ClassB learner w/ air brake endorsement

ConfusedMuse · Sep 16, 2005

Hi Everyone!

Finally I am stumped. I recently lost my co-driver ( the grass was greener elsewhere). I wrote and passed my air brake test, and got a learner's permit for a Class B CDL. I thought I had a deal lined up but, it fell through at the nth hour due to the fact that their insurance company would cover me as a rider but not as a learner with a Class B. I already have a Class C with Hazmat.
Does anyone know where I can go and learn how to operate/drive a straight truck in Michigan, and NOT have to pay thousands of dollars?
Thanks
By the way I have found this site to be a wealth of information.

Renagade1 · Sep 16, 2005

If your looking for a school you might as well go ahead and get your class A. Its not that much harder just have to be able to back up a trailer. I would do a search for truck driving schools in michigan. Here in missouri a school charges $3750.00 if you finance or $3500.00 cash for a 4 week course and that includes a place to stay but you furnish your meals. Its a good school I worked there for a while the owner is a old truck driver. Hope this helps.

Ren

jasonsprouse · Sep 17, 2005

I agree, if you are going to go to the trouble of going to a school, get a Class A CDL. There isn't that much difference in the tests (I've taken both).

That said, if all you really need is a license, you can probably just take the test. The hardest part of any CDL test is the pre-trip part.

I took my Class B CDL test in Ohio when I was 19. I went through a private company that did training and did testing, and passed OK. Those places have their own trucks you can rent for the test, the place I took the test even had a automatic transmission tractor.

IMO, the automatic is easier to take the test in, less to screw up on.

ConfusedMuse · Sep 17, 2005

Thanks so much for all the information.... Now another question, IF I go to another State to get my CDL will Michigan honour it, or do I fall into the same catagory that I know find myself in?

Renagade1 · Sep 17, 2005

Depends on the state. To find out call your local license office or contact the school you want to go to and ask them if they know. The school here in missouri is Southern Missouri Truck Driving School you can check them out at smtds.com

Ren

greg334 · Sep 18, 2005

>Finally I am stumped. I recently lost my co-driver ( the
>grass was greener elsewhere). I wrote and passed my air
>brake test, and got a learner's permit for a Class B CDL. I
>thought I had a deal lined up but, it fell through at the
>nth hour due to the fact that their insurance company would
>cover me as a rider but not as a learner with a Class B. I
>already have a Class C with Hazmat.
>Does anyone know where I can go and learn how to
>operate/drive a straight truck in Michigan, and NOT have to
>pay thousands of dollars?

Here is a suggestion and I know some will say not to do this, but

I assume that you have been driving for a while and that you may have driven something larger than a cargo van sometime in your life.

Half your battle is finished; you have your hazmat endorsement.

You don’t need much to upgrade your CDL to a class B, some road time and a road test.

Read the CDL manual from Michigan.

Read the road test section of the manual to understand what you will go through.

Rent a truck from Ryder or Penske 24 foot with Air Brakes. They have under 26k (non-CDL) trucks available to rent. You need it for two maybe three days if you have driven them before, otherwise rent it for a week.

Have someone help you with the inspection and exercises, like backing up. Go through the entire manual’s inspection and road testing section several times.

You can find a parking lot to practice in (if you can borrow some cones to use). I found a place where there were docks and practiced backing up to actual docks for half a day with obstacles in my way.

On the road, get used to the brakes, some examiners watch you carefully and how you react with the air brakes.

If you are in the south east section of Michigan, there is a good testing center off of I-75 near southland mall that you rent the truck for the test. It is not a beat up junk truck as I have seen at a couple testing centers. The cost is reasonable and the examiner was nice.

>Thanks so much for all the information.... Now another
>question, IF I go to another State to get my CDL will
>Michigan honour it, or do I fall into the same catagory that
>I know find myself in?
Can't do that, if you are a Michigan resident, you have no choice except to get your CDL in Michigan. there are a couple companies that are dual licensed in Michigan and Ohio/Indiana but they will use the Michigan rules for Michigan residents.

jasonsprouse · Sep 19, 2005

I know of a couple people that got addresses in different states to take CDL tests. Once you have a CDL, it is valid everywhere, even thought the tests are different in different states.

Florida and West Virginia were supposed to be easier states. Ohio is harder.

I went through training at Schneider National in Green Bay, WI 5 years ago. Most of the people there walked out with their CDL's. The folks from Ohio had to go back for another week of training and test in Ohio. It still took me 2 tried to pass the Class A test. (I hit a curb on a turn the first time, an automatic fail).

miko · Sep 19, 2005

You're not sopposed to stay on with Schneider for a year once you take their CDL training class???

xkmail · Sep 20, 2005

In Los ANgeles you can doa Class B test in one week, its not expensive.
I took all my written tests myself including Class A, General, Air Brakes, Tanker, Hazmat, Doubles.
I jsut need some experience to get my driving test.
Anyybody? Bueller?

jasonsprouse · Sep 20, 2005

>You're not sopposed to stay on with Schneider for a year
>once you take their CDL training class???

Well I signed on with them in 2000, so the training contract may have changed since then. Basically, it said that if you took their training and went to work for another company within X months, you had to pay them for the training.

The turnover is so high there that they would have a pretty hard time even catching someone just going through their school to get a CDL. I'd be willing to be when I worked there, they had at least a 50% turnover yearly.

For me, there was less than 3 months in between signing with them and my quitting. They were so disorganized that it was hard to get anything meaningful done. There were times when I would spend a whole morning driving from location to location looking for an empty trailer just so I could pick up a load. All that driving empty was usually unpaid, since each "small" trip was under their paid deadhead limit.

ConfusedMuse · Sep 22, 2005

Hey !

Thanks everyone...
Had to dig through several layers of the Michigan web site. Finally emailed the Sec. of Transportation. There are several State sanctioned
truck driving schools that offer what I am searching for. As much as I would like to take the short cuts mentioned, it is in my best interest to do it the proper way,and set a solid foundation for all the situations that will probably arise out on the road.

Safe trucking all......

CM