Any Opinions On This?
Topic 14676 | Page 1
Make sure you can get a job if you go this route. Many companies require a training certificate of something like 160 hours due to insurance requirements. If you don't have it, they'll tell you to go through their school. There are exceptions, but this is pretty standard. Call around and find some companies that will hire you without proof of a certain amount of hours training, and get it in writing. At the rates this place is charging, 160 hours of instruction would be $17,600. A ridiculous price for any CDL school, no matter how much time is one on one.
Of course, their website says the average time needed to pass the test is 20 hours. Is it possible? Certainly. Is it probable you'd pass the test after a combined 20 hours backing, shifting and driving? I'd say no. I would guess most people would need at least twice that. I went to private school and at a guess I'd say I had around 50 hours of backing practice, 25 hours of driving, and countless hours studying the truck for pretrip exam. 40 hours at their prices is $4,400, more than I paid for school with significantly less instruction.
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.
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.
When you're Choosing A Truck Driving School the first thing you want to ask them is which of the major companies hire students from their school. When they give you a list, call some of the companies yourself from home to verify this. If major companies like Werner Enterprises, Swift Transportation, or Schneider National will hire students from a particular school then you know they're at least worthy of further consideration.
In this case it appears to be one of the many tiny schools, or sometimes it's basically "a guy with a truck", that will train you for a fee. Now there's a very good chance you'll learn enough to be able to get your CDL but that's only part of what it takes to land a solid job with a reputable company.
For most reputable companies you'll also need to show you've graduated from a truck driving school that meets their minimum training requirements. This usually includes 160 hours of training, trucks and trailers that are somewhat similar to what you'll be driving once you get hired, and a solid classroom curriculum.
So don't make the mistake of thinking you'll land a solid job once you get your CDL. If the schooling doesn't meet a company's requirements they're simply going to hire someone who graduated from a more reputable school.
There are plenty of people who need to get a CDL but aren't looking to land a job with it. Maybe they already have a job and the company they work for wants them to get a CDL. Maybe they're a mechanic somewhere or they own their own business which requires them to have a CDL to haul the equipment. So these little schools, or "guys with a truck", can serve that purpose pretty well and maybe save people some money in the process. But if you're looking to land a job after getting your CDL then you have to make sure that companies are going to hire you upon completing the schooling and getting your CDL.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Thanks guys. I'll definitely weigh every option. I just talked to a Fedex Freight driver and he said starting out on the dock may be a good option and I could possibly work my way into a driver position and earn my CDL that way. I'm open to anything for the most part...
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.
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CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: