What is a CDL license and do you need one? For people who drive personal vehicles the answer to that question has no effect on their ability to drive. If you are a person who is interested in a career driving a commercial vehicle, it is important that you not only ask “what is a CDL license” but that you also take the necessary steps to obtain one. CDL is the acronym for Commercial Driver’s License. This is a license that you must have in order to operate a commercial motor vehicle. With a few exceptions, this type of vehicle is defined in several ways. It is defined as any combination of vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or higher with the vehicle being towed weighing more than 10,000 pounds. It is also defined as a single vehicle that has a weight rating that is greater than 26,001 pounds. The final definition states that it is any vehicle that carries sixteen or more passengers, a school bus, or transports hazardous materials and requires placarding. A CDL is a license that is issued by the state in which the applicant lives. The basic requirements for application are set-forth by the Federal government. Each state, however, may have different testing laws in place. When pursuing truck driving jobs you’ll need to know how to get a CDL. Without a CDL license, a truck driver will be unable to get commercial truck insurance and, more importantly, will be unable to obtain employment as a truck driver.
The Federal Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 includes certain requirements that all states must follow in terms of the testing and licensing involved in getting a CDL. Drivers who get a CDL can only legally possess one license. You must complete CDL training and the required state testing to illustrate a certain level of competency and to show that you meet the qualifications to drive heavy vehicles. Each state is required to set up its own minimum licensing standards and tests for issuing its CDLs. In general, when getting a CDL you must pass both a basic knowledge and skills test. To get an idea of what to expect in your state, consider looking on our trucking forum. The TruckersReport forums are the place to go for up to date trucking information.
There are various classifications of CDLs that are outlined by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act. These classifications are – Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A CDLs are for driving vehicles that meet the definition of a combination commercial vehicle. The Class B CDL is for vehicles that meet the definition of single commercial vehicles. Class C CDL is for drivers of commercial vehicles that carry over sixteen people, school buses or vehicles that carry chemicals that are hazardous and require placarding.
There are also endorsements that may be placed on the CDL. These endorsements are “T” for double or triple trailers, “P” for passenger vehicles, “N” for tank vehicles, “H” for vehicles that carry hazardous cargo and materials, “X” for vehicles that are a combination of endorsements N and H, and “S” which is for driving school buses. These are only a few of the basic endorsements. Depending on where you live, there may be more endorsements that are specific to the state. This letter system also applies to restrictions.
Now that you’ve found out what a CDL is and how to get a CDL, you’ll need to know what information should be on it. According to Federal regulations every CDL should include the driver’s birth date, height, sex, full name, mailing address, and signature. A CDL license should also state clearly what it is, either with the words “Commercial Driver’s License” or with the acronym. In addition, it must also include a color photo, the issuing state, the state license number of the driver, the expiration and issuance dates, the class of vehicle, any endorsements, and notation if there is an issued restriction of air brakes.
- U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – Commercial Driver’s License Program
- Commercial Driver’s License Fact Sheet
- Truckers Report – CDL Practice Tests
- Commercial Truck Insurance Calculator
- Grants for Truck Drivers Training and CDL Financial Aid for Trucking School
A truck/trailer combination with a combined gross vehicle weight rating also requires a CDL. I have seen numerous instances where a person buys a pickup with a 12,500 lb. GVWR and a trailer with a 16,000 GVWR, combined that is a 28,500 lb. CGVWR and later get a ticket for failure to have a required CDL.
with a class a license can i drive a straight truck with airbrakes?
Yes, as long as you aren’t using it as a bus, which would require a Class B CDL.
It doesn’t require a class B CDL. It requires the Passenger endorsement. You can have a class A with Passenger.
Do u have to have a GED to attend trucking school
No you do not have to have high school diploma or GED to attend trucking school.
If I want to drive construction dump trucks, What CDL class should I get?
Generally, a standard dump truck is a single unit. You would need a class B CDL, and it is advised to have a class B with Air Brakes. If you are planning on attending a school to get your CDL, you should opt for the class A, as you will also be permitted to drive construction dump trucks, and a class A might give you better pay and/or advancement or alternative career opportunities.
get an education and get a real job,,there is no glamour in having big brother breathing down your neck 24/7.. No other industry is so regulated and all of the onus falls on the lowly driver
Don’t attempt becoming a truck driver without considering this.
Truck wrecks cause SERIOUS damage not to mention kill people very quickly, so third party liability insurance is VERY important when it happens. Larger trucking companies avoid buying liability coverage from insurance companies to avoid the requirements of driver training and experience those insurers impose.
