Re: The Colorado BS thread
Combination vehicles is the standard for getting your Class A, doubles/triples is an additional endorsment and didn't cost me anything. I paid 35$ to get my CDL today. My job paid 1800$ for me to breaze through the 2wk program at CDL college in a week. I was parallel parking on the first day.
To get a Class A you will need a DOT-Phyical Card and then take the General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combination Vehicles test at the DMV. You'll then pay 14$ for your permit. Your Permit is good for 1 year. Then all you really need to do is schedule yourself for a Class A CDL Skills Test with a licensed testing facility (about 225$). Pass your 3-part skills test (pre-trip safety inspection, parking/backing manuevers, and on-road evaluation) and they'll give you a certificate to take back to the DMV and get your actual CDL with, the CDL itself cost 35$ and they didn't charge me to take the doubles/triples test.
The doubles/triples test was stupid easy and only 20 questions long. I really should have taken the tankers one as well because its also a mere 2-3 page section in the CDL book and would have probably also been free. Now I need to see if I can just add that endorsement or if I'll have to pay for another CDL again.
You don't have to go through an entire course to take the Skills Test, but I would actually recommend it. The pre-trip inspection alone results in a 70% fail rate according to the instructors where I went. They're looking for very specific verbage on it that I would've been completely lost on w/o going to the course. They also did a great job of teaching us the referance points for all of the backing manuevers. The actual onroad portion is easy, but again there are certain things you have to do to pass the test that you wouldn't necc know about w/o at least spending a day or two there. Also, as a heads up CO is talking about making it a restriction on your license next year if you take the test in an automatic. For now it makes no differance. I took the test in an auto because 1, it allows you to just focus on the driving (if you miss a gear and coast for your vehicle length or more its an automatic failure, you can't shift in an intersection or while turning either) and 2, I never learned how to double clutch (I've been floating since day 1 for the last years with our trucks at work) and you HAVE to double clutch on the test. The automatic is kind of girly, but as it doesn't matter on your CDL for now who really cares. I could also care less about double clutching, I can float gears on our 13spd while grossing 100,000 lbs going up and over I-70. I see no need to double clutch, its just stupid. I was getting the hang of it by the end of the week, but I have no plans to really keep up on it.
congrats, man, hope the right job shows up for ya! :cheers: I'll buy you a PBR next time you're down south!
