Hey everyone! My name is Adam, I turned 40 back in July and I’m located in the Mobile, AL area. I’m sort of new to all of this, but I am familiar with driving a tractor trailer. While I was waiting to be hired on at the steel mill down here that many of you may be familiar with, AM/NS Calvert, I had a job driving a truck with the logistical company that they used to move the steel coils and steel slabs around the mill. With it being on private property I didn’t need a CDL to drive the trucks, but they did train and all that, but it wasn’t nowhere near the training needed for a CDL and I worked there for about 6 months before hiring on at the steel mill. Most of the trucks were in pretty decent shape, and I did learn how to drive the trucks for the most part even though the top speed was 20mph unloaded and 5mph loaded. Anyways, that’s pretty much my driving background experience. So, over the last couple weeks I have been studying for the CDL/CLP and was wondering if I could get any advice, tips, strategy or anything to help me pass on the first try. I’m looking to get all the endorsements except school bus and passenger. I know I don’t have to take them all for the CLP but that’s just my goal once I get my CDL because I’ve been told it opens up more job opportunities and could possibly earn a higher wage for it. Any help I can get will be deeply appreciated, thank you everyone in advance!
At the time that I took mine, trucking truth was still up, so i used the high road training program but I also found 3 or 4 similar online ones and just did the free trials with them for the purpose of studying. I also downloaded my states book (Colorado at that time) which also had tests in it that I could run through.
Way back in 2008 when I got my CDL, I went through the local community college to get mine. It was sponsored by Mack Truck and was actually at one of their plants and we used their trucks. I didn’t do much research before I decided to go because I had just lost my job in construction and didn’t know what else to do at the time. They told us that if we took and passed the endorsement tests while still on our learners permit that it wouldn’t cost us anything extra. This turned out to be true so I took my double/triple and tanker test before I got my license and when I finally did get it, they added it right to my license. Several years later I got my hazmat. I drove OTR for a year and now I’ve had local jobs ever since. Now I’m into fuel hauling after lots of other local delivery jobs.