Brand New - Looking for some ADVICE - PLEASE HELP ME EXPERIENCED PEOPLE!

Greetings! First and foremost I would like to thank anyone who replies to this message. I appreciate your help and and information will go a long way in ensuring I am successful.

Ok, now onto the actual grit here. I do not have my CDL, I repeat DO NOT HAVE MY CDL. I have my license, and I do not have any marks against my license. But that is all I have. I am looking into getting into the oil fields, but it seems as though the best jobs I have found seem to be the jobs where people have Class A licenses and HAZMAT endorsements. I asked several companies about the vehicles that they drive and found that a majority of the time they just need people to fit into varying positions and sometimes driving is necessary but they expressed to me that in their opinion most entry level drivers spend 10% or less of their time actually driving and the rest is labor. After inquiring more with several of the larger companies in the areas that (when I say larger companies I am specifically looking at work for multinational companies that may need my skills later in foreign countries later on) I am researching, mainly North Dakota and Texas, I have discovered through talking with their recruiters that experience is not required and to me it seems as though a majority of the reasoning behind a desire for Class A HAZMAT endorsed drivers is insurance premiums being lower than for someone without it.

So I have done some research, and have come to the conclusion that if I want to be able to wedge myself into this money than I have to have certain things. I need a CDL Class A and several endorsements the most important being HAZMAT. From what Ihave read online, I can pass the federal checks for HAZMAT and I can pass the physical from the DOT. For the written test I have found software, books, and the most important CDL Manual at the DMV. I assume I can study for the written test without much difficulty as repetition and memorization can carry me there. The questions and the area I feel weakest I suppose would be in the area of the skills test, where I may be able to do enough research to succeed in the various checks and methods/procedures to ensure a safe vehicle is being used I am not so sure I can actually drive one without the experience of actually being behind the wheel of one before that point. I have experience with manual transmissions, and I am technically apt enough to understand components to the vehicle and what purpose they server.

Can I avoid the costs of paying for some obviously scammish college education and get my CDL + endorsements without having to fork over a ridiculously large sum of money for something that seems fairly simple to learn over the course of several days?

I understand that obviously the colleges and the ....psuedo..... colleges have their place, and they wouldn't be around if they didn't serve a purpose. However I am fairly well educated, a quick learner, and a driven person who desires to get to work as fast as possible in these fields before this money dries up or is regulated away. So can it be done? Can I get my CDL + endorsements through research, memorization, and maybe a day or so in interning with someone who has a truck? I know people who are CDL holders that drive trucks, and they have expressed interest in allowing me to learn from them, but I want to know if that would be enough coupled with my self taught training to pass the tests?

TL;DR: (Too long? Didn't Read?) - Hey, I'm a wannabe truck driver/oil field worker. I've talked to companies who have said that if I have a Class A CDL and HAZMAT endorsement I can get a job no problem assuming I'm there to work! Is it possible to teach myself everything assuming I'm a good learner and get an opportunity to drive a truck with a friend? Do I need to pay for a drawn out college course or can I learn it myself with enough hard work? What's the fastest way to get your CDL and not be a danger on the road? Can I pass the skills test with basic knowledge of mechanics, physics, and minimal time in a truck before?


Thank you for your help!