CDL Information

[skilletky]

all the trucks the company i work for has bought in the last year and a half are automated. no one really likes them. all the driver has to do is put it in drive and go. they are more of a problem than they are worth. i about kicked a hole in the floor looking for the clutch when i first drove one.

[Richie O]

all the trucks the company i work for has bought in the last year and a half are automated. no one really likes them. all the driver has to do is put it in drive and go. they are more of a problem than they are worth. i about kicked a hole in the floor looking for the clutch when i first drove one.

Do you mean an allison auto or a auto shift Fuller with a clutch?

[jwatso8]

swift, schneider, jb hunt, yellow, and mom and pop outfits, they all suck! i worked at a truck stop for awhile. working on them, they dont keep the equipment up worth a dang! im happy with the fleet im with now.

[doublel89]

I'm in the same boat as you, 18 and wanting to get an intrastate CDL here in Wyoming. Afraid once I pass the tests that finding insurance will be quite a pain.

[skilletky]

all the trucks the company i work for has bought in the last year and a half are automated. no one really likes them. all the driver has to do is put it in drive and go. they are more of a problem than they are worth. i about kicked a hole in the floor looking for the clutch when i first drove one.

Do you mean an allison auto or a auto shift Fuller with a clutch?

auto shift fuller with a clutch but no clutch pedle. so far i have replaced 14 of these clutchs and everyone of them had less that 250000. trying to back a very heavy trailer up a slight grade into a dock is what is eating them up i think. when backing up it is slipping the clutch just about the whole time.

[dpuckett]

I have every endorsement except Schrewel Bus (that is by design). It doesnt cost you anything to take the written tests- that's why I have a HazMat and Passenger.
Cost me $100 or so to get my HAzmat background check, and it's good for 5 years.
DOT physical is good for 2 years, and if you let it lapse, they dont take your license or endorsements away. I wasnt using my CDL this past summer, so I didnt get my physical. Found a job in Nov that wanted a PT local guy, so I got my physical again.
When I was your age, it was the lack of years. Now that I have passed the magic age of 25, they have tacked on the 1-3yrs OTR experience (*$&%^ lawyers and ins companies). I hate to piss in your Cheerios, but you're going to have a tough road ahead til you get to at least 23.
Like they told us in shoeing school- DONT WHORE YOURSELF OUT just because of a lack of age/ experience. You are taking the same risks and doing the same work- you should get the same pay (or at least real close, say 90-95%). Not saying the world works that way, but if KY is anything like around here, guys who show up and WORK are a rarity, and employers will work with you.
Those who say there are no jobs out there either arent looking, or are too danged picky about what they do for a buck.

Good luck, man. If I can help, holler.

Dan

[dodgetkboy78]

In my humble opinion. Shifting is the least of your worries, learn to handle the weight, slow WAY down at the tops of the hills, any REAL truck will have a jake, learn how steep of a hill you have, and what gear your jake will hold you with no brakes, better to start out too slow, than too fast.

Don't listen to the "I don't use a clutch" guys...... They are idiots, shift how you are comfortable with. I have a lot of experience on real steep hills, and famous roads, (Alaska, you know) and trust me, 200K in the same truck, and I am tapping the clutch when losing my ass fast climbing a hill at 104K. One missed shift, you lose three plus holes, and your putting chains on in the middle of an 8%? 10%? I think roller coaster is 12%, hoping it doesn't start to slide backwards. Some hills I would hit the bottom at 80-90, and was in the low side by the top. (18 speed, splitting all the top gears)

Hopefully, they will give you training with a smooth, experienced driver, and start you out in a slow truck, on flat ground.

I took my test, in a End dump/pup, 425 cat, 13speed....... I believe they cant fail you for missing gears, just mark you off on the points, here at least. Get familiar with the truck your taking your test with.

I started driving for a living when I was 22, had my CDL from the age of 19. Be prepared to get a lot of sthi from the older drivers, smile and take it, they may just save your as one day!

[Richie O]

I guess im an idiot. I have 4 different trucks with 4 different trannys. No clutch for me. Don't get me wrong, I use the clutch maybe a 1/4 of the time. While you are learning USE THE CLUTCH. It gets you in practice of the timing of shifts.

[dodgetkboy78]

You just said you "use the clutch a 1/4 of the time...... thats probably more than I do..... I should have said, the guys who "never use the clutch"......

A good friend of mine, uses the clutch every stick shift, pulls it out of gear without, put it in with the clutch, everyones different.

But then again, shifting isn't what he needs to worry about, it the handling. And don't beleive everything you read, our CDL manual says a loded truck stops faster than a non loaded truck.

[Richie O]

But then again, shifting isn't what he needs to worry about, it the handling. And don't beleive everything you read, our CDL manual says a loded truck stops faster than a non loaded truck.

I agree, First you will lean how to drive empty. Then when the truck gets loaded you have to learn all over again. When I took the CDL class in highschool our books said the same thing about stopping quicker when loaded due to increased traction. WRONG. I had a horse run out in front of me and fall down in the road. I was real close to making horse burger. I was going down a hill loaded and thank god I was in a pretty low gear with the jake on. The owner of the horse was crying her eyes out. She said, " I was so scared " I yelled back, " what the hell do you think I am "

[PToombs]

I yelled back, " what the hell do you think I am "

A mean bastard comes to mind.......

[KTA]

But then again, shifting isn't what he needs to worry about, it the handling. And don't beleive everything you read, our CDL manual says a loded truck stops faster than a non loaded truck.

Well it is somewhat true, my truck stops much better with a trailer than without. Bob tail my KW's feel like they are on ice! Push the brake when its wet and the faster it goes!!

[peobryant]

My brother thinks he has some trucks I'll be able to practice on, and take the test in once I pass the written test. They'll be older trucks, so I know I'll have to learn how to shift them correctly, and during the tests, I'm told if you don't double clutch you get points deducted.

All this information is really helpful guys, I appreciate it.

[KTA]

Most important thing is to MASTER the pretrip inspection. Everybody I know that failed the driving part did so because they missed part of the pretrip. Miss one thing and I think they automaticly fail you.

[dodgetkboy78]

But then again, shifting isn't what he needs to worry about, it the handling. And don't beleive everything you read, our CDL manual says a loded truck stops faster than a non loaded truck.

Well it is somewhat true, my truck stops much better with a trailer than without. Bob tail my KW's feel like they are on ice! Push the brake when its wet and the faster it goes!!

True, I guess they stop "straighter" too, once had the big blue line pop out of the firewall on a 99KW, with a pup behind it (light). That was one scary 65-0! I think I rear ended myself like four times before I came to a stop.

Shit, Stopping a bobtail, once I took my truck home bobtail, and we got about 6 inches of wet snow? The thing barely moved with chains!