Obtaining a CDL

How have some of you obtained your cdl? Did the company you were working for assist you? Truck driving school? I obtained my cdl learner's permit on my own, but the company I am working for will not give me the opportunity to practice driving and the truck driver's will not talk me through a pretrip inspection. Thank you.

In my area there is or was an independent rental yard that has some old flatbed trucks they use for training or testing. To drive train you just pay the rental rate, and the instructor (owner) goes with you. If you want to play around with the pre-trip, he lets you do that in the yard for free. For the drive test, standard rental rate. I already knew how to drive so I wound up paying I think 2 hours rental in total. It was around $90 to $100 per hour but that was a long time ago. So contact rental yards, etc. and see what they say.

I'm an electrician. I bought a truck, partnered on a trailer, and set out to get a CDL. I passed the permit test easily, then I passed the computer test with flying colors, made my appointment for road test. I was told I was exempt from medical card if I limited my travel to in state. I had to find a licensed CDL driver to accompany me to my test. I borrowed a newer truck, and trailer belonging to the driver I recruited, as I worried mine might not pass close inspection. Arriving for my test I was asked for my medical card. I responded that I was told I didn't need one for in state travel. He responded: "Who told you that?" I said: "You did." "Oh", he said, " the law is going to change soon, we're enforcing it now." Discouraged, I went to my regular doctor. He really vented! He snapped at his office staff for making the appointment. He was angry about the treatment he had received from VT DMV. He is qualified to teach the course, but DMV insisted he spend a week at great expense to be trained how to administer physicals. Ultimately, I got my medical card, but was warned to seek it elsewhere in future. Next appointment, DMV had no record of me having an appointment! I was out of luck! Next, I failed the pre trip inspection. I failed to inspect the landing gear or the headboard on the trailer. I pointed out it wasn't equipped with either. He responded that I needed to mention that there was none. Also I failed to inspect windshield, or mirrors. I explained that I had inspected them prior to driving twenty odd miles to get there. Final trip, my borrowed truck, and trailer along with driver backed out three days before. I spent a bunch of money last minute on my truck, and tracked down a retired long haul trucker to accompany me. I spent two hours on pre trip inspection. The tester finally cut me off, saying he didn't have time. Backing into the dock I find challenging, but did well that day. The road trip went well. If I count the trip to the doctor, it took seven trips to Rutland. Four I had to borrow a truck, and impose on a CDL licensed driver to test. I had the distinct sense VT DMV didn't want me to have a license. Willie

I don't have the resources to get a truck, so I will probably just have to find a trucker to help me on the weekends and pay him.

I would suggest you complete all the written tests, then sign up at a CDL training school. you should be able to complete the training in one day, then using their truck, go take the test the next day. School scheduled everything with the DPS test center. My son-in-law did it that way down in Dallas. His brother did the same thing. The school provided a single axle tractor with automatic trans., and a shorty trailer. No safety issues to fail on the test truck they provide.

An automatic transmission will get you an automatic restricted license.

I paid 500 bucks to use a truck with a synchronized tranny and a short trailer. Guy had all the cheats which I didn't use but they made it about fool proof. I got the permit myself, many in my family have cdl's and had copy's of the tests. So look for a training class that goes over the Pretrip and let's you use the truck for the test. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It has been a long time since they let you take home tests in my state. But they used to be pretty useful. Now they are done on computer. I had to go in for a hazmat re-test as usual every couple of years. A lot of the questions I had never seen before. And as usual a lot of them were stupid and the right answer unclear. So the paper tests may be of limited use. Still I am sure studying them is better than nothing.

Vermont provides a manual to study. Read through a couple times, paying attention, it's easy to pass the written test. Many questions are hair splitters . The "correct" answer is a quote from the book. There might be other correct answers, but yours must be exact quote from the manual. There is a commercial driving school, cost is staggering! If you seek your CDL to get a truck driving job, it's a way without investing in a truck. Maybe that makes sense. Willie

Birken Vogt said: An automatic transmission will get you an automatic restricted license. Click to expand... Did the Fed's change the rule? I know states can be stricter on their CDL rules but at a minimum have to follow Fed rules. I got my Class A back in mid 2000's in an auto and have no restriction.

CM1995 said: Did the Fed's change the rule? I know states can be stricter on their CDL rules but at a minimum have to follow Fed rules. I got my Class A back in mid 2000's in an auto and have no restriction. Click to expand... Same for me took, the test in an auto and have no restrictions. Another option I've heard some volunteer fire departments will help there people get a CDL

It is getting harder in Texas. We have a local DPS office co-located with a drivers license office, but we still have to drive 75 miles to Abilene to take a CDL test. Out of the 20 or so people we sent over for a test, only 1 has passed. My long time drivers who escort my new drivers to Abilene, tell me that the new standards are unrealistic and downright stupid in some cases.

