Upgrading

Take the "combination vehicles" written test (and "air brakes", if you haven't already done so, unless you're looking to run something like a hotshot with hydraulic brakes on the power unit and electric brakes on the trailer), and you a "BPA" (B, permit for A). Then you get a vehicle and road test, or pay to test out at your local truck driving school.

 

Valley Transportation in Ashland, Oh. used to do CDL driving tests on their equipment for a fee. But you have to be able to pass the driving test in a tractor trailer.

 

If you're going to a CDL school already, why didn't you just for Class A from the get-go? I do know one person who got their Class A permit and managed to get hired on with a horse hauling outfit out of Fountain, CO, and they paid for his road test to get his Class A, but examples like that tend to be quite few and far between.

 

What he said. I had my class B with air brakes since 1983, only used it that summer, July-Dec. I went to school for my class A.
When I took the class A permit test (combination vehicle) and not needing air brake as I already had it I took tanker (added to my class B) and D/T trailers that DMV held till I got my class A.

When I went to get my class A license at the DMV I took my HAZMAT test just before so it was added along with the D/T trailers and everything from my class B license.
I would tell anyone going for a CDL to just go for the class A as you can drive a class B truck but not the other way around.
Dave ----