though to see my sister on the way. I'm currently in Hot Springs Ar. By the way who is the lucky school to get you?????
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.
Thanks guys. I'm going with Millis PJ, congrats to you too.
Now this may be a stupid question but do I take the tests for the endorsements at the same time I test for my permit or when I test for my cdl? And since it appears Millis is mostly regional and dedicated if I wanted to move to a different company later on would it count as otr experience, or would I be viewed as a new driver?
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.
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.
Now this may be a stupid question but do I take the tests for the endorsements at the same time I test for my permit or when I test for my cdl?
Actually that's a great question. You can get your endorsements anytime, but it's best to get them as soon as possible. If you feel up to taking all of the tests in one day and the DMV is setup to do it, then go for it. If you'd rather break it up into a couple of days, that's fine too. Some people get their CDL before going for the endorsements but you don't want to do that. While you're in the mode of learning/studying/testing get it all out of the way. Once you get your CDL and it's time to head out on the road the last thing in the world you'll feel like doing is more studying and testing. Your life will be busy enough as it is.
Now some states won't let you get your Hazmat endorsement until after you've gotten your CDL. So you'll have to find out your state's procedures on that.
And since it appears Millis is mostly regional and dedicated if I wanted to move to a different company later on would it count as otr experience, or would I be viewed as a new driver?
Another great question. As long as you're driving in at least two states (interstate) it's considered OTR experience. If you stay within one state (intrastate) a lot of companies consider that local work and don't count it as OTR. Almost all regional and dedicated runs will encompass more than one state so it will count as OTR.
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
Dedicated Run:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
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.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
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.
You take the endorsement tests at the same time that you take your permit test. You could take the General, Air Brakes, and Combination Vehicles to get your permit and then take your endorsements a few days later. Just make sure you take those endorsement tests before you take your CDL license test. Its very difficult to study for an endorsement when you're out on the road so get it done now while you have the time.
If you work for Millis and then want to move to a different company a year later you will be considered experienced and not a rookie. You won't work for Millis and then go to an OTR company having to start out as a rookie who never drove a truck. You'll come in with experience on your belt.
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.
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.New Reply:
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Well hello everyone. I've been browsing this site for about a while now and never really felt like chiming in until now. See I got a call a day ago from a trucking company to attend there CDL training (which I learned about from this site btw). Now my options are to leave mid November or an undetermined date in January. Now is 2 weeks enough time to get the cdl permit and dot medical or would I be better off waiting until January? Is there any thing I need to know? Anything you could tell me would be helpful.
Thanks
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.