Shout out to Idho CDL for letting him film, it's both cool to see and a nice window into what the CDL drivers have to go through for anyone who is curious or potentially interested in going through it.
The problem is that normal car drivers don't watch so when they're out on the streets and seeing artics around them they don't know how to react....therefore accidents happen......those films should be shown to ANYBODY taken a car/motorbike licence !!! Im surprized you didn't pull forward to make sure the trailor was connected !!! So in the states you can go from a car/pickup to an artic OH GOD
@@stum8374 WILLIS!... what you talkin' 'bout? Arctic The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway, northernmost Sweden, northern Finland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Danish Realm, and northern Iceland, along with the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. Wikipedia 😉😐 FURTHERMORE... there's no such a thing as a 'normal car driver'! LOL!
Former Seabee Mechanic here. I was one of the first people in the Navy to get licenced on the MTVR Tractor when it first came to the fleet. I also was involved in the testing of the trucks before they were sent out for service. I am local to north Idaho, eastern WA if you have problems. They are complicated vehicles with lots of weird systems and proprietary parts. Happy to help if you run into issues!
I was the Navy's PM for the MTVR tractor. Thanks for helping do the testing. It was a great program to manage and I was fortunate to have a great team to develop and field the truck.
Hi Rilley from a retired truck driver. The two abbreviations i used to use were PAL and LAP for connecting and disconnecting trailers. PAL Pin Air lines Landing gear (up) LAP Landing gear (down) Air lines (disconnected) Pull Pin. You NEVER want to disconnect a trailer before putting the landing gear down AND you NEVER want to move a trailer before having raised the landing gear. Have a nice day. Tom in Canada in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
Got my Class A CDL back in '93 and one of the first things I remember from CDL school was it's not an airplane so it's not landing gear. Trucking over the road isn't for everyone and I found out it wasn't what I wanted to do after the first year. Grocery whare houses and a few other places made life miserable. Many hauls were enjoyable and some sort of dedicated run would have been the way to go. Driving the truck was almost fun, but not the weeks away from home.
I used to work for one of the big freight shipping companies. Never got a CDL but definitely moved a lot of trailers around the yard and it is nerve wracking when you first start out. It gave me so much more respect for what those drivers do and what they have to go through just to get a trailer from A to B.
I went to trucking school after I lost my job after 35 years with the company when it moved to a different state . I went to trucking school because I knew there were trucking jobs around. Some still couldn't drive after 6 weeks, I made 100 on my pre trip and passed my driving test which was a big relief. I found a job with the local county and worked 11 years until I retired. I loved that job because I drove almost anything you could imagine which I was all for.
Ass a CDL holder, driving trks for almost 20 years, hauling fuel to Prudoe Bay Ak. on what is probably one of the most dangerous roads in North America. I still remember going to trk school and getting my first interation of my license as one of the most traumatic times of my life. 😂 Congratulations!
Congratulations! Welcome to the CDL A club. Taking the course and test in "less than perfect weather" was a great call. Expect the un expected , and be safe.
It's awesome to see you documenting your progress! I get to teach the class B, passenger, and school bus endorsements in Colorado for a local school district.
Wow Riley you never fail to amaze me all the things you can already do and then taking on more things to learn. Congratulations for passing that was a large commitment x
That's the fastest class A CDL course I've ever seen. Not even remotely enough time. When I went to CDL school, it was a 6 week course. 6 weeks of drive time and classroom study. And after 20 years of driving, I know even that didn't touch all the situations I'd experienced. It's scary to know they are only training people for 7 days before turning them loose. Happy for you that you passed, dude. Please be careful out there and take your time. Your mirrors are your very best friend. Always be scanning them, even if no one is around. Little cars come out of nowhere. Never get complacent.
CDL school has never been about teaching really anything about real trucking, It's about passing tests and they fully anticipate you will go on to some big company that will put you through weeks of ride along training... Shit logic but that's their thinking.
BRAVO! Well done. I suspect it is like any other "crash course" (sorry, bad adjective ...) you now begin to really hone your skills. You brought back memories of my ROP School Bus Driver's Course shifting without synchromesh, matching RPM's to speed, and accounting for the huge rear end behind the rear axle. Congratulations!
Bravo man. I remember that feeling the first time I hit the open road in a semi... Scared the pants off me.. You did well. Congrats on a new life skill.
We now you have learned what all truck drives had to learn. I remember my training for my class A CDL. But back then even though it was not a easy thing to do it was not as tough as it is today for new drives. Many of the laws has changed and more Federal and State laws are more stricter. Back when I did my test I had to do all the pre-trip inspections and that even included the service lines to the trailer. Then I had to do the straight line backing, right side doc backing, and then left side doc back, then serpentine backing, and then the parallel parking. I don't know if you had to do the serpentine backing or the parallel parking. But the one thing is leaning the responsibilities of being a truck driver. I'm retired from truck driving and I miss it I miss the open roads. But after 43 years I knew it was time to turn it over to the younger generation truckers. Good luck with your new toy.
It's awesome to see a popular you tuber take a CDL course, thank you so much for showing how much of a mental strain driving a semi truck can be, and what is all involved with driving a semi truck, so many people out there figure we just drive and that driving is so easy, No it is not, it truly is a tough job with alot more involved than so many believe! Thank you Riley! Congratulations on getting your CDL!!🎉 best of luck in your future endeavors!
this might be helpful to you with clutch brake operation the clutch brake only contacts when the pedal is one inch from the floor so as long as you only toe the clutch pedal enough to disengage the clutch brake does not work
18:20 for future reference when you're cranking the landing gear if you find The Sinner of the pain and shove in slightly you won't have that problem of walking back and and forth with the handle makes it a lot easier
It's funny watching this video because when I drove truck I had an Oregon class A license and I gave it up just before they came out with a CDL. So the truck I drove was a 1988 Peterbilt 4 axle tractor with a 53 foot 3 axle trailer with a gross weight of 98,000 lbs.. The tractor had a 3406B Cat motor with a 13 speed trans and your right you only use the clutch in first gear then in order to shift gear's you just match rpm's!
Oh that brought back memories for me over here in the UK doing my HGV. I knew exactly how you felt with the nerves. Awesome upload guys. Wishing you all the best😎
Its great to see you on your learning how to drive a truck...just shows what youve all got to go through....Glad you passed...Stay safe and god bless you all
I remember getting my CDL. My two hardest things to learn was the pre-trip ( my instructor was a stickler for precise wording) and backing up. I had literally 15 minutes of training. That led to big issues. I ended up training myself in the yard of my first employer.
I'm currently in the process of obtaining my cdl. You have made this whole process feel so worthwhile, I want to thank you for taking the time to make this video. It has helped me build the confidence I needed to keep pressing on. Congrats!! Keep it between the ditches .
One of the most important things to check which I haven't heard you mention is the wheel nuts - one of those come off and it kinda messes up your day and someone else's life if it bounces unfortunately....We in the UK have dayglo markers which face each other on either nut - you can tell then if they have moved...THEY DO over time. Tapping them with a bar also gives off a different sound. Its a great addition to your licence, opens your mind to the hard work truck drivers carry out, often at crazy times and distances. well done.
The longer that a trailer is ,the easier it is to back up because it responds slower to steering imputs . And one other piece of advice is to NEVER forget that you have a trailer on when you are making a turn. To do so will have you taking out a light pole or a stop sign. Have a nice day. Tom in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
We had 1 driver totally straddle a fire hydrant without harming it. Then he left the truck, quit on the spot and went home. An older much more experienced driver was sent to safely move the rig and drive it back. (it happens)
I drove right over top of a half ton pickup with an empty 53 foot dry van in an intersection. I had been driving for years but that morning for some reason I completely forgot I was pulling a trailer. That was a not very good morning. No one hurt fortunately.
Once your done with school and those tests you be able to float the gears as long as you still hit the right RPM's. Definitely easier on your clutch life and simplies driving as well.
I've been a commercial driver for 28 years.Myself and my coworkers have always said,they need to make the test harder.Well they stepped it up a bit atleast.The motorhomes and 5th wheels should all have to take some form of this.Im glad you showed some respect to truckers and the difficulty of driving around the stupidity of other drivers Congratulations Riley!
Congratulations on getting your semi licence. Viewing from Australia. I got my semi licence 50 years ago, when all you had to do was answer a few questions, drive around town, back a Strait line, and do a hill sart. All done in an hour.
Congratulations on yoour Class A CDL. I retired in 2006 after 39 years in a truck, 48 states. The last 10 years I was an instructor for a vary large trucking company in Arizona. We didn't have to worry about snow very much. When a driver passed the school he was sent out on the road with a trainer for 6 weeks to learn how to delal with customers making making appointments on time. Again... Congratulations, well done...
CDL BIG High 🖐 Now need Flat and box trailer Pick up newer Bulldozer No more Shipping cost. Army 10 wheel truck I know you do not want move But Big truck and trailer you can move your self. well done
Congratulations Riley! I just celebrated the 20th anniversary of getting my CDL-A license. Since then I added the double/triple, tanker and HZAMAT endorsements to it.
Retired truck driver here, everyone has trouble backing at first and getting the gears right. If you do it long enough you'll get it and you won't even have to think about it. I always found backing the longer trailers was easier than the shorter one's.
Congrats riley on getting your CDL. Something you'll never regret. Driving OTR 48 states was my career until I was struck with diabetes and no longer eligible. Worse day of my life. Two things I'd like to metion. You said the one instructor told you about reading the signs. That means EVERY sign. The one you miss may be the one that tells you the bridge is out. Teach yourself to read EVERY sign. Its your saftey and life that this might affect. Secondly, use all the space you can when pulling forward to line up for a back up. Most drivers car or truck fail to pull far enough forward to line up properly and wind up making several attempts. Saw you do that in the video. I've pulled tankers, flatbeds, box, oversized and superloads. My best suggestion to you would be to go to your local truckstop sit at the counter and talk to your fellow drivers. At least when i was driving they were friendly and willing to help you learn. I learned more there than anywhere else except actually driving. Theyll tell you things about driving in bad weather, bad habits etc. I'd say they focus on saftey because those trucks are dangerous. Good luck, stay safe and be smart. Never do drugs of any type. There are drivers who do and may offer it. Dont accept ever. No load is ever worth it. I always despised the unprofessional driver who placed so many at risk with that crap. Im a bit older so this is old but I used to use this line all the time, drive right. I dont want to run into some mom driving a station wagon with four kids in the back on her way to drop the kids off at school. Mechanical failure happens (as you are familiar) so stay up on maintenance.
Yup, accidents happen the minute you get cocky and relaxed. Always need to be on your A game and extra careful in new conditions. And do not miss a gear on a steep downgrade. You do not have enough brakes without engine braking. I know a few who learned that dropping out of Flagstaff, AZ and were lucky to survive.
@@markpashia7067 Reminds me of a time going into lake Tahoe from Reno and my tp valve malfunctioned and I lost my brakes going down the grade on 431. Before I made it to the truck runaway ramp rear brakes were on fire and my co driver wanted to jump out. There was the mountain on the passenger side and I told him he was safer in the truck. Didn't want to see him getting crushed against the mountain and the side of the truck. We made it but talk about fear. I was so happy to see that runaway ramp. (The tp valve manufacturer had to pay for everything).
Good job Riley! I Love how both you & Courtney consistently are learning new things! Oliver is still the star of the show! Love that your subscribers are growing since I have been subscribed while you had sleeper in truck🙏🙏🙏
Hey Riley, professional driver and fellow recent grad here. You can clutch for all shifts in a CMV, you just can't depress the clutch all the way. The clutch brake engages at about two thirds of the clutch throw. One way to ensure that you are not engaging the clutch brake is to hit the clutch with the heel of your foot hanging significantly off of the pedal, that way your heel will hit the floor before the college break engages. I found it helpful to not have to worry about perfectly floating gears when I was going up or down steep grades. Also, if you find yourself getting into different equipment, take note that the colored switches on the shifter mean different things for how it is geared (color coding). Have fun, and defintely remember to be humble and take the time to get out and look, it will save SO MUCH heartache.
Good on ya for trying to get your truck license, I’ve had mine for 47 years here in Australia. We pull multiple trailers starting with a B double then you get into road trains? It can pull up to 3 or 4 trailers that’s when you need to be able to change gears without using your clutch, happy days
I'm glad you made it. Just always remember to constantly keep checking your mirrors and keeping an eye on all your gages while you're driving, cause it only takes a second to get into an accident that can be avoided. I've been driving class 8 for over 30 years and it is a very stressful job. Now you can call all them small vehicles out there, them darn 4 wheelers. Lol. Just relax and always pay attention to everything around you. It's hard, but you can do it. My wife would always laugh at me when she would pick me up after I got back in off the road and she wants me to drive. Not cool. Because I'd start trying to shift it into gear and it's a darn automatic and I'd stomp the floor because there's no clutch there. Lol. 4 million miles and I had enough. So it's your time now. Good luck and God bless.
When I went through truck driving school in Ohio we had to drive tractors with sleepers and 53-ft trailers. So from day one we were in 75-ft trucks. Get your double triple and tanker endorsement. You may not need it but it's always good to have.
You're welcome. I've watched every second of every video you've produced. I've watched you for three years now. I'm probably one of your most loyal fans. I learn so much from both of you; and you are living the lives I always wanted but couldn't have lol
Congratulations Rilley. That is no easy task; a good friend of mine got his heavy truck license in New Zealand a year ago, and those things are much harder to drive than it looks from the outside. Did you consider doing the course in the better weather? Ice and snow must not have helped?
Great job on the roundabout. I’ve seen a few trucks up and over the center curb and one with a car stuck underneath the trailer. Most semis at my roundabout take both lanes to prevent an under aware driver from getting run over. Always wanted to get my CDL.
What worked for me was to pull on the shifter tap clutch count 1 2 tap and push for next gear. You're 100% right I struggled at first with only tapping the clutch instead of pushing it in all the way
Welcome to the club , I have my UK CDL for articulated trucks ( 13.6 metre trailers ) and big buses ( 14 metre double dekker with trailer ) , It really is great fun driving huge vehicles , I've been driving trucks n buses in the music touring industry in Europe for 40 years
Congratulations on your class A! I’m curious why you needed it, where we live in Idaho you can register semis for personal use up to 56,000 lbs with air brakes and trailer. No cdl, cdl only needed if the use is intended for business or how DOT puts it “making money”. Just depends how you register and insure it! Technically you’re supposed to have not for hire on the side when registered personnel use but in our county that’s rarely checked.
Congrats! Got my class 1 with Air back in the early 90s. I think my course was several months long at the college PD (professional driving) school. Having never driven a standard in my life, nor farm machinery prior to taking the course, it was quite the learning curve! But I won a scholarship upon successful completion.
Welcome to the Class A CDL club, Riley. It's a lot more complicated to get licensed these days than it was roughly 40 years ago when I got mine. I'm glad to see all the training though. It's a huge responsibility to share the roads with all the crazy's out there today. Congrats and keep it safe, bro.
I got my first vehicle, a 1950 chevy pickup, back in 1972 and had to learn how to "double clutch" to drive it, because there were no synchronizers between gears on it. That is what you are doing when you have to bring the engine up to rpm between gears.
Congrats on passing your test. But WOW, just WOW, your trucks are just so antiquated. I'm in the UK and passed my HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) Class 1 test in 1989. The truck I used had a full syncro gearbox, I don't don't think I've ever driven a truck that had what we call a crash box, I have driven trucks without using the clutch, usually when the clutch hydraulic system has failed (I'm a mechanic), so have had to go out and rescue drivers that just can't do it. I'm not sure when they came out, but in the very early 2000's we had fully automatic trucks, they still had a clutch and synchronous gearbox, but it was robotised, so the computer changed gears, some trucks (Scania's) still had a clutch pedal, but that was purely for pulling away and reversing. In 2024 trucks are as luxurious as cars (have been for years), if not better, most, in fact I'd say all larger trucks have cruise control, and very few are manuals. We don't have long nose trucks, so the cabins are smaller, but some are still quite spacious. We also have disc brakes all round (including trailers), in fact the truck I passed my test in, in 1989 was one of the first to have disc brakes on the front axle, rear was still drum. Here's a new Scania ua-cam.com/video/Mciw2ibNL_4/v-deo.html Personally I prefer the older, manual, and non computerised trucks, they are much easier to work on and don't have so many issues! PS Realise your not going to have the newest trucks to learn in, but that was like something from the eighties.
I just recently did my MR (Medium Rigid - single rear axle) so I could drive a bus I am converting to a motorhome. During the test my heartrate skyrocketed and my smart watch sent me an alert lol I relate to how you were feeling! I didn't do my HR (Heavy Rigid - dual rear axle) because I 1000% don't want to drive vehicles that big lol Well done on achieving your CDL!!!
I took the 8-week CDL class and tests two times. I let my college laps at one point and went through getting my college back. I have driven our over 5 million miles. We ended up buying our own rig, a KW L 900 with a 600 horse cat, and 18 forward with three in reverse. We lived in our truck as owner ops.
I got my CDL back in 1998 at Central Technology Center in Drumright OK. What a great college. It was a month long training where we had a lot of classroom training on air brakes and so on. Back then there was a lot to learn. But it wasn't until I became an airline pilot back in 2004 that I learned what the word "Mentally hard" was. Looking back now, getting my CDL was a piece of cake.
Back in the day when I received my CDL, it was so much easier. That was in 1969 in Illinois. No training course, only on-the-job learning. That CDL allowed me the adventure of a lifetime. I drove semi-tractor trailer rigs for the next 20 years and got to see all 48 states and all major and minor cities throughout all 4 seasons and all weather types. I hauled mostly household goods with Mayflower but also hauled groceries, farm equipment, general commodities, and steel.
I drove for years in and around Denver Co. it's a challenge every day. I've logged over a million miles. It's not a Funtime very often. Full time job all the time. Good luck and eyes and ears open all the time.
Nice work! I got my class A a year ago so I could legally pull a tag trailer with an excavator on it behind a 1 ton dump truck. Toughest parts of it were the pre trip and getting used to shifting the 13 speed Eaton. Looking forward to see what you do with yours.
In the UK we had "grandfathers rights" ( if you passed the driving test long enough ago, 1967 in my case) to drive rigid trucks, up to 7.5 tons. I was involved in a project about vehicle delivery/collection and they said "the best way to find outis to do it" and sent me to collect a 7.5 ton truck. It was the biggest thing I'd driven since (High) School!
Hi Riley congrats on the class 1. As another post had mentioned the SMITH SYSTEM is good advice for any driver. The van girls from NS have finally got rid of their propane toilet. Watch their last video, quite a storey. Tom in Canada in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
so looking forward to seeing you do your first blind side reverse that's when you learn adrenalin is brown this is from a UK pro HGV as we call it medically retired driver you always remember your first blind side
You don't need CDL no matter weight as long you are not making money from it I have had my cdl for 26 years. That's why semi trucks towing rv say on side not for hire on them
😂 tell me you don’t know what you’re talking about without telling me 😂 anything over GCWR of 26,001 CDL required. Even if you have a 1 ton pickup with a trailer if over the 26 CDL required in many states.
@@kevink4914 Over 26k a class A is required but not cdl. I have a driving license class a now and drive s semi pulling my 5th wheel rv. I make no money with it so not commercial.
@@kylegazeley6192 I tow my 5th wheel rv with a semi, 2006 Freightliner Century. No CDL. Class A driving license. Anything over 26k requires a Class A but not commerical unless making money.
That is at mostly true. In many states, including Idaho, you can register a full size semi truck, air breaks and all, as an RV and drive it legally without a CDL. Such as Expediter Trucks and Super-C semis if used personally and registered accordingly. There are many many factors including the weight and length of the vehicle. Generally they don't have trailers and need to meet a criteria such as a bed, sink, and toilet. California for example allows for up to 2-axle GVWR of 26,000 lbs and 40 feet long with a Class-C License. A company in Idaho called IWS Motorcoachs sells Super-C motorhomes that are basically very luxurious semi-trucks. Only seven states require a CDL for RVs over 26k GVWR, while 10 states, including California, require a Class-A if above this. Most states require no special license at all which includes Idaho. A simple Google search will give you all of this information. Plus, you'll look much smarter than trying to "win" in the replies using emojis.
Welcome to a bigger brotherhood of drivers. I have had my Class A CDL since 2003. I did some over the road driving. Even though I got health issues now I still have my class A but don't use it. I drive a 1997 F-350 Crew Cab XLT long bed pickup for a daily driver. I feel learning to drive a large vehicle puts me in a higher percentile than most drivers who as you pointed out make a lot of driving mistakes without realizing it. Our school never allowed us to speed shift (shifting without the Clutch). If we did that on our road test we failed. I attended the Northern Maine Commercial Driving Academy.
Good job. I think you got more wheel time in one day than I got in my 2 week CDL course. As to shifting, with a 10 speed you have a 400 rpm split between shifts. 18 spd us a 200 rpm split. 13 spd 400 in the bottom and 200 in the top gears. 15 spd is just the opposite. 200 in the bottom and 400 in the top. I wad nervous first driving anything more than a 10 spd but quickly learned to love a 18 spd. Pulling weight up hills you could easily keep your speed without big rpm drops. Using your jake you don't need brakes or clutch until you almost stop and starting out. Have fun. I love the veiw and how well they do in bad weather. Learn to chain up while it's warm outside.
I'm doing my CDL training in Montreal, and it's a 5 month long training full time. I see huge difference between in both trainings. Like not using the clutch ? Did they explain you double clutching ? The pre trip inspection last 20 minutes here too ! Stay safe on the roads !
Hauling milk in a tanker into down town Dallas, Tx. will get you over any nervousness of driving in traffic. As a former maintenance dispatcher, most breakdowns that occur within the first 100 miles is because the pretrip was not preformed. Good job.
If we floated the gears like that it was automatic failure. The clutch brake is pedal all the way to the floor to stop parts from moving when putting in gear from a stop. That should not affect shifting, you just need to push pedal far enough to disengage the clutch.
When I went through the process of getting my CDL I improved my driving habits and payed attention to all road signs. So many people that pull trailers behind a pick up or drive tractor trailer still act like they are driving a four wheel vehicle.
Thanks to KiwiCo for sponsoring this video. Use code AMBITION for 20% off your first Panda Crate subscription: kiwico.com/ambitionstrikes
WoW, Congratz to that one. glad you make man!! ☕
Shout out to Idho CDL for letting him film, it's both cool to see and a nice window into what the CDL drivers have to go through for anyone who is curious or potentially interested in going through it.
The problem is that normal car drivers don't watch so when they're out on the streets and seeing artics around them they don't know how to react....therefore accidents happen......those films should be shown to ANYBODY taken a car/motorbike licence !!! Im surprized you didn't pull forward to make sure the trailor was connected !!! So in the states you can go from a car/pickup
to an artic OH GOD
Ain't happening in 2 weeks.
@@stum8374 WILLIS!... what you talkin' 'bout?
Arctic
The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway, northernmost Sweden, northern Finland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Danish Realm, and northern Iceland, along with the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. Wikipedia
😉😐
FURTHERMORE... there's no such a thing as a 'normal car driver'! LOL!
Former Seabee Mechanic here. I was one of the first people in the Navy to get licenced on the MTVR Tractor when it first came to the fleet. I also was involved in the testing of the trucks before they were sent out for service. I am local to north Idaho, eastern WA if you have problems. They are complicated vehicles with lots of weird systems and proprietary parts. Happy to help if you run into issues!
That is so awesome! Would you mind sending us an email? contact@ambitionstrikes.com
@@AmbitionStrikes Will do!
I was the Navy's PM for the MTVR tractor. Thanks for helping do the testing. It was a great program to manage and I was fortunate to have a great team to develop and field the truck.
@@PatsTravels they are great trucks. Only a few complaints. "Military grade" trucks. Lol
Wow, that was a generous offer! Don't you love the community you're creating?
Hi Rilley from a retired truck driver. The two abbreviations i used to use were PAL and LAP for connecting and disconnecting trailers. PAL Pin Air lines Landing gear (up)
LAP Landing gear (down) Air lines (disconnected) Pull Pin. You NEVER want to disconnect a trailer before putting the landing gear down AND you NEVER want to move a trailer before having raised the landing gear. Have a nice day. Tom in Canada in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
Awesome ❤
Shout out to Tom from Dave in NS Canada. Got my lic. in down town Toronto. Now that was fun.
Got my Class A CDL back in '93 and one of the first things I remember from CDL school was it's not an airplane so it's not landing gear. Trucking over the road isn't for everyone and I found out it wasn't what I wanted to do after the first year. Grocery whare houses and a few other places made life miserable. Many hauls were enjoyable and some sort of dedicated run would have been the way to go. Driving the truck was almost fun, but not the weeks away from home.
That's all fine unless you're pulling triples.
@@lloydprunier4415 So did I. I also became an instructor. It was always landing gear. Still is. No idea why anyone wasted time teaching you that.
I used to work for one of the big freight shipping companies. Never got a CDL but definitely moved a lot of trailers around the yard and it is nerve wracking when you first start out. It gave me so much more respect for what those drivers do and what they have to go through just to get a trailer from A to B.
It's intimidating, but over time it's like why was I afraid to drive something so big.
I went to trucking school after I lost my job after 35 years with the company when it moved to a different state . I went to trucking school because I knew there were trucking jobs around. Some still couldn't drive after 6 weeks, I made 100 on my pre trip and passed my driving test which was a big relief. I found a job with the local county and worked 11 years until I retired. I loved that job because I drove almost anything you could imagine which I was all for.
)@@spencers4121
Ass a CDL holder, driving trks for almost 20 years, hauling fuel to Prudoe Bay Ak. on what is probably one of the most dangerous roads in North America. I still remember going to trk school and getting my first interation of my license as one of the most traumatic times of my life. 😂 Congratulations!
Congratulations! Welcome to the CDL A club. Taking the course and test in "less than perfect weather" was a great call. Expect the un expected , and be safe.
It's awesome to see you documenting your progress! I get to teach the class B, passenger, and school bus endorsements in Colorado for a local school district.
Wow Riley you never fail to amaze me all the things you can already do and then taking on more things to learn. Congratulations for passing that was a large commitment x
That's the fastest class A CDL course I've ever seen. Not even remotely enough time. When I went to CDL school, it was a 6 week course. 6 weeks of drive time and classroom study. And after 20 years of driving, I know even that didn't touch all the situations I'd experienced. It's scary to know they are only training people for 7 days before turning them loose. Happy for you that you passed, dude. Please be careful out there and take your time. Your mirrors are your very best friend. Always be scanning them, even if no one is around. Little cars come out of nowhere. Never get complacent.
CDL school has never been about teaching really anything about real trucking, It's about passing tests and they fully anticipate you will go on to some big company that will put you through weeks of ride along training... Shit logic but that's their thinking.
BRAVO! Well done. I suspect it is like any other "crash course" (sorry, bad adjective ...) you now begin to really hone your skills. You brought back memories of my ROP School Bus Driver's Course shifting without synchromesh, matching RPM's to speed, and accounting for the huge rear end behind the rear axle. Congratulations!
Bravo man. I remember that feeling the first time I hit the open road in a semi... Scared the pants off me.. You did well. Congrats on a new life skill.
We now you have learned what all truck drives had to learn. I remember my training for my class A CDL. But back then even though it was not a easy thing to do it was not as tough as it is today for new drives. Many of the laws has changed and more Federal and State laws are more stricter. Back when I did my test I had to do all the pre-trip inspections and that even included the service lines to the trailer. Then I had to do the straight line backing, right side doc backing, and then left side doc back, then serpentine backing, and then the parallel parking. I don't know if you had to do the serpentine backing or the parallel parking. But the one thing is leaning the responsibilities of being a truck driver. I'm retired from truck driving and I miss it I miss the open roads. But after 43 years I knew it was time to turn it over to the younger generation truckers. Good luck with your new toy.
It's awesome to see a popular you tuber take a CDL course, thank you so much for showing how much of a mental strain driving a semi truck can be, and what is all involved with driving a semi truck, so many people out there figure we just drive and that driving is so easy, No it is not, it truly is a tough job with alot more involved than so many believe! Thank you Riley! Congratulations on getting your CDL!!🎉 best of luck in your future endeavors!
this might be helpful to you with clutch brake operation the clutch brake only contacts when the pedal is one inch from the floor so as long as you only toe the clutch pedal enough to disengage the clutch brake does not work
I got my cdl it took 2.5 months in Wisconsin but that final test is very nerve wracking
18:20 for future reference when you're cranking the landing gear if you find The Sinner of the pain and shove in slightly you won't have that problem of walking back and and forth with the handle makes it a lot easier
Congratulations Riley, I have been a truck driver for over 25 years and have been a blast.
It's funny watching this video because when I drove truck I had an Oregon class A license and I gave it up just before they came out with a CDL. So the truck I drove was a 1988 Peterbilt 4 axle tractor with a 53 foot 3 axle trailer with a gross weight of 98,000 lbs.. The tractor had a 3406B Cat motor with a 13 speed trans and your right you only use the clutch in first gear then in order to shift gear's you just match rpm's!
Oh that brought back memories for me over here in the UK doing my HGV. I knew exactly how you felt with the nerves.
Awesome upload guys. Wishing you all the best😎
Its great to see you on your learning how to drive a truck...just shows what youve all got to go through....Glad you passed...Stay safe and god bless you all
I remember getting my CDL. My two hardest things to learn was the pre-trip ( my instructor was a stickler for precise wording) and backing up. I had literally 15 minutes of training. That led to big issues. I ended up training myself in the yard of my first employer.
Great video Riley and Courtney
Congratulations Riley
I'm currently in the process of obtaining my cdl. You have made this whole process feel so worthwhile, I want to thank you for taking the time to make this video. It has helped me build the confidence I needed to keep pressing on. Congrats!! Keep it between the ditches .
You got this! 👊
That was really fun to watch, congratulations, Riley! 🎉
One of the most important things to check which I haven't heard you mention is the wheel nuts - one of those come off and it kinda messes up your day and someone else's life if it bounces unfortunately....We in the UK have dayglo markers which face each other on either nut - you can tell then if they have moved...THEY DO over time. Tapping them with a bar also gives off a different sound. Its a great addition to your licence, opens your mind to the hard work truck drivers carry out, often at crazy times and distances. well done.
The longer that a trailer is ,the easier it is to back up because it responds slower to steering imputs . And one other piece of advice is to NEVER forget that you have a trailer on when you are making a turn. To do so will have you taking out a light pole or a stop sign. Have a nice day. Tom in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
We had 1 driver totally straddle a fire hydrant without harming it. Then he left the truck, quit on the spot and went home. An older much more experienced driver was sent to safely move the rig and drive it back. (it happens)
I drove right over top of a half ton pickup with an empty 53 foot dry van in an intersection. I had been driving for years but that morning for some reason I completely forgot I was pulling a trailer. That was a not very good morning. No one hurt fortunately.
Once your done with school and those tests you be able to float the gears as long as you still hit the right RPM's. Definitely easier on your clutch life and simplies driving as well.
I've been a commercial driver for 28 years.Myself and my coworkers have always said,they need to make the test harder.Well they stepped it up a bit atleast.The motorhomes and 5th wheels should all have to take some form of this.Im glad you showed some respect to truckers and the difficulty of driving around the stupidity of other drivers Congratulations Riley!
Congratulations on getting your semi licence. Viewing from Australia. I got my semi licence 50 years ago, when all you had to do was answer a few questions, drive around town, back a Strait line, and do a hill sart. All done in an hour.
Congratulations on yoour Class A CDL. I retired in 2006 after 39 years in a truck, 48 states. The last 10 years I was an instructor for a vary large trucking company in Arizona. We didn't have to worry about snow very much. When a driver passed the school he was sent out on the road with a trainer for 6 weeks to learn how to delal with customers making making appointments on time. Again... Congratulations, well done...
CDL BIG High 🖐 Now need Flat and box trailer Pick up newer Bulldozer No more Shipping cost. Army 10 wheel truck I know you do not want move But Big truck and trailer you can move your self. well done
Awesome. So excited about whatever this must mean you’re cooking up for the future!
Welcome to CDL! I Got mine without any school. But I grow up around heavy equipment so had a life of experience already. Love you guys!!!!
Congratulations Riley! I just celebrated the 20th anniversary of getting my CDL-A license. Since then I added the double/triple, tanker and HZAMAT endorsements to it.
This is a great video. Really took me back to my CDL training days. Good luck looking for good videos of truck driving ahead
Congratulations will be curious to see the new pickup.
Oliver is getting so big, that’s one happy baby
Great video looks like you had fun but nervous.
Great job and am grateful that you took us along for the ride!!!
Retired truck driver here, everyone has trouble backing at first and getting the gears right. If you do it long enough you'll get it and you won't even have to think about it. I always found backing the longer trailers was easier than the shorter one's.
Congratulations! Now the hard part comes next lots.and lots. And lots of practice over and over again
This was an awesome video! I always appreciated truck drivers, (all sizes), but now my appreciation reaches a new level. Thanks
Congrats riley on getting your CDL. Something you'll never regret. Driving OTR 48 states was my career until I was struck with diabetes and no longer eligible. Worse day of my life. Two things I'd like to metion. You said the one instructor told you about reading the signs. That means EVERY sign. The one you miss may be the one that tells you the bridge is out. Teach yourself to read EVERY sign. Its your saftey and life that this might affect. Secondly, use all the space you can when pulling forward to line up for a back up. Most drivers car or truck fail to pull far enough forward to line up properly and wind up making several attempts. Saw you do that in the video. I've pulled tankers, flatbeds, box, oversized and superloads. My best suggestion to you would be to go to your local truckstop sit at the counter and talk to your fellow drivers. At least when i was driving they were friendly and willing to help you learn. I learned more there than anywhere else except actually driving. Theyll tell you things about driving in bad weather, bad habits etc. I'd say they focus on saftey because those trucks are dangerous. Good luck, stay safe and be smart. Never do drugs of any type. There are drivers who do and may offer it. Dont accept ever. No load is ever worth it. I always despised the unprofessional driver who placed so many at risk with that crap. Im a bit older so this is old but I used to use this line all the time, drive right. I dont want to run into some mom driving a station wagon with four kids in the back on her way to drop the kids off at school. Mechanical failure happens (as you are familiar) so stay up on maintenance.
Yup, accidents happen the minute you get cocky and relaxed. Always need to be on your A game and extra careful in new conditions. And do not miss a gear on a steep downgrade. You do not have enough brakes without engine braking. I know a few who learned that dropping out of Flagstaff, AZ and were lucky to survive.
@@markpashia7067 Reminds me of a time going into lake Tahoe from Reno and my tp valve malfunctioned and I lost my brakes going down the grade on 431. Before I made it to the truck runaway ramp rear brakes were on fire and my co driver wanted to jump out. There was the mountain on the passenger side and I told him he was safer in the truck. Didn't want to see him getting crushed against the mountain and the side of the truck. We made it but talk about fear. I was so happy to see that runaway ramp. (The tp valve manufacturer had to pay for everything).
Congratulations on your license!! I almost got got mine awhile back...but now it is to much work. Way to goo!😊
Well done, Riley! Congrats!! Great to see Tyler again. Hope there are more projects the two of you tackle in the future.
Good job Riley! I Love how both you & Courtney consistently are learning new things! Oliver is still the star of the show! Love that your subscribers are growing since I have been subscribed while you had sleeper in truck🙏🙏🙏
Hey Riley, professional driver and fellow recent grad here. You can clutch for all shifts in a CMV, you just can't depress the clutch all the way. The clutch brake engages at about two thirds of the clutch throw. One way to ensure that you are not engaging the clutch brake is to hit the clutch with the heel of your foot hanging significantly off of the pedal, that way your heel will hit the floor before the college break engages. I found it helpful to not have to worry about perfectly floating gears when I was going up or down steep grades. Also, if you find yourself getting into different equipment, take note that the colored switches on the shifter mean different things for how it is geared (color coding). Have fun, and defintely remember to be humble and take the time to get out and look, it will save SO MUCH heartache.
Good on ya for trying to get your truck license, I’ve had mine for 47 years here in Australia. We pull multiple trailers starting with a B double then you get into road trains? It can pull up to 3 or 4 trailers that’s when you need to be able to change gears without using your clutch, happy days
Welcome to Boise. Hope you enjoyed your stay. Loved seeing you drive around. I knew most every location and you really were all over the place.
Great work Riley. Not easy. Definitely go easy in the big rigs with the mountains!
Been there and done that. It was great learning experience. I got my CDL in 7 days after training. Aced the test in one try!
I'm glad you made it. Just always remember to constantly keep checking your mirrors and keeping an eye on all your gages while you're driving, cause it only takes a second to get into an accident that can be avoided. I've been driving class 8 for over 30 years and it is a very stressful job. Now you can call all them small vehicles out there, them darn 4 wheelers. Lol. Just relax and always pay attention to everything around you. It's hard, but you can do it. My wife would always laugh at me when she would pick me up after I got back in off the road and she wants me to drive. Not cool. Because I'd start trying to shift it into gear and it's a darn automatic and I'd stomp the floor because there's no clutch there. Lol. 4 million miles and I had enough. So it's your time now. Good luck and God bless.
Had mine for 20 years now. Only used it for the first four, but will never let it expire! You just never know.
When I went through truck driving school in Ohio we had to drive tractors with sleepers and 53-ft trailers. So from day one we were in 75-ft trucks. Get your double triple and tanker endorsement. You may not need it but it's always good to have.
You're welcome. I've watched every second of every video you've produced. I've watched you for three years now. I'm probably one of your most loyal fans. I learn so much from both of you; and you are living the lives I always wanted but couldn't have lol
Congratulations Rilley. That is no easy task; a good friend of mine got his heavy truck license in New Zealand a year ago, and those things are much harder to drive than it looks from the outside. Did you consider doing the course in the better weather? Ice and snow must not have helped?
23 years OTR 2.3 million miles. Love my career. Switched up to hauling sand and gravel to stay closer to home. Im a rookie all over! Very humbling.
Great job on the roundabout. I’ve seen a few trucks up and over the center curb and one with a car stuck underneath the trailer. Most semis at my roundabout take both lanes to prevent an under aware driver from getting run over.
Always wanted to get my CDL.
Re roundabouts... That's how I did it. If you take at least 2 lanes they can't try to pass under you. But they will try.
Congratulations on your cdl. I remember when I past the driving test a little over a year ago. I was so excited when I passed.
What worked for me was to pull on the shifter tap clutch count 1 2 tap and push for next gear. You're 100% right I struggled at first with only tapping the clutch instead of pushing it in all the way
Welcome to the club , I have my UK CDL for articulated trucks ( 13.6 metre trailers ) and big buses ( 14 metre double dekker with trailer ) , It really is great fun driving huge vehicles , I've been driving trucks n buses in the music touring industry in Europe for 40 years
Congratulations! What a fun video!
Congratulations on your class A! I’m curious why you needed it, where we live in Idaho you can register semis for personal use up to 56,000 lbs with air brakes and trailer. No cdl, cdl only needed if the use is intended for business or how DOT puts it “making money”. Just depends how you register and insure it! Technically you’re supposed to have not for hire on the side when registered personnel use but in our county that’s rarely checked.
Congrats!
Got my class 1 with Air back in the early 90s. I think my course was several months long at the college PD (professional driving) school. Having never driven a standard in my life, nor farm machinery prior to taking the course, it was quite the learning curve! But I won a scholarship upon successful completion.
Welcome to the Class A CDL club, Riley. It's a lot more complicated to get licensed these days than it was roughly 40 years ago when I got mine. I'm glad to see all the training though. It's a huge responsibility to share the roads with all the crazy's out there today. Congrats and keep it safe, bro.
Congratulations! You have added one more thing to your skill set. I am looking forward to how you use your new license.
I got my first vehicle, a 1950 chevy pickup, back in 1972 and had to learn how to "double clutch" to drive it, because there were no synchronizers between gears on it. That is what you are doing when you have to bring the engine up to rpm between gears.
Congrats on passing your test. But WOW, just WOW, your trucks are just so antiquated. I'm in the UK and passed my HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) Class 1 test in 1989. The truck I used had a full syncro gearbox, I don't don't think I've ever driven a truck that had what we call a crash box, I have driven trucks without using the clutch, usually when the clutch hydraulic system has failed (I'm a mechanic), so have had to go out and rescue drivers that just can't do it. I'm not sure when they came out, but in the very early 2000's we had fully automatic trucks, they still had a clutch and synchronous gearbox, but it was robotised, so the computer changed gears, some trucks (Scania's) still had a clutch pedal, but that was purely for pulling away and reversing. In 2024 trucks are as luxurious as cars (have been for years), if not better, most, in fact I'd say all larger trucks have cruise control, and very few are manuals. We don't have long nose trucks, so the cabins are smaller, but some are still quite spacious. We also have disc brakes all round (including trailers), in fact the truck I passed my test in, in 1989 was one of the first to have disc brakes on the front axle, rear was still drum. Here's a new Scania ua-cam.com/video/Mciw2ibNL_4/v-deo.html Personally I prefer the older, manual, and non computerised trucks, they are much easier to work on and don't have so many issues! PS Realise your not going to have the newest trucks to learn in, but that was like something from the eighties.
I just recently did my MR (Medium Rigid - single rear axle) so I could drive a bus I am converting to a motorhome.
During the test my heartrate skyrocketed and my smart watch sent me an alert lol I relate to how you were feeling!
I didn't do my HR (Heavy Rigid - dual rear axle) because I 1000% don't want to drive vehicles that big lol
Well done on achieving your CDL!!!
Congrats Riley,,,been there,done that,,,extremely nerve-racking,on to better things....👍👍👍👍
I took the 8-week CDL class and tests two times.
I let my college laps at one point and went through getting my college back.
I have driven our over 5 million miles.
We ended up buying our own rig, a KW L 900 with a 600 horse cat, and 18 forward with three in reverse. We lived in our truck as owner ops.
Bravo Zulu you truck driving dude! Looks like you're getting a newish Army bobtail?!?!
Congratulations Riley👏👏🎉🎉
I got my CDL back in 1998 at Central Technology Center in Drumright OK. What a great college. It was a month long training where we had a lot of classroom training on air brakes and so on. Back then there was a lot to learn. But it wasn't until I became an airline pilot back in 2004 that I learned what the word "Mentally hard" was. Looking back now, getting my CDL was a piece of cake.
Really man! Thank you for putting good, useful information out there in a clear concise way!
