I've been thinking recently, what would it take to stop playing around, get serious and buy a semi. I saw some nice looking old trucks that went cheap at the last RB auction, so I'm wondering mainly about insurance and DOT related stuff. Not afraid of older equipment, turning wrenches or lack of creature comforts. My Dad and I would be the drivers, I don't have a CDL, but Dad's got a class B. Anyone have a rough estimate how long it takes to get a class A? Is it required to complete a class/go to trucker's school or can you just show up with your truck/trailer and do the test? And lastly any rough ranges on the cost of insurance? Would not be for hire, just for hauling iron to the farm. Asking the guys that run real trucks. Thanks guys.:notworthy
Here getting your class A takes 2 weeks. Written test, then driving test has to be 14 days later. The written test with general, air brakes, combination (Class A), tanker and doubles/triples took me roughly 30 minutes. Insurance depends on how they have you classified. My rear mount grapple truck costs $1650/year for $500k CSL. ~$120k value between the truck and trailer. A dump truck would be ~3x that.
Here in ND you need a Class A permit for 6 months?? before you can take a road test. After that, you just show up at a location with your truck and trailer and get in line. If you're not commercial, insurance should be fairly cheap. Depending on how fancy a truck/trailer you get, maybe a couple thousand a year for insurance. The license might be more than insurance, I have no idea about TX, but here in ND a farm truck would be about $500 per year for 80,000.
To answer a couple of your questions... You can use your own truck and trailer for the tests. As far as the DOT related stuff you will need a USDOT number if you don't already have one. It is required even if you are not hauling for hire. I can't really help you with insurance because our trucks are permitted/ insured to haul for hire. You are required to pay a heavy use tax if the truck is going to run more than 7500 ???? (can't remember if that number is correct.. If not it's close) miles per year. Hope that helps a little. Others will chime in on things I forgot. Basically, buying the truck is the easiest part of owning one. Just my $.02
There are long waiting lists to get on the CDL test driving schedule, at most Texas DPS offices. Right now, your easiest way to get a CDL is through one of the CDL driving schools. They get you scheduled, take you out for practice in their truck, then drive you over to the CDL test site. Their truck will be a short wheelbase tractor with a short trailer and an automatic trans. It WILL pass the pretrip test, which is important. If you show up in your own truck, and a light bulb burns out just before the test, or they see a minor oil drip they don't like, you will not be allowed to take the road test. Then, you have to go reschedule, which could mean another 2 or 3 week wait. Jeff
Heavy Use Tax (HUT) is for vehicles or combinations over 55klbs. 5k miles commercial, 7.5k miles ag are the tipping points requiring it. HUT costs $550/$412.50 (lessor is for logging)for over 75klbs. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2290.pdf The tag for my grapple truck, 80klbs commercial is $1700/year. Farm tag is $1k.
That's pretty close to what we pay for 94k commercial here in ND.
I'm in the county, in the city it would cost more. Different counties would cost differently. 80klbs is as high as MS goes intrastate. Apportioned tags can go higher, for instance 88klbs for logging in AL. Mississippi has a Harvest Permit that adds 4klbs to the limit, up to 84klbs. The harvest permit is $25/year.
For occasional playing and no commercial work at all you can go with classic registration and plates if the truck is over 30 years old. Plates are a one time purchase, ($50.00 plate and $100 one time fee in Minnesota) no DOT annual inspections required, and insurance is much cheaper. The restrictions are you can drive them on Sundays or any day if traveling to or from a special event, and you can not haul for hire. You can haul your old iron home if you do it on Sunday. Collector vehicle full coverage ($10,000 comp & medical and liability, etc.)can be purchased for about $600 a year here good in all 50 states, limited to 12,000 miles a year. They do require you to send in a picture showing new paint for the coverage. No DOT number required bit must have "Not For Hire" sign on it. I asked our local DOT and they told me that my collector plates are good in all states if I am going to a show. Going to test it this summer when I haul one of my small Cats to an out of state show with my 1979 Titan.
I like the sound of the classic plates, but I'd need to run more than what it sounds like it would allow me to. So it sounds like I'll need a CDL, DOT number and insurance/taxes. Am I overlooking anything? How hard is it to get the DOT number?
I don't believe you'd need a DOT number unless you plan on going out of state. Texas may be different.
Here in CA they have a number of services that rent trucks specifically for the drive test for about $500-800. You can use your own, but have to show up with a properly licensed driver - I'm told they check this. Same deal with using a school or rental truck for the exam in regards to light bulbs or whatever - no less likely to happen there than a personal truck, and will have to reschedule just the same though may actually be worse because it's the rental place and the DMV schedule you have to find an opening in.
