Got my Class A CDL Ya'll!!!!! Yes!! - Official Truckers Thread

[Ruck]

It depends what you prefer
- Pay up front with either your own money or a loan, and pay it back while working?
- Go to a company with $0 up front cost, and they take it out of your paycheck spreading out for about 8 months

I rather you go to the $0 up front cost and learn through a company. Most likely you would have to sign a 8 month contract, but 8 months flies by, and you'll be debt free after that time

Here's a list of companies to call. Start having your laptop with your cell phone near you and start calling

- Celadon
- Schneider
- CRST
- Roehl
- Knight Transportation
- Western Express
- US express
- TMC
- Stevens Transport
- Conway

And you being in Alaska isn't a problem. The companies would usually pay for a plane ticket to the nearest state like Washington, Idaho, or Oregon. And call them, they might even have a branch in Alaska. Since your cousin already has some experience driving trucks, he should get his CDL in no time

yeah, id rather he get his cdl a up here because if im paying for it, he better get that shyt done or else im fukking him up. he is experienced driving cdl b class vehicles, but i want him to do the tractors and get a cdl a. idk, i think it would look better if he got his cdl a up here as oppose to down in the states

You can set up your road test with a school a few weeks/months in advance and only pay as you go for hourly lessons like I did. I scheduled my road test in October, was taking lessons from June til October. Did about 8 lessons, $80/hr. Passed my road test. Didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for a school. But then again, I wasn't looking to go over the road. Just wanted my CDL for local and to better my chances of getting driving jobs period. So I guess it all depends on your end game.

great advice. did u get the cdl a? thats what i want for him but if i can save money doing that route, i will.

 

[prime]

Terrible advice. Don't set that man up to fail. Everyone knows CRST is the worst company ever.

yeah CRST,C.R England and Swift are the worst trucking companies but I think C.R England is the Worst my bro did a run from chicago to utah for 3 weeks straight and got a 355 dollar paycheck

 

[UpAndComing]

yeah, id rather he get his cdl a up here because if im paying for it, he better get that shyt done or else im fukking him up. he is experienced driving cdl b class vehicles, but i want him to do the tractors and get a cdl a. idk, i think it would look better if he got his cdl a up here as oppose to down in the states

great advice. did u get the cdl a? thats what i want for him but if i can save money doing that route, i will.

Yeah @AllEyez gave good advice

I got my CDL A like he did, did hourly lessons at a local training school, then took my road test with them. The good thing is that it's one on one lessons

And I studied for the CDL Permit tests on my own also

 

[Carlton Banks]

yeah, id rather he get his cdl a up here because if im paying for it, he better get that shyt done or else im fukking him up. he is experienced driving cdl b class vehicles, but i want him to do the tractors and get a cdl a. idk, i think it would look better if he got his cdl a up here as oppose to down in the states

great advice. did u get the cdl a? thats what i want for him but if i can save money doing that route, i will.

Yup, Class A. I got mine faster cuz I only did lessons with an automatic truck. But trust me, I wish I did manual since most jobs use manual trucks. But yeah this is the easiest route. I did 8 lessons and passed my road test the first try. But you might only need 5-6 lessons if you or whoever is used to driving big trucks already. Most places would charge $100/hr lessons normally. I was just lucky to stumble upon a certain school in my area that had the $80/hr deal. Not all schools will offer this route so you might wanna do some phone calls and ask them about it first. They might try and persuade you that you should go to school instead. They'll be very persuasive like "oh, you won't learn enough in an hour, you need to go to a school" blah blah blah.. don't listen to them. They just wanna make money off you.

 

[Carlton Banks]

yeah CRST,C.R England and Swift are the worst trucking companies but I think C.R England is the Worst my bro did a run from chicago to utah for 3 weeks straight and got a 355 dollar paycheck

That's nothing. I know one dude who got $125 after 2 weeks

 

[Marezzy]

That's nothing. I know one dude who got $125 after 2 weeks

My first year truck driving my year to date was 14000. I'll never forget that feeling.

 

[Blackout]

I don't know how people can do this long term.

fukk that.

