Truckers Report Jobs

Find Trucking Jobs

Company Driver Company Driver Dry Van Dry Van Flatbed Flatbed Refrigerated Refrigerated Specialized Specialized Owner Operator Owner Operator
More Trucking Job Searches ⌄ Fewer Trucking Job Searches
⌃

My First Post.... about CDL A driving test

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014.

  1. Jan 20, 2014 #1
    Pinky12345

    Pinky12345 Bobtail Member

    5
    0
    Jan 20, 2014
    0
    hey guys, ive been browsing these forums for a few weeks now and today decided to register an account. Ive had many questions answered reading through these forums and i have a question that i cant seem to find a solid answer for. heres my question...

    Im studying for my CDL A test (Gen Knowledge/Air brakes) with the free online tests as well as with the book from the secretary of state office. The truck i will be driving is a tandem axle dump truck and a tri axle heavy machine trailer (puling a bobcat or backhoe). the GCVW will be in line with the A endorsement, and i'm very confident i can pass the written as well as the driving tests IN THIS PARTICULAR vehice. but ive been hearing that if im going for my CDL A then i have to take the driving test IN a tractor trailer. Ive never even sat in a semi, so you can see why this would be a problem for me. so my question is when taking a driving test for CDL A do i HAVE to take it in tractor trailer?

    by the way i live near Detroit, MI

    thanks in advance guys
     
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    #1
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Jan 20, 2014 #2
    cookie30

    cookie30 Bobtail Member

    48
    5
    Jun 9, 2011
    Elkton, Va
    0
    welcome, first off you will find all kinds of info on here. I don't know how MI is but in VA when I got my class A I took the road test with a single axle dump truck with a double axle equipment trailer. I was naming off everything like checking the doors and bulk head and everything else that you would check on a van or a reefer and the dot man told me I didn't have to name it if I didn't have it. I even said the 5th wheel and all I had was a penal hook. when I got finished he showed me a picture of how everything was about the same. I would check with your local dot and ask them if you could. Good luck!
     
    cookie30, Jan 20, 2014
    cookie30, Jan 20, 2014
    #2
  4. Jan 20, 2014 #3
    Pinky12345

    Pinky12345 Bobtail Member

    5
    0
    Jan 20, 2014
    0
    Thanks for the reply Cookie. Thats what im really hoping for, is that they allow me to use the dump and equipment trailer for the test. im a quick study, so i truly believe even with no current exp driving a "big rig" that with 50 or so hrs behind the wheel i could pass a test driving it (obviously i wouldnt be fit for driving it as a job with 50hrs exp but i dont plan to anyways). before i ever operated or even sat in an excavator i was given the option to either hand dig or use the machine IF and only IF i knew how to use it. well i told a lil white lie, jumped in and within 5min the boss said "you must have been running these things for years huh?" same with the backhoe, loader and the dump with air brakes that i will be using on the road which ive only till this point used on job sites. Ive just always been a quick learner when it comes to stuff with wheels/tracks. With that being said, i would stil prefer to take the test in a rig im comfortable with other than running the rish of failing it in one i just learned on
     
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    #3
  5. Jan 20, 2014 #4
    Wooly Rhino

    Wooly Rhino Road Train Member

    3,367
    5,648
    Jul 6, 2008
    Liberty, Missouri
    0
    There is a man here in the Kansas City area of Missouri who "teaches" you for the CDL A test for $300. It is a three day course. You take the test in a Ram pick up with air brakes attached to a 10 foot flat bed that has the decking removed. The flat bed also has air brakes. The air brake part is what makes it legal. A combination vehicle with air brakes.

    No matter what you take the test driving, you still have to learn to drive. I started out driving a day cab pulling a 48' flatbed. A 78 inch sleeper with a 53' dry van is a different animal. Some innocence freshly planted trees had to pay the price for my ignorance.

    Good luck with your testing and with your career.
     
    Wooly Rhino, Jan 20, 2014
    Wooly Rhino, Jan 20, 2014
    #4
  7. Jan 20, 2014 #5
    Pinky12345

    Pinky12345 Bobtail Member

    5
    0
    Jan 20, 2014
    0
    i know how to drive the dump, and have been pulling trailers all my adult driving life. so thats no biggie. and i dont ever plan to drive a big rig for work. im going to look around here and see if there is something like what you have out there (a guy with a pickup and trailer w/air brakes). thanks for the info
     
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    #5
  8. Jan 20, 2014 #6
    sirstealth

    sirstealth Bobtail Member

    27
    10
    Nov 22, 2013
    Mass
    0
    I just took my road test in a dump with a tag trailer in MA and everything was fine. I don't see how they could force you to take it in a T/T since all you need is a truck over 26k and a trailer over 10k. Just go through the CDL book and only say the things that apply to your setup for the pre-trip, replace the fifth wheel with the pintel hook, ect.
     
    sirstealth, Jan 20, 2014
    sirstealth, Jan 20, 2014
    #6
  9. Jan 20, 2014 #7
    Pinky12345

    Pinky12345 Bobtail Member

    5
    0
    Jan 20, 2014
    0
    right on, thanks for the info
     
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    Pinky12345, Jan 20, 2014
    #7
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.