The schools here have there own trucks and you "practice" with them and they also are licensed to give you the driving test. I believe Wisconsin is the same. You don't even go the DMV to take the test. A friend got his CDL in California and it was the same. The DMV here have recently been telling people to go to a driving school and take the test.
As an OTR driver, only thing more I'm going to comment on this subject is I wish these schools could train more "drivers" than "steering wheel holders". Just sayin'.
I'm at U of H full time during the week so going to a truck driving school is probably out. May be easier to pass the test with a smaller truck with an auto trans, but that's not going to be what I'd be owing/driving.
One point when buying a used truck, ask if it has had a dyno test and percentage blow-by test done. If not i would get one done, It's around $220 bucks of well spent money. A good engine will hover around 2%. Truck Shop
Yes, Texas is different, even if only running in-state. You will need a DOT number first. Then, you need to go online and get a Texas DMV number. (Used to be called a TXDOT number). You can not get the TXDMV number until you have both the Federal DOT number and the proof of liability insurance. I think the minimum liability required is now $500,000. It used to be just $300,000, but I was told it was going up.
It does not matter what you will be driving. Use the small tractor trailer with auto trans and make it easy on yourself. Believe me, you will be glad you did when it is all said and done.
This is hard to answer because it totally depends on your use. Here in IL, it's about $6000 before you can get it on the road with registration, HUT, IFTA, IRP, MC, DOT, etc. Liability insurance is $2-300/month. Cargo insurance is much more, but you won't need that. In my area, I can hire a Landoll or lowboy for $100/hr with about 2 days notice. They supply the chains and binders. They help me load and go anywhere I want while the clock runs. Figuring that the cheapest I could buy a semi truck and trailer would be $20-30,000 + say $7,500/year to keep it legal, I think I'll keep hiring it done. I can't see how it could make sense to own a semi unless you were using it more than 200 hours/year. Remember too that a semi is a rolling, 18 wheeled, cash register. You might fly under a lot of radars in your pickup and gooseneck, but when a cop pulls over a semi, he isn't writing a warning. All that said, you seem to have a bottomless supply of money for worthless toys, so I say go for it.
What is it with you, Wes? You were kind of in a pi$$ing match on another thread, and now you're starting it here. Take your crap somewhere else if you can't be a civilized human being. Bye.
I'm just saying that it's a free country and he can buy anything he wants. When I say "makes sense", I mean business sense. I get the feeling that this is just a well funded hobby for him, so his economic factors are most likely different than mine. When I was in college, I couldn't afford a sandwich. But, if he wants to buy a semi, more power to him. He and I belong to another forum, so I have some more knowledge of his purchasing habits.
He said it before I could. Were both members on Practical Machinist and there is a group (just about everyone in fact) that seems to take personal offense that I like old machinery. Another likes to remind me how that the shop that I'm trying to put together is just a "retirement home for $hi&ty old machines". And that's probably true. From what I can tell Wes is a hell of smart guy, and runs his own shop, but does like to stir things up every once in a while. I should have made a different user name and tried to fly under the radar a bit better, but I kinda like 'alskdjfhg' as a name. And no this isn't a 'well funded hobby'. That actually kinda rubs me the wrong way a bit, I think every machine I've got I've literally pulled out of the scrap pile for scrap or less. I just actively seek them out and have a few of them.
You do anything you like. I just spent 10 hours fixing a 60 year old Blanchard grinder for a customer. They didn't even flinch at what I am sure was close to a $10k repair bill on a machine that might resell for $5k. It did the job they wanted and they just needed it back in service ASAP. FWIW, I don't take any offense to you liking old machinery. If you can afford it, buy all you can. I just default to seeing things from a business make money/lose money perspective. It's my opinion that your perspective is different. There is nothing wrong with that.
Just make sure you are not limited to what you can legally drive based on what you test with. There are restrictions here based on what you use as a test vehicle. Just a question to ask or look up on line.
Yeah , from what I gathered your a young man in college with limited budget for big ideas . That's how most of us start out , " limited budget and big ideas " Keep doing what your doing ! We need more motivated young men like yourself that aint scared of a challenge .:thumbsup May as well start shopping for a truck & lowboy now as your going to need it .
Here in IL you can get mileage plates, limited to 7k miles a year, only costs $1,630 for a year's worth of plates. Works great for a lot of guys that all they need a truck for is to move their own iron from job to job. Unlimited miles will run you $3,200 for a year. Just something to think about.
Anyone know about how long truck driving school is? May be the fastest way to get the license. They may also be able to tell me what I need to do once I'm running my own truck. Also anyone know about military trailers (they use a different hitch right?) Also anyone know anything about an M920? That or I'm too crazy to know what shouldn't be messed with.....
