Getting a CDL drive my own truck to haul my own stuff

Then my suggestion is to hire some drivers or a driver to drive the truck and then that will free the others up to do what they need to do.

 

Have to agree with Ridgeline. As much as you think you can, or want to, you cannot do it all.

 

We don't need more people. The truck would get us to our jobs and then sit until we are done with the job and then take our gear to the next jobsite. It might only be on the road one or two days a week and likely only a few hours at that. I don't want to hire a driver and have him work 12 hours a week and sit on his thumb the rest of the time.

I have tried contracting it out but scheduling is a pain and it doesn't work.

 

Maybe hire a driver whose secondary duties include working on the sites you're on. Or send one of your guys to a school (like a local college) to upgrade to a CDL. Either promote from within or hire from without.

 

We are never working and driving at the same time.

Right now we take 3-4 pickups with trailers to get to our job sites. We stay at each site anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks. I am wanting to do away with all the pickups and trailers a get a big truck with a trailer to haul it all and then have my crew ride in one or two vehicles. There are only 5 of us.

 

You don't have to go to a school. The information you get there may be beneficial to you as far as learning regulations, logging hours, etc.

I got a book from the DMV, studied, took my test & got my permit. A buddy let me use one of his trucks to practice on his yard & then had one of his guys take me to do my skills test with his truck. You will have to take your skills test in a truck & trailer combo like what you want the license for. In other words, you can't show up with a bobtail or straight truck & expect to get a class A license.

If you're capable of passing the test you can get your cdl without the school. Just remember, there is a lot more to it than just getting the license.

 

I am not saying this to be argumentative, but you state that you have so much work you can barely keep up, and that you are working 7 days a week, that indicates to me that there is a need to share the load. If you personally cannot afford the time to attend training then send someone else, perhaps one of your equipment operators, etc. Something has to give if you really want to utilize a class a vehicle rather than the 3 pickups you use now. You need to make an adjustment somewhere. If you have never operated a tractor trailer do not expect to just go get a class a cdl and hop in one thinking you can drive it like any other vehicle. I have been driving other vehicles for 36 years and about a million miles, the very great majority of it in a pick up truck pulling trailers up to 10,000lbs, there is ZERO comparison to a class a vehicle aside from understanding how a trailer moves with respect to the steering wheel when moving in reverse.

Do you self and all of us a favor and get proper training, or send someone else to do it.

 

Thanks for the replies. As to sending one of my guys they don't have any more spare time than I do really. Also once they got a CDL on my dime they would likely go work somewhere else for more money. The oilfield is hot around here and snatches up CDL drivers.

I am one of the guys driving the pickup/goosenecks anyway so I figure why not get the CDL and drive it myself and not worry about having to keep a CDL driver on the payroll. Anywhere the truck would go I would be going there myself anyway.

I like the idea of hiring an instructor to train me.

I drove a big rig about 50 miles once when I was younger helping a friend out but I wouldn't count that as experience. I have driven a international utility truck with air brakes quite a bit probably have 10,000 miles on it. I know I would need some training.

 

I like the above post about buying your own rig and trailer first and hiring an instructor to teach you. You don't have to go to school but it sure would help. Shifting and backing will be the main issue but since you've backed a gooseneck it probably wouldn't be too bad. All of that will come with practice. Just be sure to study that book, know the laws, and be able to drive safely before you get out on your own. I say go for it.