Upgrade From A Class B To A Class A
Topic 27456 | Page 1
On this site we recommend company paid and sponsored CDL training as the way to go. Since your company wants you to do this, tell them to pay for you to attend a CDL A school and cover tuition costs.
The school I attended had local food service gigs that would do that for the drivers they trained up.
Hey TT. The tree service i work for informed me this week that they want me to upgrade my CDL from a B to an A so i van drive the log truck and haul our 10,000 lb+ equipment trailers. I live is michigan so what would be the best way to go about upgrading to my class A? Is school required or could I pass the test and get in my required training at our shop/mulch yard and pass the road test to get up to a class A? Thanks in advance!
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.
Hey TT. The tree service i work for informed me this week that they want me to upgrade my CDL from a B to an A so i van drive the log truck and haul our 10,000 lb+ equipment trailers. I live is michigan so what would be the best way to go about upgrading to my class A? Is school required or could I pass the test and get in my required training at our shop/mulch yard and pass the road test to get up to a class A? Thanks in advance!
If you're company has a Class A truck lying around if one of the guys there doesn't mind teaching you what you need to know, then you could just pay STAR to rent a truck and test there after they feel you're ready to test.
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.
Typically we would recommend you go through Paid CDL Training Programs however your situation is different. If they want you to get your class A they should front the cost of schooling or give you the hands on practice to pass the test. If I were in your situation I'd get my class A permit and ask them to teach me what I need to know and use their equipment or look at maybe one of those " 1 day CDL" companies that give you a couple hours of practice before using their equipment for the state exam if they wont let you use it. In my area (Des Moines Iowa) it runs like $600 and they use a single axle daycab with a 30' flatbed trailer.
This situation is different than most we see which is why I'm mentioning it. Almost everybody else is best to start with Paid CDL Training Programs however you already have a job and it seems they're the ones pushing for it.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Hey TT. The tree service i work for informed me this week that they want me to upgrade my CDL from a B to an A so i van drive the log truck and haul our 10,000 lb+ equipment trailers. I live is michigan so what would be the best way to go about upgrading to my class A? Is school required or could I pass the test and get in my required training at our shop/mulch yard and pass the road test to get up to a class A? Thanks in advance!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: