Recently I decided to ditch my restaurant job (which is why I haven't been on the fourms as much) and pursue a real career in professional driving.

 

Driving Buses and Trucks can pay handsomely if you know the industry and know how to play the game well. My experience has been fulfilling and id thought I share it with you.

 

Firstly, some of you may not even have your regular drivers license yet, and that's fine. Work on getting behind the wheel and be safe.

 

There is a different license that you must obtain to drive large vehicles called a, Commercial Driver's License. (Commonly called a CDL)

 

Let me first explain why I have chosen this career path and why I think its something you should look into as well.

 

People are always going to have to go somewhere. And not everyone can afford a car. Bus driving is very fun. If you are like me and you cant stand to be in the same place everyday this is something you will like. You get to be outside and meet new people every day.

 

Look to your left, look to your right, everything you can touch was brought to you by a truck. You like to going to the store don't you? Did you ever wonder how all of that stuff you need and want got there. It was by truck.

 

The job outlook for Bus and Truck Drivers is very good. Expected to grow at least 22% over the next 4 years. Look in your area. Are new shopping malls being built? You can bet there will be a bus that goes there. And trucks needed to bring the supplies and goods that people will purchase.

 

The thing is if you pursue this you have to be dedicated. We often think of the job of a driver as being easy. I have learned that that is far from the truth. Drivers have to be knowledgeable of Federal Regulations (Which change all the time), State and Local Driving laws (Height and Weight Restrictions) and any new or changing company regulations. All of that plus the added stress of driving makes this job difficult but rewarding at the same time.

 

Steps to get your CDL:

 

1. Be 21. Unfortunately it is a Federal requirement that if you operate a Commercial Motor Vehicle (Truck or bus weighing more than 26,001 pounds or designed to carry 16 or more passengers) you must be at least 21. The way you prepare yourself for this type of careers while you are young is to keep your driving record clean. Don't drive recklessly, don't get tickets, avoid accidents etc. When you turn 21 it will be a breeze.

 

2. Get A DOT Card. In order to drive a bus or truck the government has decided that you must be physically fit to drive one. This means you have to go to a doctor trained to give special physicals. Once the doctor certifies you are safe to drive they will issue you a Department of Transportation Card, Sometimes called a Medical Examiners Certificate. This is a card that is just as equally important as your license and as such you should keep them together all the time. Its good for two years.

 

3. Get a CDL Permit. Just like when you learn how to drive a car, you are required to go down to your local DMV and take a test in order to obtain your permit. Your State DMV has a Commercial Drivers License Manual available for free that you should study before taking the test. This book will inform you of general knowledge on driving Buses and Trucks. How long you need to stop, Certain Restrictions that Large Vehicles have. Knowledge of Endorsements (I will get into those later) and the rules about driving large vehicles. This test is General Knowledge and not that hard to pass. You just need to study it and getting your permit will be easy. The next part is tricky.

 

4. Find a Job or CDL School. When you learn to drive a car, your state requires you to go to a driving school that will teach you basic vehicle controls and the rules of the road. Generally these classes are about $250-600 and last about 2-3 Weeks. Learning to drive a bus or truck is a bit trickier. When you have obtained the CDL Permit of the Appropriate Class (ill get into that later) you have essentially two options. You can find a company to work for that will train you to get your full CDL license or find a CDL Driving School. The benefit of finding a company to work for is that the training is free, but they require you to work for them for a period of 6 Months to a Year. Not bad if you were looking for a job anyway. CDL driving schools are expensive... Tuition for CDL School can be anywhere from $2,000- 8,000 and it lasts for at least a month or two. The private CDL schools are more expensive. The best way to do this option is to find a local community college that offers CDL Training as a non credit course option.

 

 

License Classes and Endorsements:

 

CDL Licenses are broken into 3 classes which determine what type of vehicle you are permitted to drive.

 

Class A CDL - Allows you to drive big 18-Wheeler Semi Trucks. A vehicle that ways 26,000 pounds and is designed to tow a trailer weighing 10,000 pounds.

 

Class A Drivers typically Have 3 options with how they work. Some drivers go across the country where ever their company tells them to go. This is called Over The Road (OTR) driving and drivers can spend months away from home living and sleeping in their trucks.

 

Other Class A Drivers may drive Regionally. The company they work for may only send them within a certain area of the country. If I live in New York and my company give me regional runs I may only go as far south as Virginia for example. Regional drivers are away for only a few weeks.

 

The last type of Class A driving is called Team Driving. There are Federal Rules governing how long you can drive. But your company needs to deliver freight across the country every week. In Team Driving, You are paired with a co-worker who shares and lives in the truck with you. When your hours of driving are up, your co-driver takes over and finishes the trip. Team Drivers typically make a bit more money because they get more miles between the both of them. If we live in Maryland and we have to get to California every week I may drive halfway then my co-driver takes over and finishes.

 

Class B CDL - Allows you to drive large medium sized trucks and buses. These are the box trucks (also called Straight Trucks) that you see in the cities making deliveries. Buses include City Transit Buses (My favorite), Intercity Coach and tour buses (Like Greyhound, Bolt Bus Megabus) and School Buses. Limousines also fit into this category.

 

The biggest advantage of Class B driving is that you get to go home everyday. Intercity Charter bus drivers may be away from home for a few days. There is a set schedule you work everyday and the benefits are typically very good, it depends on who you work for.

 

Class C CDL - Is not very common and typically is for people who use cars in a commercial capacity. Taxicab drivers in some areas are required to have a CDL. Limo drivers for the most part take up the majority of this category.

 

Endorsements are "Add-ons" to your license and they permit you to drive more specialized types of vehicles. You must pass a test in order to receive them. A few examples are:

 

P - Passenger Endorsement - Allows you to drive vehicles designed to carry passengers. You must be aware of the special rules for carrying passengers.

 

S - School Bus Endorsement - Permits you to drive School Buses. There are special things you need to know about transporting children. School Buses are required to do certain things when they approach railroad crossings. Drivers must also know what to do in Emergencies.

 

C - Combination Endorsement - Is primarily for people seeking to obtain a Class A license. Tractor-Trailers are "Combination" vehicles and there are certain things that you must know when pulling a trailer. Trucks handle very differently when they are fully loaded at 80,000 pounds. You must know how to maneuver your trailer thru traffic. You must know the rules about how to secure your cargo safely.

 

D - Doubles and Triples Endorsement - This is for Class A drivers who wish to pull more than one trailer at a time. These are sometimes called "Road Trains". There are even more things you need to know when pulling 2 or 3 trailers at once. Doubles and Triples are subject to what is called "The crack the whip effect" Any sharp or abrupt move of the steering wheel can cause the last trailer in the train to rollover and cause an accident.

 

T - Tanker Endorsement - This Endorsement is for people who need to drive vehicles that are designed to transport Liquids or Gases. Things transported by tanker range from Milk to Gasoline. Tanker trucks can be Class A or Class B. Liquids cause trucks to handle differently as well. Take a half empty water bottle and shake it quickly and put it on a table. Notice how the liquid continues to rush back and forward in the bottle. This same thing happens in a tanker truck. It could push the truck forward even though you have your brakes on fully.

 

HAZMAT - Hazardous Materials Endorsement - This is a very important endorsement for drivers who want or need to transport hazardous materials. HAZMAT includes things like Gasoline, White Phosphorus, Kerosene, Nuclear Waste etc. Ever since September 11, 2001 drivers of HAZMAT trucks are required to undergo a background check clearance frequently. You may be asking why would anyone want to drive a truck loaded with dangerous materials. Quite simply because they pay a lot more. If a regular truck driver makes $40,000 a year, A HAZMAT driver will make close to $65,000-70,000. Because of the risk and the responsibility the pay is much greater.

 

 

The best way to determine which type of license and endorsements you will need, pick what you wanna drive! You don't need to obtain all of the endorsements just the ones required for the type of vehicle you drive. The way you decide this is to pick a company to work for. Bigger shipping companies like FEDEX, UPS and the United States Postal Service operate both Class A and B vehicles. Some companies haul only HAZMAT like Shell and Exxon Mobil. A few companies to look into.

 

FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS)

 

 

FedEx and UPS Drivers (from my understanding) start out around $12-16/hr and typically work 6-8 hour shifts. They report into work which is usually a big shipping warehouse ( I live near one) and oversee the loading of all of the boxes onto their truck. Sometimes you will have to load your own truck. Once you have loaded all your boxes you will drive to each location all day until the truck is unloaded. I know for a fact that UPS Drivers typically weren't hired as drivers as first. They used to have to start off working in the warehouse before being promoted to driver. But I know that that policy has changed. The most important thing to note when working for a company like UPS and FedEx is that you MUST be physically fit. You will not just drive the truck. You will have to unload and load the truck all day and that means you will be lifting heavy boxes all day long.

 

Swift Transportation, J.B. Hunt and Werner Enterprises

 

 

 

These are the biggest trucking companies around and they offer all types of Class A Driving. They have contracts with the big box stores like Target and Wal-Mart. This is the Regional Class A driving I was talking about. This type of driving typically involves set routes and times. You will typically go to Wal-Mart or Target's Main Distribution facilities and deliver freight to the stores in the area. Seems like a really fun Class A job. Truckers are typically paid by how many miles they drive. With Regional dedicated runs you may earn a set salary.

 

Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines

 

 

Greyhound and Peter Pan are two of the biggest Coach Bus operators in the country. They provide an alternative to planes for traveling between cities. New York City and Philadelphia aren't that far apart its more practical to take a bus. This is a good job for people who like to travel between big cities. For the Longer bus routes the Trip may take a few days. Chicago to Florida for example. After a day of driving the company tells the driver what motel/hotel to stop at. The driver gets a free room and food on every stop. For Charter operations drivers can typically make tips for the tour group they drive around. The only down side is these companies typically want at least 2 years experience but they pay well. It is a goal to shoot for in your driving career.

 

Megabus Stagecoach Group (Coach USA Coach Canada)

 

 

"Coach USA is written under the drivers window"

 

"Note the Coach Canada markings on the bumper"

 

Megabus is a "Brand" owned by the UK Based Stagecoach Group. They have moved operations to the United States and Canada by contract with Coach USA and Coach Canada. As a result Megabus operates in the US and Canada. Megabus offers low cost intercity bus transportation cheaper than even Greyhound can offer. As a result they have become very popular and are expanding their operations to even more cities like Atlanta. They are also one of the few operators of Double-Decker buses in a Transit capacity (not just tourism). Drivers typically go between cities twice a day and are home every night with maybe only one night away from home.

 

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo

 

 

 

If you happen to live in a town with a bottling plant (check you might live near one) you could get a job with a Coke or Pepsi Distributor. These drivers typically deliver the soda and drinks to Restaurants, Bars, Liquor Stores etc. They too must be in good physical condition as they spend most of their time unloading the truck instead of driving. But its a stable job that pays well.

 

Your Local Transit Authority

 

Washington DC

 

New York City

 

Los Angeles

 

Chances are if you live in a city or even the suburbs your local government operates (or sub-contracts) public transportation services and bus drivers are always needed. Working for your local transit agency comes with many benefits. You will find yourself learning new ways around a city you have lived in for you entire life. You will meet people who live near and work near you. The pay is very good and raises are common. The Benefits package for bus drivers at this level in my opinion are the best. As the population increases more people will get to the point when they no longer want cars because its too difficult and stressful to drive. Transit authorities and companies are always hiring new drivers.

 

 

Your Local School District.

 

 

Not to be funny but people will always be having children. Your school district either operates its own transportation division or hires a company to do it for them. School Bus Drivers typically wake up around 6 AM Drive the kids to school until about 10 AM and then they are on paid break until 1PM when school ends. Having a few hours off every day sounds cool huh? It really does work that way. School bus drivers only work on days that school is open which means you get weekends off every week. They also don't work if school is closed for bad weather. The only trade off is they are typically out of work all summer. Summer school runs and field trips are reserved for the drivers that have the most seniority. But this is good if you want to do something else every summer and come back in the spring and still have a job.

 

If you are at a point where you don't know what you would like to do for a career, consider a career in driving!