My Thanks To Truckingtruth.com And Everyone Involved!!!
Topic 5113 | Page 1
San Juan College School of Energy CDL Program, http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/4963.asp Basic Course Outline for 8 Week Class: 16 Student Maximum 12 Class A Trucks 3 Class B Trucks 1 Passenger Bus For New Mexico and Colorado Residents Only
M-F, 8-5 with 1 hour lunch, 3 Weeks Classroom 4 Weeks Driving 1 Week Final Testing 8 Weeks Total
NM Tuition: $1,221 CO Tuition: Probably about Double that
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 there third generation! I can't say i had such a Colorful past lol, but i do have a few years on you...ha But the same scenario. Have always had the "bug" However, a marriage and children held me back. For the past year I've been researching and also stumbled on trucking truth, invaluable For research and stories and advice. So, took the plunge. Everyone here has been terrific. Friendly and helpful. So, with that, please share your stories during training. I'm beginning my third week now, actually testing Thursday... But i would enjoy hearing your experiences. Best of luck to you!
Day 1 is over and it was a good day. Good for a day sitting in a classroom anyway. Went over a couple of chapters of General Knowledge. Next two days will be more of the same along with Air Brakes and Combinations. Feel like I'm very far ahead due to completing The High Road Training Program (twice) and reading my state manual one time and answering the review questions from each section before even starting this program. Got my state copy through a link at TT BTW.
Slight contradiction in Braking distances between my state manual and High Road for Perception, Reaction, Braking and Total Distance. Have to relearn my manual's info for my state test.
Thursday is test day for the CDL permit. We don't do the physical and drug test until Friday.
Next week is Doubles/Triples and Tankers.
3rd week will be Hazmat. Hazmat background costs an additional $65 not covered under the program's tuition.
It costs $150 extra to get the P endorsement as well. Going to let that one go. I'll be investing my money in a TWIC card instead, $129 I believe. Makes it much easier to make runs in to and out of Canada and into ports to pick up loads as I understand.
Everything else appears to be completely covered under this program's meager $1,221 tuition. A public school option where I get my CDL and don't owe some company for sending me to school. This is my CDL not theirs!!! Or, I don't have to spend a butt-ton of my own money to attend some private CDL program somewhere.
This is going to be a cake walk as long as I keep hitting the CDL Practice Test App that I downloaded to my phone to keep all this information fresh in my mind.
Thank again everyone at TT!!!
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
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.
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.
Forgot to mention that a Pre-hire from Werner was waiting for me in my mailbox when I got home. Not where I'm likely to go if I end up OTR but it was nice to see it sitting there after a hard day's work trying to stay awake in a classroom.
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Day 2
Not much to report for today. More General Knowledge and Combinations material for taking the CDL permit test on Thursday. Airbrakes tomorrow. I can't wait until next week when I head out of class to go get finger printed for my Hazmat and TWIC background checks and we begin Doubles/Triples and Tankers. I can't wait because we also begin climbing into the $250k driving simulator that the school has. Until then its probably going to be a little boring because I have nearly mastered the book portion of this program thanks to The High Road Training Program and the CDL Practice Test App that I've downloaded to my phone. I do several sections of review with the Practice App each day during my spare time.
I have also told several of the other students about checking out TT.
Well until next time, have a blessed day and be safe!
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
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.
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.
Day 4
Testing for CDL Permit:
General Knowledge: 94% Air Brakes: 96% Combinations: 95%
Tomorrow will be Forklift Training in the morning then Physical for Medical Card and Drug Test. Once medical card is issued then I can get my CDL 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.
Week 2, Day 4
I apologize for no entries since last week. Not much to say until now except studying, home work and testing. All classroom work and watching old videos from the 1990's even one from 1988, YUCK!!!
Today is different though. Finished testing for Doubles/Triples, Tankers and went ahead and took and passed the Passenger test as well. Why not? The written test for Passenger was free but the Practical Test for (P) endorsement will be an additional $150.00 out of my pocket and is not covered under my program's $1,221 tuition. That's ok because its an awesomely inexpensive program but still very thorough.
Today I got my CDL Class A Permit with all endorsements except (S)School Bus and (H)Hazmat. After getting the permit, went to the facility designated for Hazmat background checks and TWIC applications, Hazmat Background=$86.50 and TWIC application=$129.75. These two items are also out of my pocket and not covered under the program's $1,221 tuition but again very ok!!!
My last written test is next week for Hazmat and then its time to start learning to drive the Big Rigs! Now that's exciting.....
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
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.
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.
Sounds like your doing great. The Hazmat will pay for itself quickly with most companies paying .03 to .05cpm extra per load. Most Co's will reimburse you for them, keep your receipts. Hope you have continued luck, congrats so far
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
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
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I start a CDL program tomorrow morning and I feel I need to say, "Thank You!" to everyone involved with Truckingtruth.com. I have wanted to be a trucker since I was a little boy but I guess I got sidetracked along the way. I retired a while back and have been wondering what I would do next. Way too young to be retired yet in my mid 40's. Then I stumbled upon Truckingtruth.com. I have spent the last month studying, reading, researching and ultimately determining that trucking will be my next career. This is due in a huge part because of all the information available within and through Truckingtruth.
I am ex-military and retired law enforcement now turning 3rd generation trucker. Yes, my dad and Pop-pop before me were both independent OTR o/o's. Sadly, they have both passed away and are unable to see their legacy continue. My Avatar picture is my Dad's first truck, an old International cab-over that he bought used from my Pop-pop to start his own career on the road. Me, I am going to be a company man. Me and my future employer have already picked each other out in large part because of what I found and learned on Truckingtruth. I have what looks like an awesome well-paying job lined up with a reputable secure company and I haven't even started school yet, AMAZING!!!!
I have seen a lot of verbal bashing of cops while researching becoming a trucker. Please understand that I don't consider DOT officers to be cops and I barely feel that troopers are much more than ticket writers and crash report writers. Wanna Bees as far as I'm concerned. I helped send people to prison for murder, rape, child molestation and many many more gruesome crimes. My job was to protect my community from predators and reckless idiots, not generate revenue for State coffers. I have to say though that I don't miss it much at all. What I do miss though is getting into an assigned vehicle, driving for hours and hours on someone else's fuel and getting paid well to do it. Sound familiar to anyone???
Anyway, I feel I should say thanks to Truckingtruth.com contributors Brett Aguila and Trucker Mike and the many other Blog contributors. Thanks for The High Road Online CDL Training Program, Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving and many other invaluable nuggets of knowledge and advise found on Truckingtruth.com. I am able to make this career decision with relative ease and very little apprehension. I am going to become an OTR truck driver like my dad and Pop-pop were before me and I can't wait to hit the road!
Thank you all ever so much! Have a blessed day and be safe out there.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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