These larger companies recruit as many bodies as they can get and burn these new drivers through an over the road “training” program designed only to extend mileage far beyond what the rules allow. 11 hours @ 55 mph average speed = 605 miles; put aboard another body and get 800 or more! The shipper will pay $1.50 to $3+ per mile, depending on the commodity and urgency. The lower the driver costs (work comp premium, fuel, salary, etc) the higher the profit.
Some drivers – especially “captive” lease operators who are really company drivers obligated to accept only their master’s loads – are happy to do this training. The new driver gets about $50/day for training or $350 week. The regular driver, especially a contractor lessee, gets 85 cents up to a dollar depending on fuel consumption. If the truck can be run 5,000 miles per week and generate $10-12,000 (or more) in freight but the trainee who allows mileage to increase from 3,000 or 3,500 to $5,000 only costs them $400 or so to invoice another $4-5,000, no wonder they do it. The lease contractor can get $3-4,000 per week, and maybe over the five weeks even get $15,000.
You the trainee will be required to get a CDL, sit through a dog & pony orientation program and then sent out to drive, 2 on a truck. You’ll be woken up at 5 AM, with only 5-6 hours sleep, to the sound of a diesel engine and then truck moving, you won’t have a moment to eat normally or, God forbid, use a bathroom or get coffee for hours. You’ll get a sit down meal maybe once or twice a week, go for 2-5 days (most often 4-5) without a shower, you’ll get criticized for not driving perfectly. Get ready for some constipation, too.
Your trainer might even log you on & off as the driver to extend mileage, if you’re in the sleeper berth and don’t see it. You will likely be exhausted and asleep because at night, you’ll get 5-6 hours. That adds up quickly. Shipper and receiver appointments are convenient for THEM, not the truck. Most places prohibit big trucks so your options for parking are few, many without a bathroom anywhere close.
The company rules will prohibit the upper bunk while the truck is moving; sitting alongside the driver is hardly a break. You won’t be able to sit up normally in the sleeper berths,not enough head room. So how long can you read, for example?
There could be rules about middle of the night driving but that’ll be violated, guaranteed.
You’ll be assigned a coordinator who will ignore your messages.
You’ll be told to send messages confirming DOT post trip inspections that you didn’t do. You’ll get out to inspect a loaded trailer you just hooked up to but couldn’t properly inspect it was in so tight between other trailers, you barely had room to raise the landing gear. The “trainer” will bark at you to get in and go, even though its marker lights are filthy, it’s getting dark, it’s starting to rain but you haven’t even looked at the slack adjusters or reefer fuel tank, or checked the registration papers. You have a 26 degF refrigerated load going 2,800 miles but basic inspections aren’t followed.
If you approach a weigh station, you have to climb in back because you’re “off duty” and can’t be in the front seat.
Don’t even get me started on shippers and receivers; some have to be seen to be experienced. FedEx is a life threatening experience. Getting run over on foot by their yard goat idiot is NOT worth anything, but try objecting to entering a shipper/receiver’s yard where dangerous practices are unfolding before your eyes.
The brains at the insurance companies will insist you endure a year of this mistreatment – lies, complaints, 45-60 days away from home at a time, $600-700 week pay – before you can consider another job. If you survive “training”. Worse, your former employer is likely to retaliate with the beloved sacred, all mighty DAC report because you messed up the gold mine you helped build them, for peanuts in pay.
Why does this continue? Because lots of people need jobs and to look at the majority of the driver recruits you’ll see, it won’t be any surprise. So a big enough trucking company to set up a stage show of orientation & training as a disguise for the real objective, which is extend range for peanuts, bend and break rules, does it. Hello Schneider, Stevens, Werner, Prime, yada yada yada…
If you’re NOT large enough to do this, you lure drivers crazy and stupid enough to endure this scheme. Most shippers DO NOT CARE about anything other than pick up my load when I ask, deliver it when I ask at the price I accept from you. The way you’ll be treated by nearly all gate personnel and shipping/receiving offices will demonstrate this.
How warehouse personnel will try to steal from the load and blame you the driver is worth another entry all by itself.
Still want to be a truck driver?
Thought I did…
Any good companies out there if I get a CDL on my own?
