Prefer To Drive A Truck Locally For Oil Field. Is School The Only Way?

Topic 6646 | Page 1

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Kent R.'s Comment
member avatar

I'm studying the TX CDL manual & plan on taking the written test on my own, which seems simple enough to pass with a high score, but I have no idea how or where I can acquire on the road time to practice for the practical without attending a school. My hope is to drive locally for an oil company such as Halliburton. Is my only way to get there, since I can't afford to pay tuition at a private school, to work a year or more for a company that will pay for my training & then hire me?

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.
Mikey's Comment
member avatar

Hi Kent R. My thoughts are this, and maybe they can help you. Would 1 year of otr be completely out of the question? The reason I ask is that we'll it's free through most company sponsored schools. However if you are not willing to go that route. I would say put in a little leg work by contacting your local schools and see what types of tuition assistance they have or know of. Contact the companies that you are looking to drive for and see if they have any type of tuition reimbursements or grants. I know this type of funding is there you just have to find 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.

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.

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Hi Kent.

The other option is to contact the companies you'd like to drive for and find out if they have a training program or tuition assistance of any sort. Some companies do have their own programs but don't really advertising them well. Others may have deals setup with local schools that will help you out.

What you don't want to do is try to get your CDL without attending a school. Even if you pull it off, and it's possible, it's going to be a lot of time, trouble, and expense. In the end you're going to find that almost nobody will hire someone that has their CDL but has no driving experience and has not graduated from a legitimate truck driving school. The insurance companies simply won't allow it - too risky. So plan on attending a truck driving school of some sort. That's the only logical way to do 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.
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