My journey in real world trucking (in US)

[Ant0n0vich]

Paased my CDL today! For those who don't know what that is, CDL stands for Commercial Driver License, and Class A is the highest weight class. First time taking it. Was nervous as hell, thought I was gonna fail for sure. There were just so many things that could've gone wrong. Could've messed up on the inspection, or the air brake system check, or the overall brakes check, or backing & parking, or actually driving. Nope! Only got a couple infractions for taking a corner too fast and parking too far from the curb. Passed it with only 15 points out of 50. Again, if you're not familiar with our US system, you get points for infractions - over 50 points = fail. Obviously you can insta-fail on plenty of things as well. 1st guy that took the test failed because he forgot to get out of the truck to check behind the trailer before backing & parking = insta-fail.

I have to say ETS2 did help out. I'd say a lot actually. It got me used to the large size of a truck + trailer for one thing. And I got used to backing and parking with the help of ETS. My trainer told me that a lot of people have a hard time learning how to back a trailer, (understanding), I didn't have any trouble with it though. Also got some practice with the inspection using US truck mods. Only took about 10 hours worth of lessons.

I was training and took the test in an International DuraStar with a 5-speed auto (yeah, yeah, I know, auto = bad...but easy to drive) with a 43-foot long, 12-foot tall trailer,

[Lone Wolf]

Congrats.

[GBBEME]

Congratulations!

[~IsR~Dave2]

wtg

[x537t]

WTFG !!!

[Ant0n0vich]

Thank you, thank you! I can now show off to all my friends who don't have a CDL license as a "professional driver"!

[GBBEME]

I think it would be cool to get ur perspective of the process of becoming a professional driver as you go through it. Seeking employment, first day on the job etc.... Mini blog or just updates. Considering the profession myself. Just my 2 cents.

[Jimmy Blade]

That is great for only 10 hours. I remember getting behind the wheel of my 1990 Geo Tracker after driving cross country in a Peterbuilt that was a strange feeling lol. But, my point is that driving a big rig will come just as natural to you as driving your own automobile is now. It is something that you'll never forget. Thanks for sharing with us, you got some good times ahead of you. And alot of stories to tell oneday.

[Ant0n0vich]

Originally posted by Ashurnasirpal:

I think it would be cool to get ur perspective of the process of becoming a professional driver as you go through it. Seeking employment, first day on the job etc.... Mini blog or just updates. Considering the profession myself. Just my 2 cents.

Hmm, maybe something I might actually do. I used write a couple of blogs before. One was about gaming and tech - reviews of games, mobile apps, and any tech I could get my hands on. Not a professional blog, just something I did in my spare time. Another one was simply a theming blog about Android themes - used to create themes and post guides on how to make them. So it's something I see my self doing again. Maybe throw in some videos of the trips. Or photos of all the different places I visit. Write about anything interesting I see on the road. Hell, maybe even reviews of trucks. Well...yeah, getting a little ahead of myself, gotta find a trucking job first.

[TracyJay]

Congratulations! Now you get to choose the company you work for. As a former trainer for a major OTR company, may I suggest you choose a company that puts you on a truck with a trainer for at least a month? It would be better for you, the company, and your driving future to get as much training as you can. Now that you've passed the test, you get to really learn how to drive. Again, congratulations. I know how nerve wracking that CDL test can be!

[Ant0n0vich]

Originally posted by jcddmdad:

Congratulations! Now you get to choose the company you work for. As a former trainer for a major OTR company, may I suggest you choose a company that puts you on a truck with a trainer for at least a month? It would be better for you, the company, and your driving future to get as much training as you can. Now that you've passed the test, you get to really learn how to drive. Again, congratulations. I know how nerve wracking that CDL test can be!

My CDL trainer told me that a lot of big US companies don't pay anything while training, at least for the first couple of weeks or so, is it true? Since you already have experience in the trucking world, any suggestions for which company to start with?

[Wombat]

nice mate what country is this for?

[Ant0n0vich]

Originally posted by Wombat:

nice mate what country is this for?

US, though I'm assuming I can haul freight to Canada and Mexico as well with this license.

[michaelfase]

I passed my C+E driving license 2 months ago. I live in the netherlands, C is rigid trucks and E is trailers. I will begin trucking around half march

[Ant0n0vich]

Originally posted by michaelfase:

I passed my C+E driving license 2 months ago. I live in the netherlands, C is rigid trucks and E is trailers. I will begin trucking around half march

Congrats!

We have separate endorsements (attachements) to our driver licenses. However, Class A requires both "combination" (trailer) and "air brake" endorsements.

[michaelfase]

we have C which is a truck without any combination and C+E which means a trailer attached to either a semi truck or a rigid truck