Denny
01-18-2011, 07:18 PM
I live in Ohio and all we need to operate an RV is a regular drivers license. Since that was the law, I never felt it necessary to get any other type of license. Recently I purchased a 1958 B Model Mack dump truck and sold my smaller one. I use this truck and trailer to haul my tractor, skid steer and mini excavator to help out family and friends with volunteer labor.
My other dump and trailer had a lower GCVW so I did not need a CDL. With this one being larger, I needed to get my CDL. I enrolled at a local truck driving school for a 40 hour CDL course and passed so now I am an official truck driver! Well, after 40 hours of training, which includes all of the maneuvers and road time in a 70 ft. tractor and trailer, I found out how much I did not know. I would strongly urge anyone driving a bus to get some professional training and at least a passenger bus CDL even if their state does not require it. I have always been fascinated with trucks so I decided to get the Class A in a tractor trailer rig rather than a dump truck and trailer. I now have a new found respect for a truck driver's abilities. I think many of them forget what they learned in training but they have to be able to handle that rig to pass the many parts of the test.
Prior to starting school, I had to pass three tests to get my learner's permit. This included a basic knowledge test, air brake test and a combination test. I wanted to get a Class A license for my truck and trailer so that is why I took the combination test. If I wanted a bus CDL, I would have taken the basic, air brakes and passenger bus tests. I also had to have a DOT physical prior to the start of drivers training.
The driving school training consisted of 40 hours of training for the Class A CDL. This is different from truck driving training consisting of a 10 week course. I was not interested in the truck driver training which would include log books, weights, driving times, securing loads, etc. I only wanted one-on-one professional training to get my Class A CDL. I felt that if I was trained on a 70 ft long tractor trailer I can certainly handle a 45 ft bus, which I had been doing the past 5 years, and it does not bend in the middle.
The training consisted of several different maneuvers, backing up straight for 150 ft, backing into a loading dock, blind side parallel docking (parking) and several other situations. Ironically, many of the maneuvers are what we do everyday in our buses - getting into a camping space, backing into a space for an overnight stop in a truck stop - except the vehicle was a 70 ft tractor trailer. There was also road training which consisted of Interstate driving and local city traffic driving. If the bus CDL is chosen, the vehicle would be your bus. Also, a 150 point pre-trip inspection was part of the training. It was stressed how important this is to be sure the vehicle is safe to operate prior to beginning a trip.
After 40 hours of very grueling training it was time for the CDL test. It began with the pre trip inspection which 30 minutes is allotted for this part. Then came the maneuvers test. You are tested on three of the five maneuvers. Everyone has to do the 150 ft straight back test. I was in an 8 ft wide rig and the alley was 12 feet wide. Next I had to do a blind side ally dock which is the equivalent of parallel parking. The dock is 85 ft long and you have to park a 70 ft truck into the space. Next was a left side docking. This is the same as the blind side docking except there is a lot more length than the 85 ft in the blind side dock. (Don't remember the length). Some of the maneuvers were not pretty but I got the truck into the docks and did not go out of bounds.
The next test is the road test. This consisted of highway and city driving, stop and go, pulling off of the road to simulate an emergency, left hand turns and right hand turns and safely changing lanes. Oh, I might add that the truck had a 10 speed manual transmission and you are graded on up shifting and down shifting also. Boy do I love my bus's Allison automatic transmission!
I am 63 years old and have been driving since I was 14, legally since 16. I can't express how much I learned from this training. I would strongly urge everyone to get at least a bus CDL even if it is not required by the state you live in. I now feel much more confident and more knowledgeable about the bus I am driving and my abilities to drive that bus. It was a very stressful week and the old adage, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" came to my mind many times during my week of training. But with prayer and a patient instructor, I was able to complete the course and pass the Class A CDL test.
My other dump and trailer had a lower GCVW so I did not need a CDL. With this one being larger, I needed to get my CDL. I enrolled at a local truck driving school for a 40 hour CDL course and passed so now I am an official truck driver! Well, after 40 hours of training, which includes all of the maneuvers and road time in a 70 ft. tractor and trailer, I found out how much I did not know. I would strongly urge anyone driving a bus to get some professional training and at least a passenger bus CDL even if their state does not require it. I have always been fascinated with trucks so I decided to get the Class A in a tractor trailer rig rather than a dump truck and trailer. I now have a new found respect for a truck driver's abilities. I think many of them forget what they learned in training but they have to be able to handle that rig to pass the many parts of the test.
Prior to starting school, I had to pass three tests to get my learner's permit. This included a basic knowledge test, air brake test and a combination test. I wanted to get a Class A license for my truck and trailer so that is why I took the combination test. If I wanted a bus CDL, I would have taken the basic, air brakes and passenger bus tests. I also had to have a DOT physical prior to the start of drivers training.
The driving school training consisted of 40 hours of training for the Class A CDL. This is different from truck driving training consisting of a 10 week course. I was not interested in the truck driver training which would include log books, weights, driving times, securing loads, etc. I only wanted one-on-one professional training to get my Class A CDL. I felt that if I was trained on a 70 ft long tractor trailer I can certainly handle a 45 ft bus, which I had been doing the past 5 years, and it does not bend in the middle.
The training consisted of several different maneuvers, backing up straight for 150 ft, backing into a loading dock, blind side parallel docking (parking) and several other situations. Ironically, many of the maneuvers are what we do everyday in our buses - getting into a camping space, backing into a space for an overnight stop in a truck stop - except the vehicle was a 70 ft tractor trailer. There was also road training which consisted of Interstate driving and local city traffic driving. If the bus CDL is chosen, the vehicle would be your bus. Also, a 150 point pre-trip inspection was part of the training. It was stressed how important this is to be sure the vehicle is safe to operate prior to beginning a trip.
After 40 hours of very grueling training it was time for the CDL test. It began with the pre trip inspection which 30 minutes is allotted for this part. Then came the maneuvers test. You are tested on three of the five maneuvers. Everyone has to do the 150 ft straight back test. I was in an 8 ft wide rig and the alley was 12 feet wide. Next I had to do a blind side ally dock which is the equivalent of parallel parking. The dock is 85 ft long and you have to park a 70 ft truck into the space. Next was a left side docking. This is the same as the blind side docking except there is a lot more length than the 85 ft in the blind side dock. (Don't remember the length). Some of the maneuvers were not pretty but I got the truck into the docks and did not go out of bounds.
The next test is the road test. This consisted of highway and city driving, stop and go, pulling off of the road to simulate an emergency, left hand turns and right hand turns and safely changing lanes. Oh, I might add that the truck had a 10 speed manual transmission and you are graded on up shifting and down shifting also. Boy do I love my bus's Allison automatic transmission!
I am 63 years old and have been driving since I was 14, legally since 16. I can't express how much I learned from this training. I would strongly urge everyone to get at least a bus CDL even if it is not required by the state you live in. I now feel much more confident and more knowledgeable about the bus I am driving and my abilities to drive that bus. It was a very stressful week and the old adage, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" came to my mind many times during my week of training. But with prayer and a patient instructor, I was able to complete the course and pass the Class A CDL test.