As the title says I’m getting my CDL any tips or guidance. I’ve drove big trucks all my life but never have had a CDL. I just bought a dump truck and I’m gonna start hauling and doing more dirt work

When testing take your time. When doing a pre-trip speak load and clear. Make sure the vehicle you drive will pass everything. There may be a local College that offers it. We send guys to Calhoun community college North Bama area it was for a weekend and they test and drive. Seems like $750.00 for the class.

Shouldn't be to hard judging by the folks i see driving with a CDL these days 😅 Not to mention my dingbat SNL has one lol......

If a SWIFT driver can have a CDL, they must issue them to anyone, a pulse and brain wave optional equipment.
Never fails those knuckle draggers try to pass each other going up hill.

Read the book and learn to double klutch for driving test .. the pre trip gets everybody

Side note ... they must give them away in north alabama at the dollar store

Dont get hung up on videos, as bar270 said...that book has stuff in it you want see in a video...ive got class A and the driving is the easy part..use all your pull ups if you need to also. Use 3 points of contact entering and leaving. Dont think you can just point at everything you see...that will take an insane amount of time and they will fail you in a minute for it. They may be very lax in some places..the lady that tested me was an ex state trooper and she was born with a stick up her rear...soo be polite...even if she tells your truck is an ugly pos..it happened to me.

I have sent some drivers in the past to Wallace State at Hanceville. When doing the pre-trip inspection be sure the keys to the truck are in your pocket. On the pre-trip, verbally mention every part of the truck. The driving instructor is mostly looking at his paper checking off everything as you say it.

Keys in your pocket for sure on Pre trip.
Also any part of the trailer past the cone in the alley will fail you. Cone was barely tilted due to a hydraulic hose from the ramp. She was mad and said I told you to get out and look if you needed to. I was in but backed a little further just to be good, so I thought.

If you want a job driving I can probably find you one in about 30 minutes

Go to truckercountry.com and take all of their practice tests. Everything that was on the written test was on that website. Find a good pretrip inspection video on YouTube and learn all parts of your truck, what they're driven by, and so forth. Pay attention to the air brake bleed down and air brake test. Memorize it and don't screw it up.

I always laugh because a Swift truck is usually the slowest one on the road.

I don’t need a job I bought a dump truck to expand my business and I’m gonna start hauling more dirt and rock and doing skid steer work. I’m already doing dirt work but I’m always paying someone else to haul the dirt or rock.

Well you may not need a job but if anyone is, I will hire you. Dang drivers are getting harder and harder to come by.

I have a class b but now have a truck requiring class a. I wouldn't mind taking a weekend class if anyone knew where one was so that I could go and get the class A. I usually don't drive and hire a driver, but as said before, finding drivers is getting almost impossible.

I’ve had my class A since I turned 21. Haven’t used it in years, but I keep it up to date just in case. Just know where and the names to parts under the truck are, point and call them out. 9/10 times the instructor won’t climb under with you.

I bout forgot, make sure you get the medical classification on whatever you get. DOT Physical exemptions are only for municipal and charity works.

SWIFT doesn't mean mentally swift.

I take a couple people a month sometimes to get A’s. It ain’t rocket surgery if you can drive and shift. I tell everyone for the pretrip to name parts and what could be wrong with them until they tell you to stop. It’s served well for the 20+ years doing it that way. Don’t go to a state run flop house, do it at a community college, almost all of them will. I’m taking 3 next week to get them and 1 to get an auto restriction taken off.

As far as hauling your own material for a job, I've found it much easier to pay a hauling company. It saves me a tremendous amount of time.