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Who has their CDL?
- Thread starter Baconator
- Start date
montrose818
Banned
This 3 axle truck rule doesnt sound accurate, as CDL has to do with GVWR not number of axles. You could have a 3406 Pete with a single axle, or a class 7 with 3 axles. What state is this? Is that from DMV or a school? Because Ive seen schools give out bad info.
Most people with a cdl these days driving autos, so the restriction is less meaningful now
British Columbia.... Our monolithic insurance and driver/vehicle licensing body sets the rules. It's not strictly by GVWR.
With my Class 1 w/air license, I can drive a loaded B-train to SoCal and back if I wanted. It sounds like our standards might be higher cuz y'all wouldn't let us haul freight to y'alls if they were less, eh?
montrose818
Banned
British Columbia.... Our monolithic insurance and driver/vehicle licensing body sets the rules. It's not strictly by GVWR.
With my Class 1 w/air license, I can drive a loaded B-train to SoCal and back if I wanted. It sounds like our standards might be higher cuz y'all wouldn't let us haul freight to y'alls if they were less, eh?
Well shyt, if youre in Canada then Im out, I only know local regs.
Not sure about the B train, those douboew or more?Because in cali there are no triples allowed
montrose818
Banned
Wonder why we use a trailer dolly instead?
aczlan
Good Morning!
this I can tell you in one word: cost If you figure that 3/4 of a 4000 trailer fleet is on the road at any time, you only need around 1500 dollies as many dollies vs at least 2000 front trailers.
It's also more flexible, you can use any trailer in front or back (as long as the front one has a pintle and air/light hookups) whereas a B train can only have the front trailer in front, so your logistics don't have to consider which one has to be in front at loading time.
Aaron Z
It depends on the industry. The dolly setup (A-train) is more conducive to LTL freight. I'm told you can't back these up at all.
B train is usually about moving as much bulk product as possible, in one shot, to a single destination.. And you have the ability to back up the rig (still not easy).
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
Well, I'm getting more confident about double clutching. Improving on the upshifts (I won't say confident quite yet) but have a fair amount of work to do on downshifting.
Had a question on pre-trip, though: How do they do the light checks? From reading the manual and watching videos checking signals, headlights, etc is straightforward - turn them on and then walk around to look at them. But how do they have you check backup lights and brake lights? Or am I missing something?
Had a question on pre-trip, though: How do they do the light checks? From reading the manual and watching videos checking signals, headlights, etc is straightforward - turn them on and then walk around to look at them. But how do they have you check backup lights and brake lights? Or am I missing something?
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
The ones on the back of the tractor?
Is checking the hazards good enough for the brake lights since they're the same lamps?
Very few trucks have back up lights. Usually only local day cab trucks.
montrose818
Banned
shit man, quit being a cheapass and go to a school 
From what Ive seen, they grade you very strict if you show up on your own without a school
From what Ive seen, they grade you very strict if you show up on your own without a school
TrailTamer
🤣🖕🏻
Also the tester prefers "no" to "I'm gonna hit it at 55 so we have enough momentum to clear it if we high center"
might as well just say
"I have unwanted passenger"
aczlan
Good Morning!
Are you talking about trailers? We get a lot of semi trucks in at work and every single one of them has at least one backup light along with the brake and tail lights at the back of the frame. Most of them also have another pair on the back of the sleeper.
I just went and looked at pictures of a bunch of trucks for sale on Commercial Truck Trader and every single one had at least one white backup light.
Pretty sure it's part of the FMVSS that every vehicle on the road (other than motorcycles) has to have a white light that turns on when the transmission is in reverse.
Aaron Z
I've driven trucks all over the East Coast, I've worked on trucks and I can safely say you will almost never find an owner operator truck with a reverse light. I rarely see fleet trucks with reverse lights. I have seen a lot of them on local day cab delivery trucks but even the day cabs that shuttle containers in and out of the paper mill here have any back up lamps. They may be required when new, but I rarely ever see them on the road. They are pretty much useless anyway since no one can see them past the trailer and 99% of the time a tractor will have a trailer attached. The lights on the back of the sleeper are work lights for lighting up the catwalk when hooking up your air lines and lights to a trailer. Most owner operators have replaced them with red lights and run them with their chicken lights.
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
shit man, quit being a cheapass and go to a school
From what Ive seen, they grade you very strict if you show up on your own without a school
Because (at least around here) "school" costs $3000 to $5000 and up. Once place wants $14K for "personal" instruction.
Most of what they teach is how to pass the exam - not necessarily how to drive. So I figure being able to ask people who have passed the test what their experiences were is going to get me about as far.
