I Hate Illinois!
Topic 22477 | Page 1
Got a hold of Prime and they will do the same thing, just gotta get my permit first and then go to their training. So at least my top two choices are good, now to see where the closest DOT Physical would be since I don't have a primary doctor.
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.
Company sponsored training is definitely the best way to go. If you for whatever reason change your mind and opt to go the private route maybe look into "160 driving academy". They will help you get preapprovals done in the office and the company you're going to work for will cover the tuition. I attended their school in Moline illinois and was extremely satisfied. they have several schools in Illinois, not sure where you're at. Just wanted to give you another option to look into.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
If you visit the DOT website, somewhere on there is a searchable database of DOT qualified (and that part is important) doctors that you can search through by state or even zip code.
Can't help much with the state problem, but maybe you can at least find a local doc if ya need to...
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.
Thanks for the replies:
Rob- Those are the schools that Swift goes through and the closest one to me is 2 hours :P, but hopefully Prime or Roehl will work out.
Jeremy: I found that and have located a couple close by. Currently waiting to hear back from the companies that I applied for to see if they have a specific option they are me do.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Just my two cents... when I went through orientation in Atlanta for Roehl, they had an instructor traveling to Tennessee for that very same reason.
The instructor says they’ve done it many times before. Good luck
I think Millis sends you to your home state to test. CFI has you test in MO and sends your scores to your home state. Don't know if that would work for you. Good luck.
Thanks Tim, both Prime and Roehl said they do that pretty commonly.
Thanks Big Scott, unfortunately Mills requires quite a bit upfront and I haven't really heard much on CFI, so not sure on that option.
CFI will train you for free with a one year contract. The year goes by quick. Get receipts for your Dot physical, permit fees, hazmat background check, license and endorsements and they will refund them with your pay for your first load. They supply transportation, hotel and meals while in training. They send you to one of two schools in Missouri. You can read my CFI training diary here.
Don is currently in their school at Crowder College and has a current diary in the training diaries section. I'm sure any company you want to train with will have experience dealing with Illinois. I know we have a lot of loads going into and out of there.
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
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.
Soo to get my CDL permit I have to get the DOT physical, which I understand. My issue is the few places I've called require $100 for just the physical, then the $50 for the permit.
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.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
I know I've been posting a lot lately, but I'm on the cusp being able to do this and follow a dream. I am running into some issues though, I live in Illinois and due to state laws if you get your CDL in another state they require you do redo training and everything to switch it. I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of places regarding this, but it is annoying.
Currently I am looking at Prime and Roehl as my options, but I haven't heard back from Prime. Roehl will send me back from the Gary, IN training facility to Illinois to get my CDL and say they haven't had any issues with this. Another option was Swift, but for Illinois they don't provide lodging, food, or transportation to training. It is done through other schools and the closest one is 2 hours away, the training would be 5 days a week for 4 weeks and I can't afford that at all.
If anyone has other suggestions let me know. This Illinois thing is a major bummer and makes me not like this state even more.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: