CDL School - 160 Hours
Topic 19828 | Page 1
My question is, how important is it that I have 160 hours of instruction (even if I may not need that much)? Obviously, if I need that much I would do it. I have heard that 160 hours of school is very important, but I'm not sure why, as long as I can pass the CDL driving test. Does anyone know if not having 160 hours on a certificate is going to end up being a problem for getting employment? Any insights would be appreciated.
Technically speaking, have a certificate of completion for a 160 hour course is what the companies need. If the school will certify that you've had 160 hours and they'll give you the standard certificate then that would probably work.
However, as you can imagine, that could obviously backfire if the school won't give you the standard certificate or it somehow gets out that you didn't complete the entire course, even though the part you skipped was only classroom prep work for the permit.
You might ask the school if they'll let you use that week to do get some extra practice with shifting and backing out in the yard instead. That certificate is critical to getting hired with a major company and you'd hate to get yourself in a bind over one measly week of training, you know what I mean? I totally understand exactly what you're asking and it makes perfect sense that you should be able to skip that week, but with something this important I think you might be better served putting in the full 160 hours one way or another.
Trust me, there's a lot more to learn than just the materials for the permit exam. You're still going to learn a lot in the classroom and you'll get to ask whatever questions you may have.
You should check out our High Road Training Program if you haven't already, and go through the sections on Logbook and Weight And Balance. Those are materials that won't get covered well during your schooling but they're critical for doing your job out there.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Even though they may test you early, they'll likely have you come in to "punch the clock." In that case, they'd hold your certificate until you satisfy the 160hr requirement. They probably don't wanna run the risk of losing their license over something like that. And they won't be the first school that would do this.
I was the first person to successfully test out in my class. I tested out on my first try and the day before the course finished. I still had to come back the next day.
The "160 Hour Certificate" course, while not yet a requirement - is what trucking companies are using as the standard for "recent grads".
FMCSA has been kicking around training standards, though they are not yet a requirement by FMCSA regs yet.
Private schools, tend to be shorter in duration than Public (County VoTech or Community College), but cost more ($4-5K versus $2K).
Even if you "test early" - you want to take advantage of EVERY HOUR of training they offer - you're paying for it - you're ENTITLED TO IT.
Keep in mind, the purpose of these schools are to GET YOUR YOUR CDL. They teach the minimum required to do so, and do the "160 Hour Certificate", because that's what companies are looking for.
Rick
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
Fm:
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.
The "160 Hour Certificate" course, while not yet a requirement - is what trucking companies are using as the standard for "recent grads".
FMCSA has been kicking around training standards, though they are not yet a requirement by FMCSA regs yet.
Private schools, tend to be shorter in duration than Public (County VoTech or Community College), but cost more ($4-5K versus $2K).
Even if you "test early" - you want to take advantage of EVERY HOUR of training they offer - you're paying for it - you're ENTITLED TO IT.
Keep in mind, the purpose of these schools are to GET YOUR YOUR CDL. They teach the minimum required to do so, and do the "160 Hour Certificate", because that's what companies are looking for.
Rick
This is 100% accurate. GET ALL 160 HOURS IN. Most companies WILL NOT HIRE YOU without BARE MINIMUM 160 HOURS of training COMPLETED.
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
Fm:
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.New Reply:
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I am 61, starting a new career, going to go to a CDL school in California; I am planning to pay my own way, and I already have my CDL Permit, all the endorsements, DOT card, and TWIC. I am looking at a particular school (California Truck Driving Academy) who said that I can do it in three weeks instead of 4 since I don't need to get my permit On their website they say the course for Class A license is 160 hours, however, they told me they will train me to get the license, and as soon as they feel I am ready, I can take the test, even if that is less than 160 hours. In other words the 160 hours includes prep for the permit test, which I don't need. My question is, how important is it that I have 160 hours of instruction (even if I may not need that much)? Obviously, if I need that much I would do it. I have heard that 160 hours of school is very important, but I'm not sure why, as long as I can pass the CDL driving test. Does any one know if not having 160 hours on a certificate is going to end up being a problem for getting employment? Any insights would be appreciated.
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.
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.