Thank You For The High Road, Brett And Team.

Topic 535 | Page 1

Page 1 of 1
Mark E.'s Comment
member avatar

I really appreciate the High Road program you have developed. I have found it to be the best resource for helping reinforce actually learning and testing your knowledge. I am a little embarrassed to have gotten 3 halts on the same question, but that just taught me to slow down and really understand what the question is asking. I think I only got 75% on doubles and triples, I never read the section in the manual and was trying to get through it to fast. The only downside I can find is some of the factual data does change from state to state. Not much, but Arizona is check your load after the first 50 miles, I think most other states are 25. The stopping distances for AZ are a bit skewed as well. I cant tell you how happy I am to see you and your site (members of the forum) encouraging new people that want a career in trucking with an emphasis on safety and courtesy. The one thing after safety that you emphasize is for a person to actually be sure a career in trucking is what they want. From personal experience I would say take a good look at it before you leap. I grew up around trucks and drove for about a decade. Not OTR. For me OTR was a no go. I Started working in Oregon hauling logs up until 1986, thats when the spotted owl shut the woods down. I loved hauling logs and that is a job I would have done for free. I worked every part of logging until I could legally get into a truck. I loved being in the woods every day. When the woods shut down I ended up in southern AZ hauling anything from heavy equipment to sulfuric acid and Fuel for a company contracted to one of the copper mines down there. That company lost their contract and I moved on to work in another mine, been at this current company for a couple decades, not driving. Why am I here? well, it kinda ****es me off but its the law. Because of my experience in trucks and knowing how to haul heavy equipment, I promised myself I would never pull an unsafe load with a pickup. I couldnt stand the thought of having an accident and killing someone because of my stupidity. Seeing some of the unsafe stuff Joe blow hauls down the road behind his pickup makes me cringe. I ended up with an old ford grade tractor, it weighs about 6K. Figured I be safer with more trailer than I needed and found a nice 3 axle flatbed that fit the bill. Problem, trailer GVW 21K, pickup GVW 9500. Arizona DOT law enforcement has informed me, got to have class A CDL , I am non commercial but it doesn't matter. I could get a lesser trailer and be unsafe but legal (thats the ****er). Guess my situation is why they offer the airbrake restriction. So here I go again back to the books take the test. Drive, get licensed and drive my pickup LOL. I've got two friends that own trucking companies (dirt haulers), in fact one of them had me scheduled to come work for him the day I got hired at my current job. I can brush up in one of their trucks and test with it. Does that make me a truck driver. NO! I wouldnt even attempt it with out least 6 months of local driving. Trucks have really changed (for the better), traffic has really changed (for the worse) and I have really changed ( to be determined later). I extend my best wishes and hope for the safest miles to all those here wishing for a career tucking. Learn from me, if you leave the industry, keep your license, you never know when you might need it. Thanks again for your program. Best Regards

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.

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.

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Hey I'm really glad you liked the High Road Training Program smile.gif

Wish ya the best of luck getting that license back. The trucking industry never lets ya down when it comes to red tape and hoops to jump through - there's always plenty of both!

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.
Mark E.'s Comment
member avatar

Sorry to bring this back to the top, I am sure it will slowly fade away. I wanted to thank you again for your program. I passed the written test with absolute confidence and that was directly related to the High Road Training Program. Yesterday I passed my pre-trip, skills and road test. CDL is mine again. All endorsements except hazmat. Now I can legally haul my tractor down the road with no hassle, LOL. I almost want to be pulled over again. In fact I am going to pull that trailer for two weeks wherever I go just because :) . After being out of it for so long I was surprised to see how fast the rust fell off. Again, I wish all here safe and happy careers in the industry.

Safe travels Best Regards,

M

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

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Hey, that's awesome news!!!! Congrats!!!

It definitely gets exhausting looking over your shoulder all the time out there. I've been there. It's great to hear you're legal now and can relax a little bit.

And I'm glad to hear you were happy with our training program. It really does an awesome job, eh? smile.gif

Page 1 of 1

New Reply:

New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features

Bold
Italic
Underline
Quote
Photo
Link
Smiley
Links On TruckingTruth


example: TruckingTruth Homepage



example: https://www.truckingtruth.com
Submit
Cancel
Upload New Photo
Please enter a caption of one sentence or less:

Click on any of the buttons below to insert a link to that section of TruckingTruth:

Getting Started In Trucking High Road Training Program Company-Sponsored Training Programs Apply For Company-Sponsored Training Truck Driver's Career Guide Choosing A School Choosing A Company Truck Driving Schools Truck Driving Jobs Apply For Truck Driving Jobs DOT Physical Drug Testing Items To Pack Pre-Hire Letters CDL Practice Tests Trucking Company Reviews Brett's Book Leasing A Truck Pre-Trip Inspection Learn The Logbook Rules Sleep Apnea
Done
Done

0 characters so far - 5,500 maximum allowed.
Submit Preview

Preview:

Submit
Cancel

Why Join Trucking Truth?

We have an awesome set of tools that will help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for a great start to your trucking career. Not only that, but everything we offer here at TruckingTruth is 100% free - no strings attached! Sign up now and get instant access to our member's section:
High Road Training Program Logo
  • The High Road Training Program
  • The High Road Article Series
  • The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
  • Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted

Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth

Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:

Apply For Paid CDL Training