Bill W.'s Private CDL School Experience - York, PA
Topic 3631 | Page 1
Today is my last test for CDL school, Hazardous Materials. Either tomorrow or Wednesday I'll roll over to PennDot in Harrisburg, PA to take all my written exams - driving permit and doubles/triples, tank, and hazmat endorsements. The rest of my time at school will be collective reading and review of another textbook during class time, with driving time. No more having to bring school work home to study!
Little more about our particular situation to possibly encourage some of you out there. My wife is currently working at the local hospital to keep our family's benefits until I get hired. She works night shift, 12 hour shifts, on Saturday and Sunday nights. During the week, she's learning our home business from me in the mornings (besides Mondays when she's recuperating from Sunday's 12 hour night shift), and then takes care of the house and our 2 1/2 year old little girl. I go to school Mon-Fri from 5-10pm. It's been a hustle!
I've been studying late morning into the afternoons for the first week of school and will continue that trend until I finish my exams at PennDot. After all my tests for school are done (today's Hazmat is the last one) and I get my exams done at PennDot, my wife and I will enjoy our last 6 or so weeks until I go OTR in training. There's plenty of things to tidy up at the house before I leave her, but we'll balance our mornings and afternoons (remember I go to night class) with our home business, house chores, and time spent together. We plan on taking a few day trips to some PA state parks during the next few weeks.
Once I get hired my wife will put in her two week notice. We have a modest lifestyle and would do just fine with just my trucking income. We do have a home business though, which is nice. It's something my wife will keep going while I'm on the road. My wife will have her dreams come true after I start trucking - being a stay at home mom! She's not wired to be a career woman, and I'm just fine with that! Trucking isn't something that I'm just excited about, she is too. 
I'll let you all know how I did on that Hazmat test for class.
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
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.
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.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Well, got a 95% on the Hazmat test at school. Just got back from Penn Dot and went through the General Knowledge, and the Hazmat, Tank, and Doubles/Triples endorsements in 40 minutes. Staff at Penn Dot was amazed. They even said that it's 'rare' that folks PASS all tests the first time. It was easy - thanks to the High Road Training Program.
For any of you getting ready for CDL school, you would do yourselves a HUGE disservice if you didn't take advantage of the materials on this website. Best on the internet.
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
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.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
WTG! You are right, High Road Training Program is the best. Even though I am out here driving now, I plan on doing the entire course again.
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.
WTG! You are right, High Road Training Program is the best. Even though I am out here driving now, I plan on doing the entire course again.
Thanks WT! I'll probably do the same an review occasionally.
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.
After coming home today from passing my permit and all my endorsement exams, I mowed the lawn, and then got fingerprinted for Hazmat. HOpefully it won't take the full 120 days for clearance.
These evening at school we did more straight line backing. This time it clicked. I didn't over-steer, followed the trailer, and didn't use the break as much. Tonight I didn't feel like a milkshake from jerking that break.
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
Tonight will be our first time in the manual transmission truck - a Kenworth T-600. We'll be going over double clutching and more. Monday is our first scheduled trip away from the yard. From then on, we'll be driving back roads and going through the city. One thing I like about this school is that they don't rob students by spending a lot of time on the highway - that's the 'easy' part. Lots of backing, lots of maneuvers, lots of back roads w/ grades and curves, and city driving.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Missed a day on this diary. Driving the Kenworth was AWESOME! The instructor said if we could learn to drive that particular truck, we could drive any truck. He called it a mean, old *****. The double clutching , although new, wasn't really that difficult - it was the accelerator pedal. It was soooo touchy. That tractor would jerk and lurch very easily. So, when revving up the rpm to 1500 to make the downshift, that made it challenging w/ the accelerator being so touchy. Heck, even just starting to accelerate was difficult. Eventually I got the hang of the pedal. My instructor said to imagine some eggs were under the pedal - you had to be THAT careful. For the T600, to begin the downshift is at 1100 rpm, 1500 is the mark to change the gears.
