Why Do You Have To Have A CDL To Drive A Cargo Van With No Hazmat On Board ?

[bluefish55]

If you are never going to have hazmat on board a cargo van why do you have to have a CDL to drive a cargo van ? Insurance Companys ? Company policy ? I drove non-cdl 26' straight trucks and cargo vans over the road for over 15 years and never needed a cdl unless there was hazmat. I had to go over the scales in the straight truck, log books, pre trip, maintance, know DOT regs. It seems in expediting everyone wants you to have a cdl to drive a cargo van that will never have hazmat on it.

 

[sassy_1210]

It sounds like company policy. I have no cdl and drive a cargo van.

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[jjoerger]

I will never understand why someone who drives a vehicle hauling freight for money across state lines would complain about having to possess a CDL.

 

[bluefish55]

I will never understand why someone who drives a vehicle hauling freight for money across state lines would complain about having to possess a CDL.

It's not a complaint, It's just a question. You are not required by law to have a CDL to drive a cargo van with freight across state lines unless you are hauling hazmat.

 

[xiggi]

It is just a company policy some places. No different than some businesses will not interview a person without a college degree even though in reality the job does not require one. Not all expedite companies require it I think Panther even dropped the need for one not very long ago.

 

[ebsprintin]

consider it a deeper background check. --eb

 

[jjoerger]

Not all expedite companies require it I think Panther even dropped the need for one not very long ago.

Another lowering of the standards in an effort to keep "Meat in the Seat" and the rates low for all cargo van drivers.

 

[zorry]

I'll applaud the day vanners have to run a log book. Slow em down and make them more professional. Thin the herd, raise the rates. Maybe it'll trickle up.

 

[Bruno]

Here is the reason why. Most state's will give you a Class C CDL to driver a van or Straight truck that is from 10,001 lbs to 26,000 lbs in GVW with no air brakes. In order to get a Class C CDL they make you get a HAZ Mat put on your CDL. It's the government that makes you get Haz Mat not the carriers. When I first started back in 1995 I started out with a Class C and I asked the same thing. This is what I was told.

 

[cranis]

Here is the reason why. Most state's will give you a Class C CDL to driver a van or Straight truck that is from 10,001 lbs to 26,000 lbs in GVW with no air brakes. In order to get a Class C CDL they make you get a HAZ Mat put on your CDL. It's the government that makes you get Haz Mat not the carriers. When I first started back in 1995 I started out with a Class C and I asked the same thing. This is what I was told.

This is true, and might I add that the reason is the laws in some states say that in order to drive any commercial vehicle must have at least a cdl c class. also you can get air brake like for straight trucks, that are not normal cdl.
O and 1 more thing, alot of companies think because you have a cdl even tho they do not have cdl vehicles, makes for a better driver.

 

[cheri1122]

If you are never going to have hazmat on board a cargo van why do you have to have a CDL to drive a cargo van ? Insurance Companys ? Company policy ? I drove non-cdl 26' straight trucks and cargo vans over the road for over 15 years and never needed a cdl unless there was hazmat. I had to go over the scales in the straight truck, log books, pre trip, maintance, know DOT regs. It seems in expediting everyone wants you to have a cdl to drive a cargo van that will never have hazmat on it.

Maybe it's just because it's tough to defend a lawsuit if there is no evidence that drivers can actually drive safely before the carrier signs them on.

 

[xiggi]

I'll applaud the day vanners have to run a log book. Slow em down and make them more professional. Thin the herd, raise the rates. Maybe it'll trickle up.

Right, a cdl will make them more professional than speeding, tailgating, semi drivers who toss their pee bottle and trash on the ground in the parking lot. That is if they bother to use a bottle at all.

A cdl has nothing to do with a professional attitude it is the person that makes that come to life.

 

[MCGohio1985]

Maybe it's just because it's tough to defend a lawsuit if there is no evidence that drivers can actually drive safely before the carrier signs them on.

So having a CDL makes you a safe driver ?

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[greg334]

You want to know why?

Get into the insurance business and learn what actuaries do.

The insurance company tells the carrier if they want to lower their risks, they need to have CDL holders in every vehicle that they have in the fleet.

Risks equal costs.

It is the idea that the training to get a CDL, which is above that of a monkey getting a driver's license, shows that the person has a little more knowledge of how a vehicle operates than that monkey.

I feel strongly that no matter what you drive, if you are working in a commercial transportation job like this, you should have a minimal amount of knowledge of things - including how to check the oil and change alight bulb.

I imagine that one day soon there will be another FMCSA change, that CDL holders of all sorts will have to earn Continuing Education Credits as part of maintaining the license.

It is like the other issue that vanners seem to poo poo, CSA.

The CSA has nothing to do with the vehicle but everything to do with the driver. So even though you don't have a CDL, you can accumulate points for the company and not yourself - per FMCSA.

 

[cheri1122]

So having a CDL makes you a safe driver ?

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Absolutely not. It just demonstrates that the holder is capable of driving safely, [at least enough to pass a test] and that the carrier has some standards in place. Whether you are a safe driver is a whole 'nother subject, lol.
[Generic 'you', not you personally]

 

[stonewolf]

reality check most say cdl A only but i have applied to those companys with a class c and a hazmat and got called back ... i actually got my job driven a fleet C/V by applying to a class A only add. most of the time it mearly comes down to experience.

 

[AMonger]

Here is the reason why. Most state's will give you a Class C CDL to driver a van or Straight truck that is from 10,001 lbs to 26,000 lbs in GVW with no air brakes. In order to get a Class C CDL they make you get a HAZ Mat put on your CDL. It's the government that makes you get Haz Mat not the carriers.

What state makes you get a hazmat endorsement to get any level of CDL? I've never heard of such a thing.



--

You know the problem with bad cops? They make the other 5% look bad.

 

[Turtle]

A Class C CDL is a CDL with an endorsement of some kind, either passenger or HAZMAT, and is used for vehicles that do not require either a Class A or a Class B license.

Classes of License:
The Federal standard requires States to issue a CDL to drivers according to the following license classifications:

Class A -- Any combination of vehicles with a GCWR of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Class B -- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR.

Class C -- Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is transporting material that has been designated as hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 and is required to be placarded under subpart F of 49 CFR Part 172 or is transporting any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73.

 

[mjmsprt40]

A Class C CDL is a CDL with an endorsement of some kind, either passenger or HAZMAT, and is used for vehicles that do not require either a Class A or a Class B license.

According to that list, most of us vanners don't have any real use for a CDL unless it's required by the company. Fact: I have no business hauling hazmat just on the general principle of the thing, with or without a CDL. I can see it for a straight truck, but not for a van where the cargo compartment is common with the driver's compartment.

 

[Jefferson3000]

Here is the reason why. Most state's will give you a Class C CDL to driver a van or Straight truck that is from 10,001 lbs to 26,000 lbs in GVW with no air brakes. In order to get a Class C CDL they make you get a HAZ Mat put on your CDL. It's the government that makes you get Haz Mat not the carriers. When I first started back in 1995 I started out with a Class C and I asked the same thing. This is what I was told.

Bruno,

Hazmat is an endorsement, given with a separate test and fee. No CDL requires Haz. I know cuz I "haz" none. But I do have a passenger endorsement, by my own decision.