Driving a truck is a job not for all drivers. You have to navigate a vehicle that weighs over 26,000 pounds — a difficult task when turning past sharp corners, passing through crowded intersections, or exiting an accident-prone freeway.
And there’s the long hours. Truck drivers drive up to 14 hours straight with 3-hour breaks. They’re on the road rain or snow, and many work through the weekends and national holidays. Some have to deal with employers who are unaware or negligent of employees’ needs.
The advantages of the profession, however, are often too good to resist.
Why People Are Choosing to be Truck Drivers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2019 is approximately $21.76 per hour, which amounts to $45,260 per year. The high earners, which make up about 10 percent of U.S. truckers, earn more than $66,840 annually.
Established trucking companies also offer handsome employment benefits like retirement plans and medical, dental, and life insurance. Some even offer paid holidays. These incentives help retail and trucking companies attract the best drivers.
The trucking industry is the lifeblood of commerce and yet, there is a shortage of truck drivers in the country today. This means that if you are to become a licensed truck driver now and find employment with a good company, you’ll have job security for the next few years.
Trucking is a sound career to have if you’re looking for steady wages, willing to put in the work, and want to get started as quickly as possible.
The best part is that you can begin after weeks of training and preparations, as opposed to years of study in other professions.
Commercial Driver License (CDL) Classes for Truckers
Anyone who wants to have a career in trucking in California has to get the license designated for driving a specific type of commercial motor vehicle (CMV).
There are three classes of Commercial Driver’s Licenses issued by the DMV:
- Commercial A or Class A CDL
This is the required license for drivers operating combination vehicles whose gross combination weight rating or GCWR is over 26,000 pounds.
The descriptor, “combination of vehicles” from the DMV refers to a tractor unit with one or more trailers connected behind it. The license allows drivers to operate these tractor-trailers or semis whose tow cargoes exceed 10,000 pounds.
The following are examples of CMVs that you can drive with a Class A CDL:
- Livestock carriers
- Trailer buses
- Double or triple trailers
- Tractor-trailer combinations
- Straight trucks with trailers
- Liquid tanker vehicles
- Bulk tanker (e.g., concrete mixer transport trucks)
- Refrigerated vans
- Intermodal trailers
- Dry vans
- Flatbeds
- Commercial B or Class B CDL
This license is for drivers of single CMVs whose GVWR exceeds 26,000 and a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds max. Examples of Class B CDL vehicles are:
- Straight trucks (e.g., box trucks or cube vans for deliveries)
- Large buses (e.g., school, public, and tour buses)
- Dump trucks with small trailers
- Garbage trucks
- Firetrucks
To differentiate Class B from Class A vehicles, a straight truck has a cab and a cargo area that are connected in a single frame. A tractor-trailer also has a cab and cargo (trailer), but the latter is not attached to the cab’s frame. It can be detached and replaced with another type of trailer.
The easiest way to tell these two apart is to observe how they turn. When a straight truck turns, the entire body of the vehicle moves. A tractor-trailer, on the other hand, turns with the cab first. The cargo will follow as the kingpin or fifth wheel (the parts that connect the trailer to the tractor) moves in the new direction that the cab is taking.
- Commercial C or Class C CDL
This license is required for driving two types of vehicles:
- Transport vehicles with a capacity of at least 15 passengers.
- Transport vehicles for hazardous materials
Below are examples of the CMVs that drivers with a Class C CDL can operate:
- HAZMAT vehicles
- Decontamination vehicles
- Passenger vans (smaller than Class B buses)
- Ambulances
- Limousines
- Combination vehicles that don’t meet the GVWR thresholds for Class A and Class B vehicles (e.g., small box trucks commonly used for deliveries by dry cleaning services and flower shops)
Class C drivers need to pass a background check by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and obtain an official endorsement before they can drive HAZMAT vehicles. This is to comply with California’s state regulations and to meet the requirements of the USA Patriot Act of 2001.
Which CDL Should You Apply For?
If you want to broaden your options in the trucking industry, a Class A CDL would be the ideal license to train and apply for.
Drivers with a Class A license can drive any Class B or Class C commercial vehicles. They are more in-demand among trucking companies and retail manufacturers and distributors that operate their own fleets. It would cost a lot for employers to sponsor the licensing fees of every driver on their payroll, so it’s rare to find companies who are willing to make that investment.
Class B license holders cannot drive Class A CMVs, but they can operate Class C vehicles. This doesn’t mean that it’s easier to get a license for Class B and Class C CDLs. On the contrary, applicants for both must pass written exams (theoretical) and road skills tests (practical) to earn the licenses.
These regulations on CDL requirements exist to keep the roads and highways as safe as possible. Given the size and speeds of Class A CMVs, for example, accidents that involve these vehicles are potentially tragic. Since Class B and C vehicles transport passengers and hazardous materials, it is only right that their drivers undergo stringent screening and training.
What Every New Trucker Should Know
Like in any profession, there are ups and downs to being a trucker. The good news is, if you have less-than-ideal experiences with your employer or get into an accident as an independent contractor and get undercut by your insurer or the responsible party’s insurance carrier, there are legal professionals you can turn to.
Truck Driver Rights exists for you. Although our main office is in Seattle, we also represent truck drivers in Ventura, CA involved in labor and personal injury class actions, claims, and lawsuits.
Keep our truck driver attorneys’ contact information on hand when you embark on your trucking career. We are a phone call or an email away should you need our legal services. We also offer a free consultation.