From: Mark J. Blair (ke6myk_mvlist@sbcglobal.net)
Date: Thu Oct 16 2003 - 14:20:00 PDT
Horrocks, Aaron wrote:
> CDL for Big MV?
>
> In my research to get a 5ton MV in the future, everybody said that I'll
> need a "Class A" or a "Commercial Drivers License". The license is NOT
> about WHAT you use the vehicle for, but how much it WEIGHS.
In California, that is the case, and I gather that you're in CA. I've heard
that a CDL is not required in many (most?) of the other states for
non-commercial use of trucks under 26,001 pounds GVW (or was it GVWR? I don't
recall). Actually, a class B CDL is good enough for driving the truck without
a trailer, and the drive test will be a little bit easier. For the Class A
test, you will need to demonstrate skills such as backing a semi into an
alley, and parallel-parking one. On the other hand, developing skill in
handling a trailer can be useful, so it may still be a good idea to go for the
class A CDL if you need to get a CDL anyway. Once you have the CDL, the only
real drawback is that you need to have a medical exam avery two years. Oh,
your legal limit for DUI will be half as much, even when you're driving a
regular car, but you shouldn't drink and drive, anyway.
> Is getting a Class A hard? Perhaps, but my plan was to take a part time job
> as a trucker for several months. At least here in the California bay-area,
> there's such a high demand, they are willing to cater to the employee's
> schedule, and location.
It really depends on how quickly you take to driving the truck, and how much
you panic and mess up on test day. I was the only driver out of the batch of
students from my school who walked away with a license on test day. I was so
nervous that I was amazed that I managed to pass. I do recommend professional
training if you decide to get the CDL. Schools like Dootson (where I went for
my Class A) will teach you what you need to know to pass the test. Your idea
of taking a part time job may be a good one, especially if your emplyer will
pay for any training that you may need. One complication that you'll avoid on
test day if you take professional training is that you'll take your drive test
with one of the school's ordinary commercial trucks. The DMV tester may not be
able to understand how the air over hydraulic system on a typical MV works,
and then refuse to give you an air brake certification because the truck
doesn't have regular air brakes, or even fail you when you can't point to the
(non-existant) slack adjusters on the truck. Showing the DMV employees what
they're used to seeing is usually in your best interest!
I think that learning how to safely drive a semi will probably help make you a
better driver in all types of vehicles. Knowing what it's like to be behind
the wheel of a big rig will give you a better appreciation for things like
stopping distances, and should make you less likely to drive regular cars in a
dangerous manner around big trucks. Many (most?) drivers seem to have no
understanding of the real differences in how cars and big trucks handle, and
routinely do stupid things like pulling right in front of big trucks and then
hitting their brakes.
So, in short, since you're in CA you will have two choices if you want to
legally drive a 5-ton:
1) Get an appropriate CDL.
2) Move to the United States. :-)
-- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <ke6myk@sbcglobal.net> PGP 2.6.2 public key available from http://www.keyserver.net/ Web page: http://www.qsl.net/ke6myk/
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