High Road Question
Topic 9243 | Page 1
Welcome Joel!
It will make almost no difference at all. About 98% of the various State CDL Manuals are identical. There are a few states with a few exceptions like maybe they calculate theoretical stopping distance a little differently or their steer axle weight limit is a little bit higher. But it's nothing that's going to hurt your test scores, nor will it hurt the ultimate level of knowledge you get from the program. Basically, the differences are pretty trivial. You can go through your state's manual to see if you pick out any differences if you like, but it's not necessary.
We've also gone beyond what the CDL permit testing requires and built a section on Learning The Logbook Rules and Understanding Truck Weight & Balance.
Here is how our program breaks down:
To Get Your CDL Permit:
- Rules & Regulations
- Driving Safely
- Transporting Cargo Safely
- Air Brakes
- Combination Vehicles
- Pre-Trip Inspection
- Driving Exam
To get your CDL endorsements which are optional but we highly recommend you get:
- Transporting Passengers
- Doubles And Triples
- Tankers
- Hazardous Materials
And two sections we've built ourselves with info you'll need for everyday life on the road but the manual doesn't really cover it:
- Logbook
- Weight & Balance
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
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.
Thanks Brett! Love this site, and hope to start that training today.
I've been through almost all of it with the exception of log amd weights, and i gotta say i feel more than prepared for anything the paperwork test throws at me.
Thank ya TT!
(Brett Aquila) "There are a few states with a few exceptions like maybe they calculate theoretical stopping distance a little differently..."
That's exactly what I found. I'm studying for my Vt permit, and the state manual says 1.75 sec perception time instead of HRTP's 0.75 sec. So I just have two columns in my notes : HR's correct and Vt's correct.
I've been going through the HR sections, then reviewing the printed manual. Helps my "see" the info better, and I can check for differences (addition of Vt's recent Distracted Driving laws, for instances).
I have no doubt about the value the HRTP provides, to the point of looking forward to taking the permit test!
I will look up the differences for sure, but wow very nice work on the program. Just started earlier very good training so far! I've gotten pre-hires from Roehl, Stevens, Werner enterprises,Super service,U.S. Express, and Schneider. I am looking to hopefully start dry-Van Local or regional ( I know local can be very difficult.) I also talked to driver from Hogan the other day he talked very highly of them. So far I'm liking Roehl Or Schneider though.
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.
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.
Pre-hires:
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.
Hi Joel! I've heard West Michigan CDL is one of the better private schools out there. I may be moving back to MI soon and that's one of the schools I've been considering along with a few company sponsored options. Let us know how it is!
Also, I've been looking into both Roehl and Super Service and they both seem like great companies. It helps that SS has a terminal in GR.
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.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Hi Joel! I've heard West Michigan CDL is one of the better private schools out there. I may be moving back to MI soon and that's one of the schools I've been considering along with a few company sponsored options. Let us know how it is!
Also, I've been looking into both Roehl and Super Service and they both seem like great companies. It helps that SS has a terminal in GR.
I will keep everyone updated after I start I cant wait! Yah I definitely like Roehl they seem to have a lot of great reviews. I really like their 7/7 hometime deal a lot, due to having a toddler and wife at home I think this would be excellent! But I'm not sure on the specifics of the 7/7, or if it's only flatbed. I like superservice they seem good from what I've read but it seems like there are a lot of reviews about them not meeting hometime promises too often but sometimes you gotta take online reviews with a grain of salt because some people are just never happy and have a grudge, and most companies would want you out longer from what I've read. Although I do like that they have a great terminal here in G.R., as I live I. Wyoming Mi, only about 10 mins from West Michigan CDL. I hope I can find some good local companies , maybe LTL companies, but I see it can be pretty hard to do as a cdl graduate.
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.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Welcome Joel!
It will make almost no difference at all. About 98% of the various State CDL Manuals are identical. There are a few states with a few exceptions like maybe they calculate theoretical stopping distance a little differently or their steer axle weight limit is a little bit higher. But it's nothing that's going to hurt your test scores, nor will it hurt the ultimate level of knowledge you get from the program. Basically, the differences are pretty trivial. You can go through your state's manual to see if you pick out any differences if you like, but it's not necessary.
We've also gone beyond what the CDL permit testing requires and built a section on Learning The Logbook Rules and Understanding Truck Weight & Balance.
Here is how our program breaks down:
To Get Your CDL Permit:
To get your CDL endorsements which are optional but we highly recommend you get:
- Rules & Regulations
- Driving Safely
- Transporting Cargo Safely
- Air Brakes
- Combination Vehicles
- Pre-Trip Inspection
- Driving Exam
And two sections we've built ourselves with info you'll need for everyday life on the road but the manual doesn't really cover it:
- Transporting Passengers
- Doubles And Triples
- Tankers
- Hazardous Materials
- Logbook
- Weight & Balance
Brett, you need to update the HOS where it talks about the 34-hour reset requiring two periods between 0100 qnd 0500. And also where ot says you can only do 1 34- hour reset per week. Cheers!
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
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.New Reply:
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Hi there! This is my first time posting, I really love this site so much great information, thanks! I am starting here at West Michigan CDL very soon just waiting on michworks. I am so excited! I am studying for the Michigan cdl-permit right now. I was wondering if I study using the High RoadTraining on here ( which looks very good!) it is based on the Illinois cdl test, would that make a difference with the Michigan one? I'm just curious. Thanks! 😀 Joel
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: