TowRig.com - Diesel Discussion and Tow Tech

How many of us have drove CDL class vehicles in the past
I started out school book in a community college rig with a 48 trailer got my first job driving a flatbed and then moved on the dump trucks,like my father said to all along..:doah:
I'm honestly starting to think about buying a Mack and making regional runs with it at night but I dont know yet,wifes not to into it.:stir:

work on them, so that measn i have to be able to drive them.....
also do light, med and HD towing.

i've been driving for 12, years and currently pull doubles with a 2004 freightliner, in colorado, newmexico, and west texas.

I have a CDL for my lineman job. Our trucks are a class B, but go into class A when the trailers go over weight or a pole trailer has a pole over 40ft. I've been doing it for 9 yrs now.

How many of us have drove CDL class vehicles in the past
I started out school book in a community college rig with a 48 trailer got my first job driving a flatbed and then moved on the dump trucks,like my father said to all along..:doah:
I'm honestly starting to think about buying a Mack and making regional runs with it at night but I dont know yet,wifes not to into it.:stir:

Remember you will be subject to "hours of operation" for both your day job plus your night runs.

I was going to keep that on the down low

I've drove many of them but never had my CDLs. I worked at A.N. Webber for about 2 years as a mechanic.

PS my mom's got CDLs.:pimp: She drives the school bus.rotfl

I've had my class A licence since before it was changed to a CDL. I was grandfathered in.waytogo I now own a heavy equipment moving buis., I just purchased a dually with a 30' triaxle trailer because some of my customers were bugging me about moving there small equipment. so long story short I'm looking for a driver right now for the Western Star.

I have a class A CDL with every endorsement but hazmat and passenger bus.... also have a class M motorcycle lisc. I think I am gonna have to get hazmat since they wants us to deleiver LPGs now but I will make the company pay for all the extra BS to get it.

This is my first post, I have been reading the forums for a while. I have been an owner operator for 13 years. Right now I have a '92 Kenworth W-900 with a 3406b and a deep reduction 15 speed that is going to be my fifth wheel tow rig when I get a newer truck to use on the road. This one has 1.4 million miles on it, it's in good shape, I just want one with a little more room in it and a newer, electronic injection engine for cruise control and fuel economy. I have driven this truck for 9 years and app. 850,000 miles and it has done a good job. I ran it in the Morenci mine in S.E. Az. for about five years and hauled oversize tires from Ancon Marine in Long Beach to mines all over the Southwest. With the deep reduction 15 spd. it will start 80,000 from a dead stop on a 10% grade and not hop or shake at all, that is the best transmission around in my opinion. It works real good off road, over the years I have driven this truck about 4-5,000 miles in reduction and it just creeps along. I'm going to build a flat bed for it and shorten it up a little when i convert it. I also have a '98 Dodge 2500 4x4 witht the Cummins in it, I like it a lot for small jobs. Be careful everyone and I'll see you later.

Welcome Mushroom, and let's see some pics of your big rig.

Looking for lift kit to fit these tires on dang 'ol dang'ol truck...no luck

En route to La Plata New Mexico with these, near Farmington. These are about six years ago. Be careful, Mushroom.

Now those are BIG tires.

Yeah, they're pretty good sized. They were 22 grand each then, I don't know what they are now. Well I'm off to Albuquerque, be good.

I have been driving for over 12 years now. I have pulled flatbeds, stepdecks, rgn's, vans, doubles, end dumps, 10 wheelers and am currently running a belly dump for a paving company here in Tucson.

I had a Class AM-PTX until 4 years ago when it came up for renewal and I was unable to get a DOT medical card. Started driving large cars in 1977 hauling gasoline and my last job in 2000 was hauling gasoline. In between I hauled containers and 48-53' dry vans. Owned a Dodge 22yd tandem dump once, one ugly truck. Also have seat time in London double decker busses, right hand drive, try to find reverse.
Posted pics in another thread here.
Miss being on the road sometimes.

Old-Trucker

I started out driving around the farm when I was about 13, single axle farm trucks in the field. Graduated high school in 1979 and went custom combining for the next 8 years. Fourteen ft high and 14' wide from south TX to central sask. canada. Been an owner operator for 12 out of the last 13 years. I would sell my truck in a heartbeat and get off the road, getting damm tired of it.
George

been drivng since 1987 started otr at first , but was away from home tooo long , like 6-8 weeks at a time, got off the road and drove locally,
now lately im getting the otr bug again, just cant decide wether to owner operater or company driver.

I drove winch trucks years ago moving oil drilling rigs. I pulled 16 wheel jeeps with a 16wheel lowboy behind that and a load shift dolley behind that. That makes for one long combination especially with a 300 inch wheelbase truck.
I some times think I would like to do it again but there is too much paperwork involved now. You spend more time filling out forms than you do driving.:rolleyes:

I might be getting back behind the wheel here soon and leaving the quick lube buisness

I might be leaving the quick lube line of work and get back behind the wheel

I drove truck during the summers while I was in college. After that I became an o/o, then sold my truck and got into management jobs. Not once, but twice I made the mistake of letting my employer know that I had a CDL. If we got short-handed the boss would ask me to help by driving (in one case one of my drivers had a back injury that took him out of the truck for six weeks). Did I get rewarded for doing something that was not in my job description? No, in fact in both cases I got grief because my regular job did not get done!
In my current job, my boss knows I have a CDL, but I lied to him and said that my medical card was not up to date.

Remember you will be subject to "hours of operation" for both your day job plus your night runs.That is why there is no limit as to how many logbooks you can buy at once !!!;)

That is why there is no limit as to how many logbooks you can buy at once !!!;)I have 2 trucks & 2 log books. waytogo

I had a logbook for every day of the week. Had trouble sometimes remembering what day it was. Always kept good records no matter how bogus.

OT

That is why there is no limit as to how many logbooks you can buy at once !!!;)

Don't worry it won't be too long before every truck will have a on board computer to track your HOS.

I have 2 trucks & 2 log books. waytogo

That’s fine till your terminal gets audited or even worse you have an accident and someone is seriously hurt or killed.

Don't worry it won't be too long before every truck will have a on board computer to track your HOS.I'll be goshdarned if someone is going to put something like that in my pick up! rotfl

I'll be goshdarned if someone is going to put something like that in my pick up! rotfl

I bet within the next 10-20 years it will be reguired if you're runnin' interstate and it won't be long after that for intrastate. They will probably be tied into a GPS system to track fuel taxes etc. as you cross state lines too. :stir: :popcorn:

Don't worry it won't be too long before every truck will have a on board computer to track your HOS.
The last company that I worked for had the Cadac system that logged your time. I ran out of hours one time and had to listen to it beeping like crazy for 2 hours. I had a fender bender in Myrtle Beach during black biker week and the Highway Patrol had me return to Charleston with the load of gasoline since there was no possible way to deliver it. I logged 17 hours on duty that day, 10 of it in gridlock. Dispatcher got charged with my accident, touche' jerk.

OT

Hopefully by that time I'll be retired.... or dead!!!:doah:

That’s fine till your terminal gets audited as a matter of fact I just went through a DOT audit. amazingly the only thing he was not impressed about was the drug testing.waytogo

Have been. Still have my license though, so all I need is a physical card. Anybody need a driver?

I'm 23 and have been driving for a little over two years. Not over the road, but locally hauling gravel and other aggregate products. I also drove in the winter hauling beet pulp which is a byproduct of making sugar from beets. I did all of this in end dump trailers and belly dumps. I also haul sugar beets in a 24 ft. end dump during the harvest. I enjoy this type of driving because I'm home every night. My truck this summer was a '96 Mack CH with a 36" bunk, 327hp Mack engine, and a 9spd Mack transmission. I pulled a 34ft Trailstar tri axle air ride end dump or a tri axle belly dump. This truck doesn't sound like much, but that 327 was strong. Mack engines are rated at their actual horsepower from the wheels rather than the crank and this thing would fly too. During the winter, I ran a '95 Mack day cab with a 427 Mack engine and a 9 spd. I pulled a 26 ft tandem axle Cobra end dump. I grew up around Macks and loved their power and durability. This year's beet harvest will give me a new truck. A '99 Volvo with a 330 hp Cummins and a 9 spd. Nice trucks, rides great, and is quiet, but deffinately not a Mack!

I've been driving for right around 2 years. Which is not much compared to most of ya here, but in that time I've done quite a bit. I spent this summer in a '96 Mack CH with a 36" bunk, a 327hp Mack engine, and a 9spd Mack tranny. I pulled a 36ft Trailstar end dump, tri axle with air ride. Last winter I ran a '95 Mack CH with a 427hp Mack engine and a 9 spd Mack tranny pulling a 26 ft' Cobra end dump. This summer I hauled aggregate products and hot asphalt. During the winter I haul beet pulp which is a byproduct of the sugarbeet processing. During the beet harvest, last year I ran a bada$$ '93 Freightliner Severe Service FLD with a 425hp Cat and a 10 spd. I pulled a 28 ft end dump and wow would this thing haul! This year I run a '99 Volvo with a 330hp Cummins. That Freight would really haul the mail, but it's no Mack

I've been driving for about 2 years, not much compared to most here but I grew up around Mack trucks and did some driving before I was legal. This summer I drove a '96 Mack CH with a 327 Mack engine and a 9spd. I pulled a 36ft Trailstar end dump tri axle with air ride. I also hauled hot asphalt in a tri axle belly dump. I had a great time doing this and once I'm out of college I hope to start my own small business with trucks hauling aggregate products and maybe some sort of specialty products. I enjoyed the driving I did because I was home every night. I did do some jobs where I was on the road for a few days to a week, but never more than that. During the winter for extra money, I haul beet pulp which is a byproduct of processing sugar beets. The pulp is used for livestock feed and I hauled this with a '95 Mack CH daycab, 427hp Mack, with a Mack 9 spd. I love Macks and always will. I've driven other trucks such as, Freightliners, Internationals, Volvos, and Kenworths, but none are as special and reliable as a Mack! waytogo

I drove for Jim Palmer Trucking, pulled mainly reefers,also pulled for Hoovestol Inc,pulling USMail

Yeah, I've driven/drive truck for Construction work (boom truck, crane, etc.), never OTR though. Sounds like the big companies are driving the Owner-Operators out of business, as if the Govt isn't doing enough themselves. I wish that everyone who gets a regular license would have to ride in a rig for a little while, might make them think twice when they cut one off, drive in blind spots, or just drive like inconsiderate pricks around trucks/ truckers. Ignorance really is bliss I guess, until they get hit with 80K worth of truck.

My grandpa used to do it for the state of Kansas. My one uncle does it for his county and counties around him. My dad owned a couple of semis on the farm when I was a kid. I guess you could say there is a little trucking history in my family and some of it is still going on today.

Got my Class A when I was 18, and drove for a while. Drove a little bit this summer after I'd gotten outta the Navy. I think I'll go OTR again in a couple decades when I'm in retirement.

I need some advise guy's. I've been working on trucks full time since 1989 when working on the was (kinda) fun. Now it's just a PITA with all of the electronics. Not only are we techs on the mechanical side but now we have to, and have become electronic techs. Needless to say I'm DONE! I have friends/customers that run end and belly dumps and seem to be doing pretty good at it. Now I want to give it a try. I'm gonna get my CDL and start looking for some older but not junk equipment. I won't mind working on them. Maybe buy a couple of trucks and hire another driver once the ball gets rolling. Any word from the wise would be greatwaytogo. Thanks, David.

I need some advise guy's. I've been working on trucks full time since 1989 when working on the was (kinda) fun. Now it's just a PITA with all of the electronics. Not only are we techs on the mechanical side but now we have to, and have become electronic techs. Needless to say I'm DONE! I have friends/customers that run end and belly dumps and seem to be doing pretty good at it. Now I want to give it a try. I'm gonna get my CDL and start looking for some older but not junk equipment. I won't mind working on them. Maybe buy a couple of trucks and hire another driver once the ball gets rolling. Any word from the wise would be greatwaytogo. Thanks, David.

Jusr remember if things slow down you don't have unenployment insurance. If you get hurt no money. The construction end has slowed down from 5 years ago. You could make as much or more driving for a union company. The only good thing with owning your own truck is you're your own boss.

ive drove a few different dump trucks (borrowed trucks from friends) over the last 10 years or so for our construction biz nothing huge only single axles never have gottin a cdl. not really a trucker my self but my grandpa owned a truck stop for about 20 years (greenville illinois)and mom and dad ran the resturant at a another truckstop (springfield illinois) for around 6 yrs or so. maybe soem of yall have been to one or the other, seen a bunch of different types of rigs at those places not to mention some of the characters...ive seen all kinds

I started in 1996 for a local LTL company until 2001 then I went OTR. Between those years have spent sometime in the seat of a dump truck, end loader,backhoe, and dozer. also several years on the farm. :pimp:

I have been driving for 30 years. 4 million miles and counting.love it can't say my wives did. oh well such is life. current Female companion loves to drive team wth me. I think I will keep this one.:D

I grew up around Log trucks and rock buckets and started haulin' Logs for my dad and uncle at 16 (not legal but D.O.T. was pretty csarce on the North shore) Got my CDL on my 18th birthday and drove for the Faimily up until I went in the Airforce in '98 I drove truck In the service quite a bit as part of my duties and as a part time job ( pulled everything from million dollor gensets to Bullwagons) I got out of the service in 2004 and went to work for a Logging outfit for In Ruidoso NM Driving Log truck,Running equipment,and as a Mechanic. I quit that job for my current job in Alaska No more "large cars" for me know but on my off weeks I sometimes get to grab gears in an 86 Daycab 359 with KTTA 1150 Cummins with 13spd Main and a 4speed double over Brownie . and pull either a bellydump or a Bullwagon with that setup.....oh yeah it's got 8" straights :pimp:

I've been driving since 2000, even helped the wife get her class A. love the flatbed side, and even was the senior instructor at austin community college. currently looking (slowly) for another home of employment as long as its flatbed or heavy haul, heck might even consider a hotshot. last big truck owned was a 2001 freightliner century,N14, with autoshift(boring), I'll take a 13-18 speed gearbox anyday over that automatic:doah:ah lessons learned

Still have my CDL but didn't renew the Hazmat this time. Not driving now. Sure get the itch every now and again. Was a company driver OTR. Even drove a beer delivery truck (way too much work!). Won't ever pull a refer again. Was actually hired by Averitt this year and then ran into a couple health issues and let the offer expire.