 

[prime]

I don't know how people can do this long term.

fukk that.

If it's local it's really not that bad you home every night and off weekends at most jobs or you work one Saturday a month I really don't mind

 

[Blackout]

If it's local it's really not that bad you home every night and off weekends at most jobs or you work one Saturday a month I really don't mind

I'm talking about over the road

 

[Blackout]

Yup, Class A. I got mine faster cuz I only did lessons with an automatic truck. But trust me, I wish I did manual since most jobs use manual trucks. But yeah this is the easiest route. I did 8 lessons and passed my road test the first try. But you might only need 5-6 lessons if you or whoever is used to driving big trucks already. Most places would charge $100/hr lessons normally. I was just lucky to stumble upon a certain school in my area that had the $80/hr deal. Not all schools will offer this route so you might wanna do some phone calls and ask them about it first. They might try and persuade you that you should go to school instead. They'll be very persuasive like "oh, you won't learn enough in an hour, you need to go to a school" blah blah blah.. don't listen to them. They just wanna make money off you.

What conpany you work for that has you driving an automatic truck?

 

[Amerikan Melanin]

Yeah but I only drove OTR for a year. I'm driving local now. And I plan to be an Owner Op with about 5 trucks, so there goes my residual income

The theory of robotic trucks may affect long distance highway driving on big interstate highways

But you still haven't answered the question.. How would robotic trucks work in a Local job, or Over the road jobs in large cities? I'm waiting

Local deliveries and such that are more involved than pulling up to a warehouse will probably have humans doing it or a combo of robotic and human. Either way its going to happen. You cant stop automation. People said the same thing about EZ pass and Self checkouts.

Airplanes can take off, fly and land by themselves if they chose, but they let the pilots do the takeoff and landing but when in the air 90% of the time its autopilot. It may be something like that.

 

[UpAndComing]

Local deliveries and such that are more involved than pulling up to a warehouse will probably have humans doing it or a combo of robotic and human. Either way its going to happen. You cant stop automation. People said the same thing about EZ pass and Self checkouts.

Airplanes can take off, fly and land by themselves if they chose, but they let the pilots do the takeoff and landing but when in the air 90% of the time its autopilot. It may be something like that.

I think you're confusing 100% automated with Auto-Pilot. Which I already stated that may change long distance transport
Cars have an auto pilot controls since about the 80s. The term Auto pilot came from airplanes having a set speed depending on the altitude, which was invented in 1944. What you're saying isn't some new discovery . Like I said, you sounded confused cause you still can't find a solution of how auto-mated trucks can operate on highways around a big city or local driving. It's impossible with the amount of pedestrians, people in general, personal cars, ever changing traffic signs, construction road blockage, changing lanes, making a left or right turn, backing up, etc


And LOL @ you comparing EZ pass self checkout cashier service with driving an 80,000 lb vehicle

 

[Sleepy Walker]

My first year truck driving my year to date was 14000. I'll never forget that feeling.

hopefully you started in August.

 

[Carlton Banks]

What conpany you work for that has you driving an automatic truck?

None. That's why I said I wish I did learn manual at the time. Automatics are mainly class B jobs

 

[Typical Knicks Fan]

I started in August and made 20,000 by the end of the year. The first 7 weeks I was getting training pay $550 gross a week. I was OTR until I found a local run. Before starting I thought OTR would be fun but it's not worth what you're being paid to do and go through. I net $700 a week working 5 days but anywhere from 10-12 hour days being local getting paid by the mile. I'm transitioning to a LTL company that pays by the hour. OTR I was netting anywhere from $650 to $1000 if holiday bonuses were involved and I had some good runs because everyone took time off.

Being stuck at a truck stop because of bad weather or no freight is a depressing feeling. I rather be home if a storm hits and the interstate is shut down. The company I'm going to starts with $22 an hour within city limits and mileage pay if you're doing linehaul. $24 after a year.

Go OTR if you have a good paying dedicated account with consistent freight. I was with Best Buy and then Target before going local. I would've stayed on if the distribution center was close home and I had a chance to get home a couple times a week because the work was too easy.