Endorsements? what all is there? which is most useful?

In Cali it is a written test only, no skills test.

 

No.

 

Yeah, NYS has metal coil, tow truck, school bus endorsement, which are total money grabs, and a pilot car license, which may be a money grab, also.

I'm glad I don't live there anymore......

 

IMO I wouldn't bother with TWIC until you're sure you need it, unless you got extra cash laying around, in which case go ahead and get it when you go in for your hazmat. Here in Dayton you get fingerprinted for both at the same place. I got my hazmat check back in 12 days and it's good for 5 years.

Government clearance? I've delivered fuel oil to a submarine base and a nuclear training facility without any additional "clearance". Sure, they tossed my cab, searched under the trailer, patted me down, took my cell phone and accident kit and locked it up with the rest of my pocket contents, leaving me only my truck keys, license and DOT card to drive down from the gate to the drop site.

"Government clearance" sounds like more of that super secret Ultra Trucker b---s--t that floats around TTR from time to time. One of our Frequent Posters will probably be by shortly after fending off the predators to tell you about it.

 

Swift, as most CDL mills, don't want you getting endorsements while going through school. It slows down the process of getting your CDL.

After your training (after school when you get 200 hours behind the wheel training with a mentor) get your Hazmat and tanker endorsements for sure. Might as well also get your doubles and triples at the same time. All the endorsements are written tests only, but with Hazmat you have to go separately to a place that will fingerprint you. Swift will reimburse you for the cost of your endorsements.

Having your endorsements at Swift won't pay you more per mile to pull Hazmat, for example. However, if you are the only driver in an area that can handle a Hazmat load, you get to work when other drivers have to sit.

The value of your endorsements, particularly Hazmat and tanker, will increase greatly after you leave Swift. I figure my tanker and Hazmat endorsements are worth an extra $10K a year at my current gig.

 

None of the endorsements require skills test. It's all computer based test.

 

You should ask swift if they haul hazmat.If not then I would wait on getting Amy endorsements till you drive for a company that requires them because endorsements do expire. But to answer your question my opinion says hazmat is the most valuable.

 

Passport is not endorsement. It is necessary to get back into the United States from Canada. If you have it you are a total asset. You rule. If you don't have it then... eh no Canada for you. What a shame.

There is another wrinkle. Real ID act of 2005. You will be in compliance with a enhanced license (A gold star) by 2020. Without it you cannot fly domestic, enter US Military bases and any federal installation and so forth.

All endorsements mean money to you.

Me Ive had Hazmat since forever, it was my treasured pride and joy. Any time I had hazmat on.. it was perfect. Literally perfectly handled. Until I hired onto a company with bad dispatchers complaining about going across the freaking Keybridge instead of 95 tunnels in Baltimore. 40 minutes and out of route. What part of hazmat class 9 dont you understand? I had my state remove the hazmat endorsement after a few more outbursts from dispatchers.

I did that deliberately. But even today I keep up on it.

Tanker is the most valuable. If you can run a tanker, you can do alot. Combined with hazmat you can run gasoline etc. (Not that I should. Im third generation trucker from one who survived red ball being strafed by luftwaffe with 300 fuel cans on his 3 axle truck and then running away with a gas tanker off big savage into cumberland. No fuel for me. No sirree.

I'll squeak out an opinion now and then. You can take it or leave it. Good luck!

 

Swift does haul Hazmat and totes with liquid that would require both Hazmat and tanker endorsements. Again, they don't pay more for hauling these loads, but having the endorsements will get you loads others can't haul. After a year or two experience you can start cashing in on those endorsements. I did two years of Swift servitude, then parlayed that into my current gig, which pays a percentage of line haul and accessorials.

Bottom line is to get all your endorsements as soon as possible.

 

That's cheap ### company not to pay extra for hazmat.Hazmat does require extra special attention when planning your routes and signs.But you're right it does open doors for more hazmat loads because most drivers don't renew their HM.