As for backup lights, both our tractors have them so I'm going to have to know how to check if they're working...
Last edited:
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
You are incorrect for this. My dump trucks have a turn signal light and a brake light. They operate Independently from each other. Now if you only have 2 lights on back they may work in conjunction with the turn signals. Same goes with the trailers. They have a extra wire that’s just for the brake lights.
How I check the brake lights work by my self. My trucks with the key on truck running and parking brake applied the brake lights activate.
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
I tried that - ours don't.
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
try it with the truck being out of air. I know a few of mine the brake lights come on when they are out of air also.
montrose818
Banned
for real? you could do it for 1500 here pre covid
Baconator
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2020
- Member Number
- 1740
- Messages
- 314
The schools I called were a minimum of $2500 using my truck, double using theirs.
montrose818
Banned
what area? sound like I need to franchise
aczlan
Good Morning!
FMCSA §393.11 would beg to differ on if they are required, note that a height is not specified, so work lights on the back of the cabs would count as long as they some on when the transmission is in reverse:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&ty=HTML&h=L&mc=true&=PART&n=pt49.5.393#se49.5.393_111 said:Table 1 of §393.11—Required Lamps and Reflectors on Commercial Motor Vehicles
A. Buses and trucks less than 2,032 mm (80 inches) in overall width.
Item on the vehicle Quantity Color Location Position Height above the road surface in millimeters (mm) (with English units in parenthesis) measured from the center of the lamp at curb weight Vehicles for which the devices are required Backup lamp. See footnote #14 1 or 2 White Rear Rear No requirement A, B, C
B. Buses and trucks 2,032 mm (80 inches) or more in overall width.
C. Truck tractors.
Footnote—14 Backup lamp required to operate when bus, truck, or truck tractor is in reverse.
View attachment
Here are the first 10 trucks with sleepers (of each model) from the front page of Commercial Truck Trader, every single one of them has one or more backup lights:
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2015-INTERNATIONAL-PROSTAR-5011415281
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2016-KENWORTH-T680-5014612745
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2012-PETERBILT-386-5014268540
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2019-Mack-ANTHEM-5015157074
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2016-FREIGHTLINER-CASCADIA+125-5015951909
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2015-INTERNATIONAL-PROSTAR-5015060968
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2020-PETERBILT-579-5009235322
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2016-FREIGHTLINER-122+SD-5015912183
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2015-VOLVO-VN+630-5016045122
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2021-INTERNATIONAL-LONESTAR-5015391504
And a few older ones (1995 and older), again every single one has one or more backup lights:
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1989-PETERBILT-379-5015743291
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1995-Kenworth-W900-5014250663
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1988-PETERBILT-379-5014925105
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1994-PETERBILT-379EXHD-5015278857
https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1986-PETERBILT-359-5014308123
Aaron Z
Definitely do the driving school. Minimum program. Im a super-cheap fawker, and I still think it was worth it. $2600 CAD in their truck. Prices are better in metro areas it seems.
Ya, depends on the lamp hookups.
I know I can put on the flashers and running lamps, and that proves them all - except reverse of course.
Ya, depends on the lamp hookups.
I know I can put on the flashers and running lamps, and that proves them all - except reverse of course.
I didn't say they weren't required at some point, but every owner operator I know of takes them off and I don't know of anyone who DOT has given a ticket for it. These trucks also pass inspection for their company and VA State Inspection. And I can find just as many trucks with reverse lights as I can find without in the classified sites. It would definitely be something I would watch for in a DMV driving test, but once on the road, it doesn't appear to be an issue.
Baconator
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2020
- Member Number
- 1740
- Messages
- 314
CO. They are marketting towards teaching people who have never driven a truck to learn to drive for a career. Ive been driving trucks/trailers since before I have a learners permit so I had no desire to go that route anyway.
I did find a guy who would do the pretrip training and driving training then test, he wanted $1800 to just do that.
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
Yep. I've got access to the trucks and several people with their licenses - so I can practice and get advice on actually driving. Problem is that all of them have had their license for a couple decades minimum so when I ask them questions about actually taking the exam their answers is typical "I really don't remember." So here I am, asking questions from those that might have taken the exam more recently.
PAToyota
Red Skull Member
Apparently not Pennsylvania...
After looking at our trucks (both have reverse lights) and checking out all the trucks that came through the yard the past few days (all of them had reverse lights), I looked up the inspection requirements.
From the Pennsylvania Vehicle Equipment and Inspection Regulations: http://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/d...als/Pub_45 Inspections Regulations/PUB-45.pdf