Endorsements

You want to take all the test now. Before you pay for your license. The reason is that you will have to pay for a new license every time you add and endorsement. Now the Hazmat is a process that could take a bit. Finger prints and the such. If you don't have finger prints I think they can dust an ex girlfriend. Old joke from an Old Man

 

Something to consider is that most starter companies aren't going to care if you have double/triple endorsement, or even tanker. Not having hazmat isn't a big deal either. As a newbie you have so much to learn already without the added confusion and headache of alternate routing for hazmat. In most cases, especially at a starter company, having a hazmat endorsement isn't going to get you enough extra pay to make it worth having.

A TWIC card, now that's a totally different game. It's very, very good to have. And it is best, and faster, to get it through whichever company you go with, if they offer it. An example is Prime. They require you to have one, and you will go through the process to get one right there at the terminal.

Just my $.02.

 

Get them all now, especially hazmat. What was said about starter is mostly true, but you never know what might pop up 6 months down the road.

 

Yep, just signed something yesterday saying we will need our tankers along with hazmat it will be a X. We don't pull tankers but it's just to stay ahead of the game. They are coming out with new rules all the time. The tankers and doubles and triples are quick an easy tests. Hazmat is a little tricky but you should be OK if you take the online practice tests until you get a 100% each time. It's good to read up in the study book also even if you just learn something extra that's not part of the test.

 

I was recently told that the new FMCSA rule as of Jan 1 2014 is when going for a tanker endorsement you need a tanker to pretrip and road test .

 

Hey man honestly if you don't plan on driving a tanker or doubles then those endorsements would be a waste. Hazmat and twic may be important depending on who you're going to drive for. If you're going van or reefer just get your cdl without endorsements and proceed to gaining experience until you are ready for a new challenge. Driving any combination vehicle comes with many responsibilities so chose wisely.

 

Some say get them, some say don't. I'm with the get em crowd. You are right in thinking that your options are much better having endorsements than not having them. Granted you "might not need" them but they do make you more employable while your job searching plus if you do get a job at xyz company that does not require any and want or have to leave down the road and come across abc company that is a better fit for you, then you can make the move, instead of saying "oh, well could you hold this job for me while I go get the endorsements". Get em while you can instead of when you have to.

 

Like most said your hazmat is what will take the bulk of the time. You need to fingerprint, get cleared and then take the test. If you're just in the permit stage it would not hurt to get the process started. If down the road you decide you do not want the endorsement you can just drop it.

As for the other ones I'm with the "get them now" group. It never hurts to have everything ready when it's go time and having everything gives you a small leg up on those that just have the bare minimum.

Read the DMV book or take the pratice tests online here or both. The tests are not really hard. Just basic knowledge. You will have them all in no time.