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Complicated driver license issue.....I think

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 12:10 PM.

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  1. Jan 2, 2026 at 12:10 PM #1
    Mike_Gray

    Mike_Gray Bobtail Member

    5
    6
    Dec 14, 2025
    Boston, MA, USA
    0
    Hello,

    I decided last month that at 53 years old, I need a new career. I took a couple of years off for school and a midlife retirement. I live in MA, only for the last three months and went to get my MA license last week to find out that I forgot that I hadn't received my license from Utah, I still had the temporary paper one. MA takes three to four weeks to get an appointment and I have the certified paperwork coming from Utah, which will take three weeks, and then another week of waiting on my appointment with MA. I cannot apply for the CLP until I have my MA license, another two or three weeks. My question is, I don't care where I live though I am currently stuck in a lease until October. Does it make sense to fly to South Dakota where I can get my license and CLP done in the same day. Can I do that? I read that I could and well, money is tight, and I don't have the funds for multiple trips. Any advice from those that know. Thank you.
     
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 12:10 PM
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 12:10 PM
    #1
    austinmike Thanks this.
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  3. Jan 2, 2026 at 12:13 PM #2
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    South Dakota is a good choice, plus no state income taxes.
    Plenty of trucking jobs for drivers with South Dakota CDL.
     
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 12:13 PM
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 12:13 PM
    #2
    Mike_Gray Thanks this.
  4. Jan 2, 2026 at 1:18 PM #3
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 1:18 PM
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 1:18 PM
    #3
    Mike_Gray Thanks this.
  5. Jan 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM #4
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    77,045
    179,953
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM
    #4
    Mike_Gray Thanks this.
  7. Jan 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM #5
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    77,045
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    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    Obtain a South Dakota mailing address
    To begin your journey to South Dakota residency, the first step is to secure a mailing address in the state. You have several options: you can request to use the address of a friend or family member living in South Dakota, or opt for a virtual mailing service provided by companies like DakotaPost, Escapees, or Sioux Falls Postal Annex.
    ~
    Some drivers just join Escapees RV Club and use that as an address. It's a legal address in South Dakota, Texas, Florida.
     
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM
    Chinatown, Jan 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM
    #5
    Mike_Gray Thanks this.
  8. Jan 2, 2026 at 2:48 PM #6
    tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

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    Somewhere out West, in my mind.
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    deleted
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM
    tscottme, Jan 2, 2026 at 2:48 PM
    tscottme, Jan 2, 2026 at 2:48 PM
    #6
  9. Jan 2, 2026 at 3:09 PM #7
    tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    14,848
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    Somewhere out West, in my mind.
    0
    How is flying to SD cheaper than NOT flying to SD?
    Once you get to SD how are you getting a truck and trailer to use for your CDL exam?
    Getting a CDL requires a CDL school, not just a CLP and a state exam in a truck and trailer. The days of just borrowing some guys truck for practice are long gone.
    I don't know if rushing to SD is a mistake. I can be nearly certain rushing into a career change isn't going to be cheap and smooth.
    THERE IS NO TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE. If anything there are TOO MANY truck drivers and getting a job is not guaranteed. Usually it's about now we learn the person asking the question has/had a serious drug problem, or a DUI, or no verifiable work history, or lived outside the US for 5 years, or a serious violent felony, etc. etc. etc.

    Needing a job is different than getting hired in a new industry. Rushing into a new industry isn't the foolproof plan it may seem at the moment.
     
    tscottme, Jan 2, 2026 at 3:09 PM
    tscottme, Jan 2, 2026 at 3:09 PM
    #7
    Speedy356, Mike_Gray, lual and 1 other person Thank this.
  10. Jan 2, 2026 at 7:38 PM #8
    Mike_Gray

    Mike_Gray Bobtail Member

    5
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    Dec 14, 2025
    Boston, MA, USA
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    I will be going to RoadMaster once I get the driver's license situation squared away.
     
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 7:38 PM
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 7:38 PM
    #8
  11. Jan 2, 2026 at 7:43 PM #9
    Mike_Gray

    Mike_Gray Bobtail Member

    5
    6
    Dec 14, 2025
    Boston, MA, USA
    0
    None of those. I was an inventory analyst and then a data analyst for the last twenty years, worked from home and the marriage went kaput. I had raised two step-kids, a step-granddaughter and was hating my life. I quit, took a year off, and then went to nursing school. Failed medsurg twice, and if you fail two classes, you are out of the program. So, trucking wasn't my first choice, but it isn't my last choice either. That would be being a CNA. Sounds like you hear a lot from people who are down and out looking for options.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2026 at 7:50 PM
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 7:43 PM
    Mike_Gray, Jan 2, 2026 at 7:43 PM
    #9
    dosgatos and tscottme Thank this.
  12. Jan 2, 2026 at 8:42 PM #10
    lual

    lual Road Train Member

    5,129
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    Oct 22, 2020
    SW Georgia
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    Dot Transportation has a terminal/facility in Chicopee, MA:

    Training & Orientation

    NOTE: BOTH tanker & hazmat CDL endorsements required -- even though you would be transporting food & related products.

    CAUTION: Since they are good to work for -- they can be picky; don't fill out an application while half-####ed.

    -- L
     
    lual, Jan 2, 2026 at 8:42 PM
    lual, Jan 2, 2026 at 8:42 PM
    #10
    Mike_Gray Thanks this.
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