Back in the day when I received my CDL, it was so much easier. That was in 1969 in Illinois. No training course, only on-the-job learning. That CDL allowed me the adventure of a lifetime. I drove semi-tractor trailer rigs for the next 20 years and got to see all 48 states and all major and minor cities throughout all 4 seasons and all weather types. I hauled mostly household goods with Mayflower but also hauled groceries, farm equipment, general commodities, and steel.
I drove for years in and around Denver Co. it's a challenge every day. I've logged over a million miles. It's not a Funtime very often. Full time job all the time. Good luck and eyes and ears open all the time.
Nice work! I got my class A a year ago so I could legally pull a tag trailer with an excavator on it behind a 1 ton dump truck. Toughest parts of it were the pre trip and getting used to shifting the 13 speed Eaton. Looking forward to see what you do with yours.
In the UK we had "grandfathers rights" ( if you passed the driving test long enough ago, 1967 in my case) to drive rigid trucks, up to 7.5 tons. I was involved in a project about vehicle delivery/collection and they said "the best way to find outis to do it" and sent me to collect a 7.5 ton truck. It was the biggest thing I'd driven since (High) School!
6:35 that's only if you push the clutch all the way to the floor you should only push that clutch in about two to 3 inches.
Hi Riley congrats on the class 1. As another post had mentioned the SMITH SYSTEM is good advice for any driver. The van girls from NS have finally got rid of their propane toilet. Watch their last video, quite a storey. Tom in Canada in the Maritimes at the NB-NS border
Congratulations Riley! Add another notch onto your skillset belt!
congrats! wow!!! that was amazing. i have always respected truckers and even more now. thanks for sharing. continued travel mercies and blessings.🕊
Congratulations on passing! Excited to see the adventures you take
Congratulations, Riley! That is so exciting! It is really cool that they let you video this experience. Can't wait to see the new pickup! Lol
so looking forward to seeing you do your first blind side reverse that's when you learn adrenalin is brown this is from a UK pro HGV as we call it medically retired driver you always remember your first blind side
You don't need CDL no matter weight as long you are not making money from it
I have had my cdl for 26 years. That's why semi trucks towing rv say on side not for hire on them
😂 tell me you don’t know what you’re talking about without telling me 😂 anything over GCWR of 26,001 CDL required. Even if you have a 1 ton pickup with a trailer if over the 26 CDL required in many states.
@@kevink4914 Over 26k a class A is required but not cdl. I have a driving license class a now and drive s semi pulling my 5th wheel rv. I make no money with it so not commercial.
@kevink4914 Most large rv and toyhauler easily over 26001. they don't have cdl.
@@kylegazeley6192 I tow my 5th wheel rv with a semi, 2006 Freightliner Century. No CDL. Class A driving license. Anything over 26k requires a Class A but not commerical unless making money.
That is at mostly true. In many states, including Idaho, you can register a full size semi truck, air breaks and all, as an RV and drive it legally without a CDL. Such as Expediter Trucks and Super-C semis if used personally and registered accordingly. There are many many factors including the weight and length of the vehicle. Generally they don't have trailers and need to meet a criteria such as a bed, sink, and toilet.
California for example allows for up to 2-axle GVWR of 26,000 lbs and 40 feet long with a Class-C License.
A company in Idaho called IWS Motorcoachs sells Super-C motorhomes that are basically very luxurious semi-trucks.
Only seven states require a CDL for RVs over 26k GVWR, while 10 states, including California, require a Class-A if above this. Most states require no special license at all which includes Idaho.
A simple Google search will give you all of this information. Plus, you'll look much smarter than trying to "win" in the replies using emojis.
It's easy two day you only have gear shift . When I learned to drive had two transmission's . Learned to drive in the ore fields of southern Colorado.
Welcome to a bigger brotherhood of drivers. I have had my Class A CDL since 2003. I did some over the road driving. Even though I got health issues now I still have my class A but don't use it. I drive a 1997 F-350 Crew Cab XLT long bed pickup for a daily driver. I feel learning to drive a large vehicle puts me in a higher percentile than most drivers who as you pointed out make a lot of driving mistakes without realizing it. Our school never allowed us to speed shift (shifting without the Clutch). If we did that on our road test we failed. I attended the Northern Maine Commercial Driving Academy.
Whoa, that was tense. I have a whole new appreciation and respect for truckers!
I am so excited for you Riley. Congratulations, and let the fun begin!
Awesome video! I'm going to that exact school next week! Wish me luck.
Nice work! Congratulations 🎉
Thank you!!
Good job. I think you got more wheel time in one day than I got in my 2 week CDL course.
As to shifting, with a 10 speed you have a 400 rpm split between shifts. 18 spd us a 200 rpm split. 13 spd 400 in the bottom and 200 in the top gears. 15 spd is just the opposite. 200 in the bottom and 400 in the top.
I wad nervous first driving anything more than a 10 spd but quickly learned to love a 18 spd. Pulling weight up hills you could easily keep your speed without big rpm drops.
Using your jake you don't need brakes or clutch until you almost stop and starting out. Have fun. I love the veiw and how well they do in bad weather. Learn to chain up while it's warm outside.
I'm doing my CDL training in Montreal, and it's a 5 month long training full time.
I see huge difference between in both trainings. Like not using the clutch ? Did they explain you double clutching ?
The pre trip inspection last 20 minutes here too !
Stay safe on the roads !
You go Girl!🙏
Hauling milk in a tanker into down town Dallas, Tx. will get you over any nervousness of driving in traffic. As a former maintenance dispatcher, most breakdowns that occur within the first 100 miles is because the pretrip was not preformed. Good job.
Man, this takes me back. 31 years ago, I went through that. In less than 10 years I was an instructor. Now, I watch UA-cam videos and sleep late.
If we floated the gears like that it was automatic failure. The clutch brake is pedal all the way to the floor to stop parts from moving when putting in gear from a stop. That should not affect shifting, you just need to push pedal far enough to disengage the clutch.
When I went through the process of getting my CDL I improved my driving habits and payed attention to all road signs. So many people that pull trailers behind a pick up or drive tractor trailer still act like they are driving a four wheel vehicle.
Impressive, great job, can't wait to see more of what you are driving next week!