Back when I tested for my CDL, there was a private testing business that allowed me to do it on a Saturday. That saved me the hassle of going to a state facility and dealing with the attitudes of state employees who are notoriously ill mannered in these situations. My licensed driver backed out on me at the last minute so I just drove my truck and trailer the 50+ miles over to the city by myself. No grief from the private tester for this, either. I think the cost was $75 back in the mid 90's for the test. I passed and got legal after driving without the license for over 2-3 years. I was ALWAYS nervous about getting caught without the license and it was worth it just to stay relaxed when driving an overweight - oversize truckload. Just to avoid the hassles and stay out of city traffic, it was well worth it to me to pay the extra for a private test.

treemuncher said: Back when I tested for my CDL, there was a private testing business that allowed me to do it on a Saturday. That saved me the hassle of going to a state facility and dealing with the attitudes of state employees who are notoriously ill mannered in these situations. My licensed driver backed out on me at the last minute so I just drove my truck and trailer the 50+ miles over to the city by myself. No grief from the private tester for this, either. I think the cost was $75 back in the mid 90's for the test. I passed and got legal after driving without the license for over 2-3 years. I was ALWAYS nervous about getting caught without the license and it was worth it just to stay relaxed when driving an overweight - oversize truckload. Just to avoid the hassles and stay out of city traffic, it was well worth it to me to pay the extra for a private test. Click to expand... I drove without CDL for a while. My truck is titled at 26000, nameplate is 27500 Without trailer, I reasoned I'd get an a$s reaming from a cop, but no fine. With trailer, they ALWAYS give fines. Also, truck has air brakes. I called VT DMV twice before buying the truck. I got differing answers. One said under 26000 needs no air brake endorsement, over 26000 does. The other said air requires air brake endorsement regardless of weight. I've read manuals, they don't address trucks under 26000 with air. Over 26000, or towing a trailer loaded weight exceeding 10000 needs CDL. Willie

CM1995 said: Did the Fed's change the rule? I know states can be stricter on their CDL rules but at a minimum have to follow Fed rules. I got my Class A back in mid 2000's in an auto and have no restriction. Click to expand... They have been tightening up on states in the last 3-5 years it seems. Used to be in California you could take the test in a pintle hook trailer and didn't have to do some of the exercises. There was a company that advertised in the DMV manual that had a very small flatbed Peterbilt with air brakes, 5 speed synchro stick and a pintle trailer. Then the Fed regulations came in and that will get you a pintle trailer restriction, now. This also happened about the time they started getting really hard on doctor's offices. My primary doctor was griping the time before last and now will not do them at all and I had to go to a different doctor.

I couldn't find a fifth wheel rig to test with. I've never driven a fifth wheel truck. A gooseneck, or fifth wheel camper is much easier to back into a dock. By all accounts a fifth wheel rig is easier to dock. That in my opinion was the only challenging aspect of a CDL test. Stuffing a pintle trailer into an imaginary loading dock is tricky. The dimensions if I recall were 90 degree, seventy feet grand total width, and the corner cone was 25 feet from the "wall" It seems the "dock" was 16 feet wide. Truck, and trailer are 56 feet long. With a fifth wheel you can jackknife the trailer, while the truck is still parallel to the road. Then you follow the trailer. With an A frame pintle you can't turn the trailer to truck more than perhaps 45 degrees. Backing around a wide radius turn, no problem. turning 90 degrees around a traffic cone is much tougher. My license has a fifth wheel exclusion. I want to challenge that rule. Willie

Just searched Arkansas CDL classes and it looks like a number of community colleges offer programs. Just a place to look

Willie B said: I drove without CDL for a while. My truck is titled at 26000, nameplate is 27500 Without trailer, I reasoned I'd get an a$s reaming from a cop, but no fine. With trailer, they ALWAYS give fines. Also, truck has air brakes. I called VT DMV twice before buying the truck. I got differing answers. One said under 26000 needs no air brake endorsement, over 26000 does. The other said air requires air brake endorsement regardless of weight. I've read manuals, they don't address trucks under 26000 with air. Over 26000, or towing a trailer loaded weight exceeding 10000 needs CDL. Willie Click to expand... Airbrake test is a separate written test and endorsement than CDL. It is required any time you drive a vehicle with air brakes but in most cases accompany a CDL. Licensing a truck to 26,000 does not make you exempt from a CDL if the truck has a nameplate of 27500. Probably not get checked if it looks like a 26,000 gross truck but if you did you would be in violation. When towing a trailer exceeding 10,000 lbs you still need a medical card if you are driving commercially. That is also gross manufacturers ratings for truck and trailer. A 3/4 ton pickup and a 3,000 lb trailer requires a medical certificate. Our equipment supt got nailed on that one at a scale few years ago delivering a new Chevy pickup and a small empty enclosed 6 X 8 ft trailer to a jobsite.

Here the airbrake endorsement is a component of the CDL. A trailer rated at over 10,000 regardless of truck weight is the issue. The manufacturer creates the title, so VT enforcement would recognize the manufacturer's weight. A very zealous cop might challenge the discrepancy between title, and nameplate. One would not want to be caught loaded over 26000. Willie

Check the price on the A CDL course, a guy I know did it and it cost him $3,500.00 The written test was pretty easy, look for the quotes in the book that answer the sample questions. Also, the parking lot they use here at the DMV is open on the weekends if you want to practice some of the procedures...