Starting School Tomorrow
Topic 14537 | Page 1
I just graduated out of school friday. They don't do a lot of log book stuff. I think we did maybe 3 hours. Their first goal is to get you to pass the cdl road test and log books are not part of that. Only advice I can give you is pay attention and do what they teach you. I struggled a little with the shifting because I have driven 5 speeds all my life. Shifting a truck is very different. I actually had to Un learn stuff that I had done for over 30 years to get the truck in gear. If you have driven manual transmission cars, listen to what they teach you and practice all you can. My room mate at the motel bought a slim jim, yes the meat stick, to use as a shifter so he could practice going through the gears. Good luck to you.
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.
I've been solo almost 2 months and I still don't completely understand all the logbook rules, especially the 8/2 split.
It comes with time. As long as you understand the basics you will get along fine.
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.
I've been solo almost 2 months and I still don't completely understand all the logbook rules, especially the 8/2 split.
It comes with time. As long as you understand the basics you will get along fine.
Hey CM,
The eight must be spent entirely in the sleeper and then your 14 hour will move to the end of whichever came first, the two or the eight. If you have an eight in the sleeper and then take a two (either off duty or in the sleeper), your fourteen will start at the end of the eight. If you take a two and then later take eight in the sleeper, the 14 will start at the end of the two. All of your driving and duty hours after the new "14" star-up still count against it. That is if I'm understanding it correctly which I think I am since I got all of the log violation questions right in the "High Road". LOL
Hope this makes sense,
DSTURBD
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.
As soon as I clicked "Submit" I realized that I didn't mean to say driving and duty hours. Just your driving hours count against the 14, but if you work on duty not driving past the 14 and then start driving, at that point you are in violation.
DSTURBD
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
In the school I'm in we've kept a logbook since week 2. Now that we are in our driving weeks, our head instructor ensures/reminds us to update our logbook at each change of duty status.
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.
Good luck... back every chance you can while in school.
Thank you all for your tips and help.
Just ended week 1 for me. We only go to school Monday through Thursday 8-530. So far it has been all book work and classroom stuff, which I kinda figured. First day was videos and some reading then everyone was sent to the Dr to do the physical and drug test. I was able to do mine the week before so I didn't have to go on Monday. We have done the driving safely chapter and test, haz-mat chapter and test, tankers chapter and test, and we are doing defensive driving right now and will be testing Tuesday. I am just guessing that next week we start air brakes, and pre-trip stuff but I am not sure.
Now I can say that this school goes through the log book pretty heavy. They even have a large project/test throughout the training. Something about planning a cross country trip and figuring all miles, fuel stops, load restrictions, rest stops, resets...the while 9 yards. I heard it is a tough one, so I am trying to get myself prepared for it.
I will keep updates, at least weekly but I will try for daily or every few days.
Best of luck man! I bet everyone who gets into this business has those very same jitters. I was like you, kept putting it off. Now, it looks like things are finally falling into place. With a little luck (and a lot of hard work) I'll be driving by the end of the summer.
Good luck out there!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
So today was the end of week two for me. I found out this week that I am doing the best in my class. I asked one of the instructors how I was doing on all of the tests and I was informed that I made a perfect score on 3 of them, that included the air brakes and hazmat tests. I am surprised but proud of myself. This week was the air brake section, coupling and uncoupling, defensive driving and more CDL manual composition questions. I finished mine last week so I didn't have to worry about that.
Today, Thursday, was actually an early day. The instructor for our group didn't feel good so we were allowed to leave when we were done with the tests. He did say for the ones that needed it to go to the DMV today and attempt to get the Class A permit. So I did. And I now have my CDL Class A permit. Woo Hoo! Only missed 5 questions out of the 3 tests. 2 in general knowledge, 2 in air brakes and 1 in combination vehicles.
I do not know for sure but I am going to guess we start log books, pre-trip stuff sometime next week. I am till nervous about the log stuff, but I am still learning as much as I can before we actually start so I will either be on par or maybe even a little ahead. Thank you Brett for making this webiste, it has really helped me out so much. I will be looking over the Log book section again, probably several times. lol.
Yall enjoy your weekend.
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.
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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Just wanted to say that after several years of thinking, putting it off, thinking some more and coming up with excuse after excuse, I'm finally starting truck driving school tomorrow. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I know they will teach me what I need to know but I am still nervous about the log book part of the class. I took the log book stuff on here but still do not fully understand it.
But those are probably just jitters. Anyway, I will try to keep an updated account of what is going on for anyone else thinking about school and what it is like. Anyone have any tips for me I would appreciate them.
Y'all have a good night and a great week.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.