We started in 2nd, then practiced shifting to 3rd, up to fourth, and down to 3rd again, just to start out. Then we starting shifting from 4th to 5th, then back to 4th, then 3rd again. This truck is a 13 speed. It was lots of fun!
Last night we started on the logbook.
Tonight we're doing more backing maneuvers.
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Had more time on the T600 tonight, am cleared for road driving on Monday. Double clutching went smoother tonight, was able to manage the accelerator a bit better. We also did more logbook work before we went out to the yard. I'll be using the High Road Training Program more for logging over the weekend.
I'm loving this!
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.
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Wait until someone throws in the progressive shifting at ya. I am not sure they will teach you that. They say it saves fuel!
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Attending Truck Driving School Becoming A Truck Driver CDL Endorsements CDL Test Preparation CDL Training Choosing A Truck Driving School High Road Training Program Reports From CDL Training Truck Driver Training Trucker's Family Matters
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
Well, I figured I'd start my own CDL training diary. I'm going to a private school in York, PA. Total course hours will be 200. Like most private schools the first week was dedicated towards studying my state's manual, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Commercial Driver's Manual. I'm enrolled in evening classes. The course is 8 weeks long, M-F 5-10pm. I started school this past Monday, May 5th. We had tests in school on the material, starting the very next day on Tuesday. First test was on Driving Safely. Had I not studied a month prior, I would've definitely not done as well. My lowest score was a 90% on all my tests so far. The last test we have is tomorrow, covering Hazardous Materials - the Hazmat endorsement.
My original plan was to go to PennDot and get my permit and all my endorsements before class started. That didn't happen. Our family went on a vacation the week before school - kind of a last hurrah. We knew that once school started, that would pretty much start our first year in trucking, since the process can move rather quickly with some students being hired within a week after graduating.
On this Tuesday or Wednesday I will be going to PennDot to get my permit and all my endorsement exams finished. Hazmat can take awhile for processing so I will hope I'll have everything taken care of before I graduate this coming July. My top pick right now is Crete or Shaffer - both of which require a Hazmat endorsement. Prime is my runner up.
Last Wednesday we did straight line backing. Needless to say I totally did not expect it to be so hard! I did manage to put the trailer in the box before my time was up. I felt like I was just starting to get the hang of managing which way I wanted the trailer to go - generally speaking.
I'll give a few more updates with my yard skills as they come. This week we'll be getting in the trucks that have manual transmissions. My school has an automatic that they use strictly for straight line backing. They don't want students to have to concentrate on shifting and backing the first time they get in a truck. The road test will be done in the manual.
So far I"m having a blast! My school cost $5,000.00. Aid was not available so we paid out of pocket. In fact, here's a suggestion. My wife and I were able to qualify for a brand new credit card that has 18 months 0% interest. Better than any bank loan. We fully expect to be able to pay off the balance before it is due w/ interest.
Everybody should take advantage of the High Road Training Program. It was instrumental for me. After this coming week, I'll be done w/ my tests at school and my exams at PennDot. I'll be able to just focus on the classroom material in school and the driving time. My family and I will be relishing these next 7 weeks since we assume I'll be going OTR for my first year. There is the possibility of landing a regional gig w/ Crete, Shaffer, or Prime, but we're preparing ourselves for the 'worst.' Once I get hired I'll try to start a Crete, Shaffer, or Prime training diary.
My end goal is to be able to find local work, or something that doesn't keep me away from my family for more than a week or so at a time. I'm kind of leaning towards doing OTR my first year regardless, just for that experience. I do have a little girl that is about 2 1/2, so that will obviously influence our decision.
My wife and I researched trucking for about three years before we committed. We wanted to make sure we were willing to count the cost. The awesome thing about it is that it's only become more of a passion for me. I have the support of my wife. The hardest thing will be leaving my little girl, but I don't plan on going OTR for more than a year - if even that.
I think that eventually I'll try all sorts of freight. I'm starting out w/ either dry van or reefer. I'd like to pull a tanker eventually. Not sure if I'll wanna tackle flatbed.
Well, back to studying, I've gotta take that Hazmat test tomorrow!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.