The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[number two]

Good one Jon!
Got my chauffeurs license at 19 in 1973.
Operators license was 6 bucks and 10 questions.
Chauffeurs license was 12 bucks and 55 questions.
Good to to drive anything.
Now,what the hell was wrong with that system?

 

[LHF2019]

I didn't find it in the least bit difficult. Of course I was backing up front steer farm wagons and trailers before I was 9, now at 74 I can still back up quite well.

I jockey trailers at UPS. Did the training last year. First time ever moving trailers. Training is 3 days about 12 hours. Wife told me to be good and not train the trainer knowing how I am. After riding and listening to him explain how to back in to a dock and him getting to know me and what I do he tells me that doing a straight back would be a waste of time. What do you want to do? Told him I'll put it on that door there. After I'm done he tells me that is the first time I had somebody do a double blind back on their first day and of course had no idea what he meant. Training lasted less than an hour signed off that day. Still waiting to maneuver full size trailers and They won't let me double up the trailers and mess around with them. Have a cover driver that will back doubles on to the door to unhook the last trailer. That's what I want to try.

Wife for years been telling me to get my CDL. I keep thinking about it. $$$$$

 

[Hay Dude]

I jockey trailers at UPS. Did the training last year. First time ever moving trailers. Training is 3 days about 12 hours. Wife told me to be good and not train the trainer knowing how I am. After riding and listening to him explain how to back in to a dock and him getting to know me and what I do he tells me that doing a straight back would be a waste of time. What do you want to do? Told him I'll put it on that door there. After I'm done he tells me that is the first time I had somebody do a double blind back on their first day and of course had no idea what he meant. Training lasted less than an hour signed off that day. Still waiting to maneuver full size trailers and They won't let me double up the trailers and mess around with them. Have a cover driver that will back doubles on to the door to unhook the last trailer. That's what I want to try.

Wife for years been telling me to get my CDL. I keep thinking about it. $$$$$

Maybe theres a local employer out there who will send you to the training at no cost to you if you work for them a while, then quit.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Maybe theres a local employer out there who will send you to the training at no cost to you if you work for them a while, then quit.

This is exactly the way many get into trucking. Last time the kids looked into it, the cost was $8000 and if you stayed for a year then you didn't owe anything.

 

[LHF2019]

Maybe theres a local employer out there who will send you to the training at no cost to you if you work for them a while, then quit.

My cousin has a excavating business and have thought of asking him what he does with new drivers. Through research some businesses can do in house training. Pay him directly and he would also have somebody available in a pinch. Just haven't gone through with it yet.

In Alberta there is also school involved. The cost is $10,000 CAD ($7,000 USD) for a farm license that I believe lets you haul around 100km (60 miles) radius from the farm. A full commercial license is about $15,000 CAD ($10,400 USD).

That's insane. I could run a full rig with no CDL if I wanted to.

FARM TRUCKS (WITH NO TRAILER) WITH AN ACTUAL WEIGHT OR WEIGHT RATING GREATERTHAN 26,000 POUNDS:Intrastate Operation of Farm Truck within 150 Air-Miles of the Farm (Not Crossing State Borders):•

The driver of the farm truck is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.
6. Minimum age requirements.
• The driver of the farm truck is subject to other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle”drivers under federal and state regulations.

Intrastate Operation of Farm Truck More Than 150 Air-Miles Away from the Farm (Not Crossing State Borders):•
The driver of the farm truck is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.

• The driver of the farm truck is subject to:
1. Minimum age requirement of 21 years.
2. Other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle” drivers under federal and state regulations.

Interstate Operation of Farm Truck within 150 Air-Miles of the Farm (Crossing State Borders):

• The driver of the farm truck is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.
6. Minimum age requirements.
• The driver of the farm truck is subject to other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle”drivers under federal regulations.

Interstate Operation of Farm Truck More Than 150 Air-Miles Away from the Farm (Crossing State Borders):
• None of the farm driver exemptions provided under MAP-21 applies.
The driver of the farm truck is subject to the requirements imposed under the federal regulations for:
1. Medical certification.
2. Drug and alcohol testing.
3. “Hours of service” (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Minimum age – the driver must be at least 21 years old.
6. Commercial driver’s licensing (CDL).• The driver of the farm truck is subject to other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle”drivers under federal regulations.

5FARM-TRUCK-POWERED COMBINATIONS (WITH TRAILER) WITH AN ACTUAL WEIGHT ORWEIGHT RATING GREATER THAN 26,000 POUNDS:
Intrastate Operation of Farm-Truck-Powered-Combination within 150 Air-Miles of the Farm (Not Crossing State Borders):
• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.

• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is subject to:
1. Minimum age requirement of 18 years.
2. Other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle” drivers under federal and state regulations.

Intrastate Operation of Farm-Truck-Powered Combination More Than 150 Air-Miles Away from the Farm (Not CrossingState Borders):

• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements
.• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is subject to:
1. Minimum age requirement of 21 years.
2. Other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle” drivers under federal and state regulations.

Interstate Operation of Farm-Truck-Powered Combination within 150 Air-Miles of the Farm (Crossing State Borders):
• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is exempt from:
1. Medical certification requirements.
2. Drug and alcohol testing requirements.
3. “Hours of service” requirements (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Requirements for daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements.
• The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is subject to:
1. Minimum age requirement of 18 years.
2. Other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle” drivers under federal regulations.

Interstate Operation of Farm-Truck-Powered Combination More than 150 Air-Miles Away from the Farm (Crossing StateBorders):
• None of the farm driver exemptions provided under MAP-21 applies. The driver of the farm-truck-powered combination is subject to the requirements imposed under the federal regulations for:
1. Medical certification.
2. Drug and alcohol testing.
3. “Hours of service” (daily driver’s logs, recordkeeping and limitation in driver work and driving time).
4. Daily driver inspections and written reports of the vehicle’s condition by drivers and repairs.
5. Minimum age requirement of 21 years.
6. Commercial driver’s licensing (CDL).
• The driver of the farm truck is subject to other driver requirements imposed on “commercial motor vehicle”drivers under federal regulations.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have talked to a company owner with a small site work business, about 15 guys or so, so Small. He said his problem is, he spends $5000 on the class, and has to pay the guy his hours in the class. He does make them sign a paper saying if they quit within 6 months, they have to pay him back. He can't actually get more than the last check from them, and push come to shove, he can't actually hold the last check, as he is responsible for paying the hours worked. Sure, he could sue them, but thats a lost cause; they dont have the $5000; you'll spend Way more in legal fees; waste many many hours and days over it, and even if you win, blood and turnip...

 

[paulsharvey]

Man, not to turn this into a CDL thread...

About 15 years ago or so; was working for the county, and saw a job next town up, closer to home, for the city, Asphalt Paving foreman, nice raise, close to home, but Required CDL-B. So, (burn me at the stack...) with the old pre-smart phone, sliding cell with the keyboard and screen, I drove to work (1.5 hrs), and read the CDL manual, while driving in, steering with my knee and went to DMV and took the CDL B learners permit, passing easily. (did fail air brakes, tanker, and A, because I didnt bother to read them) I could have came back the very next day to take driving portion, but I didnt have a CDL truck to take it in, so I never did. Didn't get the job, so didnt need the CDL