English Truck Driver
Topic 13252 | Page 1
Robert wrote:
I am a British truck driver and was wondering what the procedure would be if I want to move to the USA and become a truck driver there I have over 20 years experience as a class 1 driver in the UK . I think I will have to get a cdl licence as mine will no doubt be invalid there but hoping to get some great advice if you could help as really would like to move to the USA
Welcome Robert! 20 years of piloting a lorry through the English countryside, winding, narrow roads, etc. Great respect for you Sir.
Unfortunately this is not going to be easy (you probably already knew that). First you will need a reason to be in the US other than trucking and take up residence. Trucking companies do not sponsor work Visas. I do not know how to further advise you on this part.
Second, once here, you will need to have a valid "non-commercial" drivers license for no less than 1 full year before you can obtain a CDL A permit from the state you are residing in. During that initial first year period of time, gainful employment is strongly suggested since US carriers want to see verifiable work history. Once you have the permit, you will likely need to attend a trucking school here. Your experience although relevant in skills, may not be completely accepted by the US carriers.
The only other thing I could suggest further is to find an English trucking company with an affiliation to a US based carrier. I personally don't know of any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Let us know if you come up with any because this is not the first time we have seen a post like yours.
I wish I had better news for you and could provide more help. Hopefully others can chime in with additional information. Best of 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.
Thank you for the information I do have friends who live in the USA and they would probably sponsor me and my wife , but did not realise that I would have to show a year's driving just a car before I could take a cdl licence as this would be hard for me to find work as only really been a driver all my life . I do know a firm that delivers my company's frozen food to all our shops has been taken over by xpo transport which I think is a American company
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.
Thank you for the information I do have friends who live in the USA and they would probably sponsor me and my wife , but did not realise that I would have to show a year's driving just a car before I could take a cdl licence as this would be hard for me to find work as only really been a driver all my life . I do know a firm that delivers my company's frozen food to all our shops has been taken over by xpo transport which I think is a American company
Yes, even US citizens must show they have a valid drivers license for one year before applying for a CDL.
Many of the LTL companies will hire a new driver to work on the docks, loading unloading, etc. until an opening occurs. Perhaps you could consider that as an option.
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Thank you again for your help I thought I might have to take a new test to drive trucks over there . I didn't realise the rest you have told me about I am going to Las Vegas in June so I will look up a training centre there and stop by and find out a few things when I am there in person . Just a thought will my motorbike licence be valid in the USA
Robert wrote:
Thank you again for your help I thought I might have to take a new test to drive trucks over there . I didn't realise the rest you have told me about I am going to Las Vegas in June so I will look up a training centre there and stop by and find out a few things when I am there in person . Just a thought will my motorbike licence be valid in the USA
I know when I have travelled abroad there were times when I had to get a temporary license in the country I was visiting just to drive. Since you will be in Las Vegas, contacting the Nevada Department of Transportation is probably a good place to get your question answered.
Click here: Nevada State DOT
Best of luck, and if you can let us know what you find out. Thanks for posting on the forum!
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.
I have emailed dot and asked them to let me know what the license rules are regarding trucking so may find out in a couple of days . Thanks for the help with this problem
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.
Thank you again for your help I thought I might have to take a new test to drive trucks over there . I didn't realise the rest you have told me about I am going to Las Vegas in June so I will look up a training centre there and stop by and find out a few things when I am there in person . Just a thought will my motorbike licence be valid in the USA
You are likely going to need to re-test/license for all classes of vehicles, when you move to the USA. Most states have stopped doing motorcycle testing at the DMV itself, instead opting to have companies that do motorcycle safety classes do the testing.
Most trucking companies require Hazmat & TWIC , for which you will have to have at least a green card (permanent residence status).
Also, if you have a year where you are not behind the wheel OTR - many/most companies will require at the least a refresher, or, since you are considered "newly licensed", might want a full "student driver course".
You are also going to have to document 10 years of "verifiable employment history" (including gaps in employment) - so make sure you can document this.
Best of luck to you.
Rick
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.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Rick wrote:
Most trucking companies require Hazmat & TWIC , for which you will have to have at least a green card (permanent residence status).
A TWIC card is required if Robert has an intermodal driving job pulling ISO containers in and out of international shipping ports. Will it enhance his employment opportunities? Yes.
Below link best describes the TWIC card.
TWIC Card, what is it and who needs it.
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
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I have had a email back of the dot and yes I will have to take tests for my bike and car licence but I can't find anything on there site that says I need to show a year's driving a car before I take my cdl licence
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.
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.
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I am a British truck driver and was wondering what the procedure would be if I want to move to the USA and become a truck driver there I have over 20 years experience as a class 1 driver in the UK . I think I will have to get a cdl licence as mine will no doubt be invalid there but hoping to get some great advice if you could help as really would like to move to the USA
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: