If you plan to drive a commercial vehicle or combination of vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating over 26,000 lbs, you need your CDL — or Commercial Driver\u2019s License.<\/p>\n
I recommend a Class A CDL.\u00a0 There are other endorsements as well for things like Air Brakes, Mazmat, Doubles and Triples and then Passengers.\u00a0 Please refer to the Commercial Driver’s License Handbook for your respective state to be certain you have all the correct information for your location.<\/p>\n
For the purposes of this blog post, I\u2019ll\u00a0cover the GVWR\u00a0(gross vehicle weight rating) issue, not the other endorsements.<\/p>\n
Several\u00a0years ago, I learned the hard way that I needed a CDL.\u00a0 I was in South Dakota, hauling a boat on my trailer for a friend\u00a0of mine, when I was stopped by DOT enforcement. \u00a0Based on the classifications of what I was hauling, my vehicle and the\u00a0model of the trailer, my GVWR was 26,150lbs, a buck fifty\u00a0over the limit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I explained to the officer I was driving a \u00be ton pickup\u00a0truck, not a semi, to which he replied, and I quote: \u201cI don\u2019t care what you are\u00a0driving.\u00a0 You need a Class A CDL to move it any farther.\u201d He then he gave me three\u00a0choices:\u00a0 a) leave my cargo, b) find\u00a0someone with a CDL to drive it for me or c) keep driving down the road and be taken to jail.<\/p>\n
While I was mulling my options at the truck stop just beyond where I was pulled over, I called the\u00a0trailer manufacturer to determine how they classified the trailer weight.\u00a0 In the process, I discovered from the\u00a0customer service rep that they classify the trailer weight 25% over the actual\u00a0weight, meaning my trailer weighed 200 lbs less than was classified. What a glorious moment!<\/p>\n
I was\u00a0able to get that fact in writing, showed the paperwork to the DOT officials, and was on my way down the highway UNDER 26,000 lbs.\u00a0 While a technicality — and I might add, some quick thinking on my part — kept me from going to jail or taking money out of my\u00a0pocket, I learned my lesson.\u00a0 When I got\u00a0back to Seattle, I got into a Commercial driver training program. I often wonder if
\nthat officer has seen the show and remembered me.\u00a0 These were some of \u201cthose days\u201d!<\/p>\n
Expect driver training to cost about $5,000. You\u2019ll come out of it with your CDL, which essentially serves as your diploma. Generally these run 5 days a week for a month, so you really can\u2019t work during this time \u2013 it\u2019s definitely a commitment you\u2019ll need to make.<\/p>\n
They are designed for those who know nothing about driving a truck and all that\u2019s involved with it. You learn how to shift, how to hook up your trailer, how to drive with the trailer, how to back up, etc. You take a written test a couple weeks in and then you get out in the yard and then the road a bit.<\/p>\n
To be really clear, you don\u2019t come out of it as Mr. Experience when driving a Class 8 vehicle. It simply doesn\u2019t work that way, much the same way when you got your license as a teenager \u2013 you passed the written and driving tests but it didn\u2019t mean you were experienced in the rules of the road. That takes time and simply putting in the miles.<\/p>\n
This License gives you the ability go\u00a0out and learn legally. There is much to know and learn from that point on. Don\u2019t\u00a0expect to get a bunch of high fives from all the experienced drivers on the\u00a0road. You are just another rookie in their eyes. It is not for everyone and not\u00a0every has the natural ability to be a good driver. Just remember it takes many\u00a0miles and lots of lessons! Do a good job and stick to it and you might get some\u00a0respect!<\/p>\n
I personally really enjoyed the driving\u00a0school experience. I did learn many things and I had driven many miles before I\u00a0went there. I drove a straight truck (hoopie) for local 174 in Seattle for many
\nyears as young man. \u00a0I knew I\u00a0wanted to get into this life and I was making an investment and commitment to\u00a0do it. I had a\u00a0plan from the get go and it started with Uship. This is when I knew
\nI had to be all in, or leave it behind.<\/p>\n
My advice for people who ask me about\u00a0going big or going home, I tell them that trucking can be a very rewarding\u00a0experience, and\u00a0you can make good money, even great money, but every step in the\u00a0set-up process will cost you time and money, just like it does starting any\u00a0other type of business.\u00a0 These setup\u00a0costs shouldn\u2019t discourage you.\u00a0 Just be\u00a0ready for them.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/p>\n
Driver training is a core necessity when getting into trucking \u2013 both for the diploma and getting behind the wheel \u2013 but it takes time to become an experienced driver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you plan to drive a commercial vehicle or combination of vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating over 26,000 lbs, you need your CDL — or Commercial Driver\u2019s License. I recommend a Class A CDL.\u00a0 There are other endorsements as well for things like Air Brakes, Mazmat, Doubles and Triples and then Passengers.\u00a0 Please refer… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[89,93,95],"class_list":["post-4340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tips","tag-announcements","tag-on-the-marc","tag-shipping-wars"],"acf":{"blog_post_content":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4340\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}