I got my CDL exactly that way and when I tried to get a job the only company willing to hire me was Swift. That would be great but the more I looked into it the more I realized if I wanted to make any kind of money in the industry, I would have to get experience or school...everyone I talked to said they wanted experience but none was willing to give me the time so I opted for school, went one month night school to roadmaster in Salt Lake City had several job offers before I graduated and I start for Crete on Wednesday. School makes all the sense to me. I have heard of small companies willing to hire someone who got the CDL on their own but the pay is not right.
Good Luck in what ever you decide and I hope the best for you.

Bigpapa,

Down thru the years Ive driven about everything you can imagine including several kinds of heavy equipment, everything that is Except an 18 wheeler. Unless youve had some driving experience or alot of exposure to trucks at terminals and the likes, I dont see how you can pay your $375. to rent a truck and take your test. About four weeks ago, I thought it was simple too, but since then have found out theres more to it than it looks.

Part of me wants to wish you good luck, but at the same time the other part of me is afraid Ill meet you on the road. Take the training, my friend--its worth it.

If you can not pass the skills test then you still will not be able to get your cdl period.
If you can not handle the truck skills test you do not deserve to be behind the wheel of that truck.

This may be harsh but most if not all of us had to do it the hard way then so do you.
The only exception is to all of the older more experenced drivers they may have had it a little easier but I do not know that for a fact.

and big poppa you will be s o l on your qwest for a job with that 375.00 cdl.

in new york you have to go to a drivers school for a class a cdl

If you can't pass the skills test you need to stay away from a truck. The only thing plan B will do is get you, or worse yet, some innocent family killed. What bigpoppa is suggesting is just plain stupid!

I got my CDL by taking the permit tests on my own and then driving with two friends as I had time for a couple years. Some times it was a couple hrs a month, a half day here, a couple hrs over there. I used one of their trucks to take the test and then found it very very hard to find a job because I had not taken a school exam. After driving for one or two less than reputable companies to get proven experience behind the wheel I was able to move on up, eventually 3 yrs verifiable and leasing to Landstar.

I had a couple very close calls because of being a rookie, and now I've got over 500,000 accident free miles behind the wheel.

Self teaching can work, but it is not easy at all.

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Brickman, a few years has passed since you logged those miles. Many started the way you did, but it is getting tougher all the time for someone to go that route.

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

True, and it wasn't easy to get a job doing it the way I did it. But if done the way I did it and you were able to find some one to drive for that would accept your lack of experience for 6 months or so it would be possible to go that route.

But I think the original poster was talking of trying to drive test with little behind the wheel practice. He is going to need lots of sheer luck to pull that one off.

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i got my cdl the old fashoned way....i did it on my own
was old enuf to go over the road but i got hired on with a p&d local outfit
took me a few years of driving POS's for small instate outfits before i did go over the road.
i quit that and went to local kinda stuff again
now look at me.....over the road again
youd hafta see my resume to understand fully but i find it rather funny....
company's dont like taking chances with no verifiable experiance

i think this is kind of interesting. I had a commercial chaufers license back in 75 for several years. i got it the old fashion way you did back then went out as a swamper for a couple of trips and then drove as secound seat for a few rounds then was allowed to go on my on for a cow truck out fit. In those days thats the way it was done. In 1990 i got out of the service and went to go get a job and they told me i needed the new CDL so i went to a school and got one. It was funny the way the industry has changed. I was lucky had the state at that time pay my school since i was a retraining vet they paid me unemploment and they paid for the school both so it was a good deal for me. now I paid my wifes scholl and will pay for my sons here next month. I still say today the only way to get into it the right way is to go to a good school. I have found that most of the VO tech schools seem to be a better route than the company paid schools but some work out ok. The ones i really don't trust are those that charge 6000 or more for a school and give you 4 weeks and say your trained they just don't have a real good reputation.