That guy above is right about larger companies David. If you want to start off on the right foot, get a grant or loan to attend a trucking school locally, then choose a smaller carrier. I would suggest researching Melton Truck Lines. It’s not a small company, but it is a good starter company, that will not try to screw you over in any. Miles may suck to begin with, but you have to pay your due diligence. I’d also research how to become a Owner Operator here on these forms. You will need to know how to put your business thinking cap on and learn how to crunch raw numbers and see how different expenses will affect you, your family, and your truck. A rough estimate based on my experience is that it cost $1.25 to $1.50 a mile to run a truck then you have to add whatever you want to be paid “gross pay” on to that realistically. I’d personally say try to make $1.00 profit each mile, but $.50 a mile would be well off for a beginner as well.
My opinion AVOID COMPANIES AND BROKERS LIKE A HOT POTATO!
This sort of experience does happen, but it is not the norm. There are very few “bad” companies out there. Every company has its own distinct personality, as does each individual driver employed by that company. It’s about finding the right fit. Obviously Joe Skeptical did not find the right fit. The fault in that lies more with Joe than it does the companies.
I once had a non-trucking job I hated and wanted to just get out and travel a while. I had no intentions of this becoming a career field for me. I started at a company-owned CDL school. I drove one of their trucks. I began training their drivers. I leased a truck through their Lease-Purchase (owner-operator) program. I started a family. I moved on to an office position. I was hired as a CDL instructor at an unrelated school. I was promoted to an administrative position there. I now have my own schools to manage.
Decide what is important to you. Home time, pay, rider policies, benefits. Do you want to see the country? Do you want to show up and clock in, do your job, and clock out and go home later that day? Do you want to own a truck, or even eventually own a company? Do you want to drive a truck and get a degree for your “real” career while driving? Do you want to get your foot in the door so you can move into an office position later? Do you want to work a job where you don’t have to constantly be in contact with others?
Ask questions. Find a company that fits your search.
That’s the beauty of having a CDL… You can find just about any dream job you want with it. Decide what’s important to you. It’s a lot easier to sort through the “good” and the “bad” when you know your priorities. Don’t let guys like Joe Skeptical discourage you… The rest of ’em don’t have the time to rant because they’re out making money. Look hard enough, though, and you’ll find the ones like me, who are forever irritated by the Joes, from the first time we got caught by one whining and ranting inside our company’s terminal or a truck stop, to now, when we also have the time to rant a little in return, because we did our homework, worked hard, and have found what we wanted, and are able to give a little encouragement because we worked hard enough (and smart enough) to earn that freedom.
One last bit of advice… Be a squeaky wheel. Companies can’t know how to fix things unless you tactfully and professionally bring problems to their attention. This goes for both big issues and little ones.
Good luck!
Mel, your point-of view is HEAVILY biased in favor of recruiting more suckers so NATURALLY you say it’s not the general rule.
You sound like you’re being paid by one of these driver mills to troll forums and contradict what your trucking company masters don’t like prospective suckers to read.
What I describe is the norm at EVERY big trucking company; they self insure (large enough to avoid buying compulsory liability insurance, they pay claims themselves) and can hire inexperienced drivers.
The big companies squeeze new drivers as super cheap team drivers for the “training period” the “trainer” is almost always a captive lease operator. The big company gets paid to “train” new drivers by the US Dept of Labor, but they will get that new driver to make sure a truck does 15-20,000 miles in a month, which means $30-40,000 in freight charges, paying the “newbie” about $1,500. Fuel will be about $7-9,500, the regular driver will get $13,500 to $16,000. Do the math, the trucking company keeps $8-11,000 PROFIT…they don’t give a rat’s hair if a new guy quits, the taxpayers will also give the company another $2,000 to “train” the guy who just got abused. The regular lease driver loves it. The new guy is his chump.
This has nothing to do with fit, it has to do with abuse of new drivers. If you don’t see it, Mel it’s because you don’t want to and won’t admit it. If most new recruits knew HALF of what’s in store for them, almost no new drivers would EVER make it into trucking.
Bottom line, new driver prospects, if you survive “training” you will be pressured to “lease” a truck and then “train” new drivers and you will work 100 hours a week at minimum wage. Yes, that means you’ll make $800-850 per week to be kept away from home for 3 months straight, with only a week off each quarter, for which you don’t get paid.
Anyone who works 2 jobs will make more than an average company driver. Ask them if you don’t believe me.
Get that Ag plate and you can drive a modified sleeper transporting 20 illegals towing 3000 gallons of poison in a dump bed. You just have to be 12 years old though.