We call that " The confidence of youth " . All of us had it at one time & some of us still do . As for Military Lowboys my all time favorite is the M172A1 . Has a long history and it works . Buddy of mine uses one in his logging business . Around 9 foot wide making easier loading on oversize equipment . Like you mention the neck is a little taller then a standard trailer so the deck sets a little lower on regular tractor fifth wheel plate . The military tractors had an oscillating fifth wheel plate that sat about 1 foot taller then a standard truck . http://www.fontainemilitary.com/line_haul_trailer_M172A1.html
In Indiana if you take the test in an auto you cannot drive a manual semi. If you take it with a short truck and trailer you can't drive a full size semi. Basically if you want to drive a full semi you have to take the test in one. Also most every test site here in Indiana is right next door to the driving school. It's hard to pass the test if you don't go through the school. I got failed on one test because They said you have to double clutch. I got pretty angry with them and asked them to show where in the manual it said to double clutch and then they backtracked. At the driving schools they teach you pass the test. That's it. They don't teach you to drive imo. Basically you memorize the steps to pass the test and the instructors were looking for that pattern. We just recently got a semi and trailer because we need it to haul the counterweights on our 110t. I don't know the costs but I can tell you it's a heck of a lot cheaper to just hire one unless your using it at least a couple times a week. I can hire a tri-axle truck with a tri-axle detach for $80 an hr. I have no idea how he makes any money and I don't really care either.
The CDL testing rules are federal rules. It should be pretty much the same in all states. Yes, you will have a manual transmission restriction if you use an auto. If you use a pintle hook trailer, you will have not have a 5th wheel endorsement. So, yes, you have to use a "real" truck to get a "real" license. No dodging it.
I don't believe in California there is a pintle/5th wheel distinction on the license but maybe somebody can say different. In fact it may be easier because IIRC you didn't have to do some of the trailer parking exercises if you showed up with a pintle trailer. There is actually a company that advertised in the back of the DMV manual their testing truck which was like a very small dump with a pintle flat, and a 6 speed synchro transmission which would make the test very easy. As for me, I took it in a rented old flat semi with a well worn easy shifting 10 speed. The owner/instructor came with the rental and he would tell you all the things the DMV was looking for while you were driving around, and take you on the test course. I rented it for one hour of instruction and one hour for the test itself another day. I did not try any fancy tricks during the test such as float shifting or starting in gears other than 1st. The instructor did however tell me it was OK to shift in the intersection, since if you did not come out of 1st the light would change 3 times before you got through. I did not, and do not however shift on railroad tracks.
I will ad that if you are looking to get licensed, and have enough knowledge and skill to avoid the "driving school" route, do it fast. There are new federal rules coming to dictate an amount of class time and supervised driving time. I had been driving "mostly" off road in big trucks since I was 16 or so, but did not get my license, as I was busy doing other things. When the company lowbed driver quit with no notice, I went to the DMV the next morning, took all the tests, and on the way back to the office, scheduled the drive test for the next day. We already had the truck, so I just needed to recruit a licensed driver to ride with me to the testing location, and yes, one of the first things they check for is the licensed driver you came with. I had my license in two days, but that can't even happen now as there is a mandatory waiting period between the test for the permit and the drive test to get the full unrestricted license. As far as the cost of running your own truck, it is not a good deal unless you need it a lot. The best thing about having your own is not needing to wait to fit into someone else's schedule.
There's not a fifth wheel or auto distinction here, yet. I've heard the auto exists in other states and is spreading. 14 day wait between your written and driving tests.
Like I said, these are federal rules. Some states may be more lenient, but if you want to cross the border, you have to follow FMCSA rules. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license/drivers "O If the driver takes the Skills Test in a Class A vehicle that has a pintle hook or other non-fifth wheel connection, they will have an "O" restriction placed on their license restricting them from driving any Class A vehicle with a fifth wheel connection." "E If the driver takes the Skills Test in a vehicle that has an automatic transmission, then an "E" no manual transmission restriction is placed on their license."
Yes, it looks like they are getting down and dirty now Restriction on pintle trailer in the drive test Restriction even if you take the test in a combo rated below 26,000 https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/c...5e-9294-4289226a08c5/15olin08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES The guy I took mine from would have had to sell or junk that old truck due to the current air quality regulations. That is why I keep mine current, even though I don't use it any more. It just gets harder all the time.
Kinda funny but my cdl test was the only time I've ever driven a semi. I needed a class b for the cranes but figured there was no point in just getting a class b. I wouldn't advise getting a semi just to move your stuff around because I think if you do the math your money ahead to hire it done. But it's your money. I would however highly recommend getting your cdl asap if you think you'll need or want it in the future. It's definitely not gonna get any easier to get one then it is right now and it's not exactly a walk in the park.