Restricted Class A

Hello all,

I have been reading the forum and checking out all the great information on this site for about a month and decided to jump in. I am 45 years old and looking for a change. My background has been mostly corrections and public utilities for the last 25 years. I have a Class A that I obtained while working for a county government utility in 1998 to drive a dump truck and pull a backhoe. At the time I tested, there wasn't a tractor trailer available to test in so my Class A is restricted to no tractor trailers.

I have been in management for the last 7 plus years so I'm pretty rusty even driving a dump truck and have never driven a tractor trailer. I plan to attend a driving school and am currently researching the different options. My question is this, will my restricted Class A serve as a permit while I attend training or would the restriction prevent me from driving a tractor trailer even as a student ?

Great website and thanks in advance !

Welcome Doug,

That will depend on the State and the Restriction. Some States (mine) will issue a class A with a no air brake or no fifth wheel restriction or both, for exactly cases like yours where utility workers drive vehicles with hydraulic brakes that hook up to a pintle eye hitch, but the trailer weight is such that it requires a class A to pull it. Your State DMV will be your most authoritative source for an answer since they are the Agency issuing the licenses. Most schools I'm familiar with, the first part of school is all the classwork, etc. required to get the permit, then the practical skills to get the full CDL (as well as Safety, Regulations, Logs and Admin skills (trip planning, map reading etc.)) So, if you are attending a school, the first part will most likely be getting your permit anyway, so no worries.

Also, no worries about rust. It comes off quickly. Best of luck!!

If you are restricted from driving a tractor trailer combination then you will need to get the permit just like everyone else. Your school will not let you drive something that you are restricted from driving. This is an issue that you need to take up with your states DMV and the school you attend. The school should be able to give you a straight answer. My guess is that it won't serve as a permit because of the restriction. In other words, its useless.

Definitely take it up with your states DMV and talk to your school about it for a definite answer.

Thanks for the reply Animal. I will check with Florida DMV. I was mainly concerned if I go to training outside of Florida somewhere if I would have to surrender my current CDL and start from scratch. I had to take air brakes as well as get a tanker endorsement to drive a vac truck so that's the only restriction and only because there was no truck available to test in other than the dump truck and trailer combo.

I'm sure the rust isn't permanent but it will take some work !

That's what I'm afraid of. Its not only useless but could get sticky trying to get a permit without surrendering it and starting from scratch.

Thank you both for the replies.

That's what I'm afraid of. Its not only useless but could get sticky trying to get a permit without surrendering it and starting from scratch.

Thank you both for the replies.

That's exactly what I think will happen.

But even then it won't be so bad. Getting a permit isn't very difficult, and very easy if you study the High Road CDL Training Program.

Everything else will come slowly and you'll eventually start to feel comfortable again. It doesn't set you back as much as you think because even if it wasn't restricted you would still have to do a refresher course. So in the end, you will still have to spend time in the yard practicing whether it was restricted or not.

I just renewed it on my birthday lol. I plan to study as if I never had a CDL and I have zero experience driving a tractor trailer so I have no illusion that I can jump in and drive one, I just hate paying twice lol. I can see having to pay for a regular operators license if I surrender my CDL and then having to pay for the permit. I will check with DMV and just get on with it I guess. Maybe I will be surprised and they will have a way for me to do it without surrendering my license ... It could happen ....

Spoke with the DMV today and was told I could get a permit without giving up my current CDL. I need to take the written tests to get the permit, take a road test and they will remove the restriction for about 30 dollars. We have tractor trailers in the utility now so I'm thinking about going through the High Road Training Program, getting the permit and doing some driving at work with one of our trainers and try and pass the road test. I will have access to the range we use when we have new hires needing a CDL to drive our utility fleet vehicles to practice on.

I know this won't come close to preparing me to earn a living driving a truck but if I can do it and only have the cost of the permit and road test and I have the restriction removed, seems like a head start ? Would I then be able to go through a refresher training ? I may be off base but I would think a refresher would cost less than attending a complete CDL school ?

I'm not looking for a shortcut, I know I have a lot of learning to do to safely handle a truck, I just want to save as much cost up front as I can and maybe get hired and on the road with a trainer a little sooner. Or I may be completely off base and it doesn't work that way ?

There was a guy in my CDL class who had a Class B license but he went through the entire school the same as me. I don’t know if he had to or not; I never asked him. We even went to the registry together for the written permit tests. FWIW.

Doug, one of the things that these companies that hire inexperienced drivers need is a certificate showing that you have been through a legitimate training program. But if I'm not mistaken and I understand your situation correctly I think you will be OK by doing just as you said. You will get something from the school showing that you have had a refresher course. and since you already had a CDL I think that will be sufficient,

If you have a few companies that you are interested in I would suggest that you call and talk to a recruiter and just tell them that you have a CDL but that you haven't been on the road for a few years. Personally, I wouldn't even mention that it was restricted. Then ask them if you took a refresher course would that be acceptable for getting hired on with them. Check it out first, and they will let you know if you're on the right track.

On a side note, you will soon discover that driving that tractor with a 53 foot trailer is a completely different beast than a dump truck or a two and half ton truck pulling a backhoe. But if you can pass the driving portion of the test you will usually have enough time with a trainer when you get hired, that you will be able to get a good feel for what you are getting into.

There may be some others here who will disagree with me on this advice, but I think it would work out for you if you approached it this way.