Phil i thought you wanted a job making great money and a chance at advancement ? And then you want to become a driver? Those two don't mix. Lol but seriously though thanks for the update
Hey that's great Phil! Good luck on Saturday! Really glad to hear we've helped you get the ball rollin.
Definitely give us an update after the testing on Saturday! 
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I decided to change my career and become a truck driver. I got tired of making poor money with no benefits or room for advancement. I am 47 years old. I have found tons of great information and CDL practice tests on this site and want to express my thanks to you (Brett) for making it available and free.
This Saturday I go for my pre-trip, yard skills, and road driving tests and by midweek I should have my cdl in hand. I have passed all the endorsements including hazmat and have my hazmat background check done and passed, so I will be getting my new CDL next week with air brakes, combination vehicles, tankers, doubles and triples, and hazmat endorsements. I did the practice tests on this website repeatedly until I could get 100% most of the time on each tests, then went into the MVD and passed all tests missing few to none, on the first try.
I have some jobs already lined up with the bigger OTR companies, and I plan to also apply everywhere I can think of locally once I have my CDL in hand. A lot of these want a year or more experience so this is why I have already basically planned to go OTR for a year or more to start. But I will try for a local job first.
So anyway thanks for all the great info and current testing materials and links to companies that hire newbs like me. I am looking forward to my newly chosen career and finding that it is seemingly a great fit for me. We will see however, and Ill keep you posted as things get started.
Again a huge thanks to you for this website Brett, and others who post and share experiences and stories here. It has been a huge help to me in making decisions and passing tests.
Phil
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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
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.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.