When Can I Get My CDL Endorsements?
Topic 756 | Page 1
I believe you can take them with your permit test but I'm not positive. Not sure of cost either. I didn't see any fees when I was looking on the missouri dmv site but it was confusing. I assumed there wasn't an extra charge when done with the other tests. Theexception being hazmat and thst is around $80 I think because of the finger printing and background test. You also may have to go somewhere else to get that stuff done.
I'm going to a company sponsored program and I'm going to get the permit and whatever endorsements I can prior to going except for hazmat. They said that I can do the hazmat when I go there and they will finance it. I'd call the dmv and/or your recruiter if no one on here knows for sure. I'm sure someone does though
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
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.
Thanks Britton I am going the opposite way and paying for everything myself unless I can find a grant or something. I am lucky enough to be able to afford to but I need to plan everything almost to the last dollar to make it work. Thanks for the info.
Patrick,
You can get the endorsments when you get your permit. They are fairly cheap (in VA), only a couple of dollars per year. The one that costs the most is the HazMat and in VA is $90, you take your test on the computer and get your finger prints done right at the DMV ( only certain DMVs do the finger prints so look it up before you walk into one) and it takes about one week for the background check.
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
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.
Patrick, I believe for Class A ( if you are not driving Bus/ Coach ) you can get DT= doubles triples and Tanker. Study the High Road Training Program under those sections. Super easy ! Get your tanker before HazMat , then you get an X endorsement ( Covers hazardous tanker ) $ 2.50 each at the time of your permit. If you have not got your permit, study Gen Knowledge GK, Combination CMB and AirBrakes AB... here at "High Road" before you get your permit. Every one is right HAZMAT is around 80+_ bucks for fingerprints/ background check...
For the permit Study Gen Knowldege, Combination Vehicles, and Airbrakes. get permit. Study tanker and doubles triples then get those two endorsements. Then study Hazmat like for awhile, ( huge section )Then your can get that endorsement.
You can do it how you like, though I did it in that order.
Do not worry about pretrip, hours of service, cargo handlening, and such, cause private or co sponsered CDL training covers all that stuff. So much to learn, pace yourself. Good Luck
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
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.
Thanks yall I got a lot of studying to do.
Do not worry about pretrip, hours of service, cargo handlening, and such, cause private or co sponsered CDL training covers all that stuff.
What do you mean don't worry about those? Of course you worry about those. You want to learn that stuff now while you're sitting in the comfort of your own home and you have time. You don't want to wait until you show up for training and then have to cram it in all at once. Now is the perfect time to learn all of the materials.
The reason I built the High Road Training Program is because the training at these truck driving schools is all about cramming as much stuff in your head as fast as they can and rushing you through the exams before you forget. But that's obviously not the best way to learn a large volume of materials in a way that's going to stick with you and be useful on the road when you need them.
The training you're doing isn't for just passing a test. The training is so you know how to do your job when the time comes. And you're going to need all of the materials in the High Road Training Program or they wouldn't be there. Get the entire course completed before you begin Truck Driving Schools or Company-Sponsored Training if at all possible. That's going to give you the best possible chance at a successful start to your career and prevent a whole lot of stress.
As far as getting the endorsements, you can get them as soon as you get your permit. You can even take them all at the same time. The Hazmat is the only one that will cost more and take more time because of the fingerprinting and background checks. But the others are just a short written exam that costs very little (how much will vary from state to state) and take about 20 minutes each to complete.
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
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Brett I'm sorry. I did not mean to devalue the rest of the material. You have put together a great source of good info. My only point was , in order to obtain permit. Gk cmb and ab is all that is needed. . I will refrain from posting advice, i kind of did this on a real fast track. I did not have the kind of time before obtaing a license . I totally agree with you about the need to learn and know all of the sections to properly perform all duties required. Again Brett, I meant no disinformation to anyone.
Hey don't sweat it Ken. No harm done. 
And since you mentioned taking what is required to get the permit, here's how the sections in the High Road CDL Training Program apply to getting your trucking career started for those who are wondering:
Getting Your Permit:
Rules & Regulations
Driving Safely
Transporting Cargo Safely
Air Brakes
Combination Vehicles
Pre-Trip Inspection
Driving Exam
Getting your endorsements, which are optional for some jobs but required for others:
Transporting Passengers
Doubles And Triples
Tankers
Hazardous Materials
And two sections we've built ourselves with info you'll need for everyday life on the road but the CDL Manual doesn't really cover it:
Logbook
Weight & Balance
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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.
Brett, When I went in to our DMV to get the manual they said I would only need to study these portions in order to return to obtain a permit:
Section 5 Air Brakes Section 6 Combination Vehicles Section 14 Special Requirements for TX Commercial Vehicles
SO, I thought I'd get that done, go in and get permit and go from there (be all set up cdl school).
What do you think? -Davey
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.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
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.
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I read the info on here several months ago but I cant seem to find it now. When do you take the endorsement exams and what do they normally cost (ballpark)? I want to go ahead and get everything up front and be done with it.