Go backward in pay to drive Class 8

Why do you have to go back to CDL school. With 10 years of experience driving combination vehicles can't you borrow/use a semi truck and trailer and just take the test? I got my Class A years ago by doing something similiar.

 

It's not that easy today, especially in Illinois. You have to pass the 150 point pre-trip inspection before they'll give you a road test. They'll flunk you for something simple, such as calling a guage and indicator, or visa versa.
Google: Illinois CDL practice pre-trip inspection test.
There may be an app also on Google : DMV Genie App CDL Practice Tests

Illinois and New Jersey are the two hardest and most ridiculous states for failing potential cdl drivers. One time in New Jersey they flunked a whole class of 17 people on the pre-trip inspection, so none of them even got a road test.
@rowekmr you're fortunate, you already have a cdl, so all you will need for a refresher course is a current physical and pass a drug test.

 

Trucks are divided in classes by weight.

Class 8 (As in Eight) are the biggest ones in the USA for weight.

Commercial Truck Vehicle Classification

Air brakes are part of big trucking, you will need that to have a useable CDL in the USA. If you don't have that, you basically wont be driving anywhere. The main reason is that it's not possible to stop a 80000 pound vehicle on a mountain downgrade on regular fluid braking without burning it down. There is a vacumn braking option, which isnt the way we yankees do braking.

As far as the life experiences all have value, just not to a employer. I have had situations where the local Mercedes dealer in Little Rock sniff and look down long noses at me, the temp standing next to one of their yachts because to them I am just a "Temp" little do they understand that Ive run million dollar plus loads in my life. (Nor do they care. Such snobbery will not get my money anyway...) They end up being a big fish in not enough of a pond. Splash all that water out.

Yes you will be newbie running the big truck, but generally I think you will excel when compared to other newbies who hasnt likely done a darn thing until they showed up at the trucking school.

 

What You Should Know About the Gauges on the Dashboard of a Semi Truck

There can be a unlimited number of gauges in a big truck. As in dozens of them. All of them tell you something important going down the road. For example the Pyrometer. When you are pulling a mountain working really hard, your engine has a certain limit in it's VERY materials on the exhaust manifold and block etc where you can have it get hot, say 1250 F and keep pulling that hill. But if you pushed it and it got up to say 1500 it's going to break really badly on you. You will not have a engine anymore. Another way of visualizing 1250-1400 or so is that your turbo and exahust under the hood is probably glowing red to orange hot. Approaching white hot in appearance. If your engine is built of substandard material you would be limited to 900 or so on the pyro or less. Could not run the mountain as fast.

That's just one. If you got a group of truckers together to talk about anything in particular it will be a day or two before all will agree on something.

It's been my experience that instead of 50 gauges in my time when I started off (I had to learn each one and why and how etc) you are being presented with just a tach, speedometer and some kind of airgauge for the brakes. (Gross oversimplification, but you get the gist) and a computer that alarms you at everything else.