Should I get my Class B?

It depends where you work. I talked to one guy that purposely did not get his Class A because the company he was working for at the time he knew would send him over the road, but because he had a Class B they kept him in town doing local deliveries. I would say get an A just because that way you can do both.

 

Yes, go get it as soon as you can. Get to work and start building your life. Dont sit and hold back on what you want to do. I had every level of licence I could as soon as my age allowed. DJ, D, DM, BM, AM truck trailer, AM. I never paid for any kind of lessons ever. I bought what I wanted, then went to take the driving test. Dont ever hold back and wait!

 

I'd go for the Class A even if you think you're just going to need the Class B. There are plenty of companies in my area (i.e. Construction related) that only hire drivers with their Class A even if they're typically going to be operating Class B. The reason being that if they happen to need the driver to tow a trailer that would require a Class A (weight wise)....the Class B guy wouldn't be of much use to them on those jobs.

Now if you're just wanting to drive a straight truck and you don't mind being limited to that (not saying that there's anything wrong with that...just that it might limit your options)...then just get the Class B. In my area...I just had a lot more Class A options than Class B, so I went with Class A.

 

Heidelberg distribution here in Cleveland requires all of there drivers to have Class A CDL's and guess how many tractor trailers they have? That's right 1 only one. The rest of there fleet is like 17 foot box trucks they have tons of those things and for the bigger bulk stops they use tandem axle straight trucks, but they require everyone to have a Class A CDL. I think this is because it gives them the option to use trailers if they want. However, they are mostly import beer and wine and wine distributors generally use straight trucks at least around here.

 

Yup. That's exactly why. In my area...the beverage guys use a mix of straight and combination vehicles. The vehicle they use (from what I've read here) is often set by the route in question. i.e. If you run a route that primarily services supermarkets...you'll likely run a combination vehicle with a long trailer. If you run a route that hits small convenience stores...you might run a shorter straight truck.

I have no idea the exact mix (combination vs. straight), but from what I see around town...there's a fair amount of each.

 

I thought the Class B was a in-state license and the Class A was "national"? Is it not in the state of Texas?

 

Thanks for the information. I think I will wait, get any job now and save up for Class A school.

Thank you ALL!

 

If you line up the right employer...they'll help you get your CDL. I know of at least one carrier (SEFL) will work with current employees (i.e. Dock workers/freight handlers) that want to get their CDL.

There's positions all over Texas. This is just one example, but my advice would be to look for a company that has a training program.

https://pangea.geninfo.com/SEFL/apply/selectposition.aspx?portal=external

 

Who said you cant take a class B truck across state lines? Where I am in CT 2 hours I can be in RI/MA/VT and 15 min over the NY line. Because of my medical waiver saying I cant cross state lines fro the next 3 years makes it hard to find a driving job class A or B.

Have you looked in to the cost of school for class A & B what the difference is? You may find not that much difference.
Me knowing what I know now just go for the class A ASAP because you will be 21 before you know it and you can drive a class B truck with the class A license.

I have had my class B since 1983 only used it for the year but kept it good all just time and just up graded it to class A back in Dec. 2014 because when looking on line all I found was class A jobs OTR.

Now the only thing I have come across trying to get a class B job with the class A license is they do not want to hire class A drivers because the drivers ask for class A pay.
good luck
Dave ----

 

WOW! Boy was I wrong! Thank you so much for your help. The way I read it on the DPS website made it sound completely different!


See.... This is why I love you guys!