Hotshot/under 30,000lbs trucking?

Also accurate.

 

As a 27-year driver, I’d do something else. The road isn’t what it used to be. There’s a reason companies are hiring any warm body they can to hold their steering wheels. Odds are, your son has more potential than this. Heck. Staying in some sort of govt occupation would be way more lucrative, long-term. The local VA office can advise him of avenues toward that.

As for these hotshot operations, they don’t make squat. You’ll always hear people say they hear someone makes great money doing whatever it is. That’s usually not reality. The simplest way to look at it is: If it’s easy to get into to, there’s no money in it, because there’s no risk. The greater the required investment/risk, the greater the return. Every Joe Blow with a 1T truck is out there trying this same thing, because it’s easy to get into and try.

The RV guys are just burning up their trucks, running 50% deadhead. Again, not worth it. If you think of buying a specific trailer to haul cargo trailers, cars, etc, the shitty brokers of today are reducing the rate of the additional units, eating into the additional revenue that should’ve went into the operator’s pocket. You’re pulling more weight, pushing more wind, burning up the equipment, for very little additional net profit.

Purchasing a medium-duty, Class 6 tractor would be a better investment than a 1T dually. The heavier truck is meant for continuous duty of running down the road. Whereas a 1T won’t last very long. Further, a medium-duty truck isn’t much more than a nice 1T, but, will last much longer, with less net operating costs.

Again, I’d never pursue this career path.

 

If the OP's son has any sort of Secret Level clearance, find a job where that need is critical and probably make Big Buck$.

 

Tell your son to be a plumber or get good at metal fab/trailer repair.

All the work they went is out there.

Both jobs get him home every night and no corporate assholes will ever get good at either business and ruin it.

Spend 5 years building a reputation, then run from there.

 

That is correct for the written test. Driving test it doesn't matter if the truck has Air brakes.

 

Thats wrong. The air brake test is the first test during the pre trip phase of the test. Then you do the interior pre trip, exterior pre trip and light check, yard maneuvers and then road test.

When was the last time you took your cdl test?

 

In order to get a class A you have to get the air brake endorsement.

If you have a truck and trailer over 26k you have to have a class A.

They don't make you take the test in anything other than what you will be driving. Locally, the school/test place will sign off on the A with air brake if you pass the written and driving even if your rig doesn't have air brakes.

 

Also if you take your class A in anything that isn't a 5th wheel coupled trailer, you'll have a restriction for that as well. Gooseneck and pintle hitch limit your license.

 

In what state?

 

I'm in Florida. Dot is busting everybody with a Dually.

A friend got popped recently pulling a boat to the ramp. Has to get a class A.

 

If you’re under 26,001 and not engaged in commerce, you’re not a commercial vehicle.

Got pulled in and talked to in SoDak on a trip with the kids. Got fucking car seats in the back seat of my truck, with an 8yo and 4yo in them, on our way back from the Omaha Zoo, and this guy is sniffing for any excuse to say I’m engaged in commerce so he can ticket me.

 

Thats also wrong.

The fuck is going on with society?

 

+1 There are entire states with hardly any, young, licensed plumbers or electricians. And to clarify, less than 100 throughout entire states, according to licensing board data - it’s going to be crazy lucrative for young licensed contractors. Some municipalities already have such a plumber shortage, that basic non-emergency service calls have multi-month backlogs.

 

Unless I'm missing something..you have to test out on any class A road test with an actual class A tractor with air.
How else would you do the leak down portion of the test,or show the pressures and how the compressor goes in and out properly?

 

I did my tractor portion in PA and then I got my school bus endorsement in DE. Both times I had to perform an air brake test.

 

I literally! True story! Sat in a Florida scale house, getting my weekly overweight ticket from dot ladies.
One of the dot cops was talking out loud to a dually pulling a rental trailer coming towards the scale house.
The truck didn't stop in,and he ran down stairs to go after the driver that was probably moving to Florida.I don't think for a minute the driver had any idea to stop in.The cop was literally looking for this type of driver at the Florida state line.Its ridiculous..and don't even get me started on the agriculture scale house just below it!

 

Dumb question from someone who's never driven anything bigger than a dually hauling a travel trailer. What exactly IS an air brake test. I understand how airbrakes work, and the differences between them and juice brakes, but what makes up the test and endorsement. One of those thing I should have probably asked years ago, but just smiled and nodded along in conversations about it, as I had no need to delve further.

 

Air brakes in an endorsement on a Class A, like hazmat. No endorsement, you’re not licensed to operate anything with air brakes.

I can easily exceed 26k GCVWR without exceeding medium duty vehicles. Hell, the 5500 bucket truck I use is plated for 18 or 21k single unit, doesn’t take much of a trailer behind that to be in Class A territory.

 

You have 2 gauges.Primary,and secondary.They climb to around 120 psi.Then compressor kicks out.You have to verbalize all of this during the test.You also do a leak down.You pump brakes down to 60 psi,and emergency brakes engage, plungers pop out.
You then start truck back up and air system back up looking, listen for air leaks, and maintain pressures.
Just a quick definition of the test.
Probably missing something,but that's also part of your daily pretrip every day

 

I honestly don't know anything about class A without air.
I regularly drive by our DMV here in Georgia and I've never seen anyone testing out in a vehicle like a dually.
Maybe I just haven't witnessed it,or maybe it's different by state?
I do know the manual and automatic test exists.I tried to bring a kid over from Coke I knew but all he could drive was auto and all our tractor are manual