Friday, March 20, 2020

How to Get Your CDL in West Virginia and Wisconsin

How to Get Your CDL in West Virginia and Wisconsin This article is useful for anyone who wants to get a CDL in West Virginia or Wisconsin. If you want to learn about earning a CDL at other states, we have put together a comprehensive guide on how to get a commercial driver’s license in every state of the country. West VirginiaYou need a CDL if you are going to drive:Any vehicle combination with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001+ pounds, as long as the GVWR of the towed vehicle(s) is over 10,000 pounds. (Class A)A single vehicle with a GVRW of 26,001+ pounds; or  this vehicle towing another that is less than 10,000 pounds. (Class B)A vehicle with a weight rating of less than 26,001 pounds,  or such a vehicle towing another that is less than 10,000 pounds:  Vehicles that are designed for 16 passengers or more, including the driver, and  Vehicles used to transport hazardous materials.  (Class C)In order to obtain a CDL:You must be at least 18 years old and have 2 years of driving experience.You must  meet specific physical qualification standards and carry a medical certificate to show evidence of such qualification.If you are unable to become medically certified, you may be eligible for a medical waiver.The ExamsAll applicants must take either a written or oral knowledge test and pass  and answer at least 80% of the questions correctly.  You must test for the desired endorsements you have listed on the test card at the time you test for general knowledge, but you may get a test card for other endorsements at a later date if you wish to add them.If you fail the knowledge exam, you may not retest for 7 days. You may try to pass the exam three times on the original fees.After you pass the written exams, you will receive a commercial driver’s instruction permit. Only after you have your learner’s permit can you then take your road (skills) tests.After you pass your road tests, you can then receive your CDL.WisconsinIf you are going to drive any of the following vehicl es, you must obtain a CDL:Vehicles that weigh 26,000+ pounds, determined by the highest of the following:manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)manufacturer’s gross combination weight rating (GCWR) when the towed unit has a GVWR, registered weight, or gross weight of  10,000+ poundsactual weightregistered weightA vehicle carrying hazardous materials that require placarding under federal lawA vehicle designed or used to carry 16+ people, including the driverThe ExamsFirst, you must take and pass the appropriate knowledge test(s) for the vehicle you plan to drive.CDL knowledge tests are free, and take take at least 1 to 1.5 hours to complete. You must answer  80%+ questions correctly to pass.  You must present a valid Class D license at the time of testing.After you pass the knowledge exam, you can obtain your  Commercial Driver Learner permit (CLP).  Your CLP will be valid for 180 days. You can use a  CLP to practice driving with a qualified instru ctor or CDL driver  who has  a valid license at or above the level of your permit.You must hold a CLP  for 14 days prior to taking your road test(s).After you schedule and pass the pre-trip, backing test and skills test(s) with an approved third party tester, you can receive your CDL.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Tesla lists electric truck for 150k 

Tesla lists electric truck for 150k   If you’re a trucker, there’s an exciting new wave of innovation and technology that’s sweeping over your industry- and Tesla is leading the charge. Tesla, headed by company founder and maverick CEO Elon Musk, has been at the vanguard of bold, forward-thinking ideas in recent years, and has decided to take its visionary approach to trucking- and the results are interesting to say the least. Truckinginfo.com has recently published an article that discusses this new truck, which is expected to go into production in 2019- let’s take a closer look.The future of trucks seems to be leading towards electric vehicles, a radical departure from the diesel guzzling behemoths that you’re used to driving. Tesla has recently unveiled it’s new Tesla Semi, which is likely going to usher in big changes in trucking. It has a rather steep base price- $150,000 for the base model- but considering that the average price of a truck with an internal combustion engine typically sells for around $100,000, it isn’t too far outside of the typical range that a trucker would expect to pay for a new vehicle- and owners of the new Tesla Semi can expect to see cost savings in terms of reduced fuel consumption. Furthermore, according to an article by DC Velocity, â€Å"Musk told a webcast audience that the vehicle will pay for itself in two years when compared to the cost of a diesel tractor, citing savings in the electric truck’s ability to outperform diesel-powered trucks in aerodynamics, reliability, and fuel.†What will you get with this exciting new base model? You’ll get a durable, reliable long-haul vehicle that’s designed to have a 300-mile range between charges (if you’re looking for something with a longer range, a $180,000 version that can go up to 500 miles between charges was recently unveiled). According to Tesla, the new Tesla Semi will have a cargo capacity similar to its diesel counterparts, witho ut a significant weight increase compared to the average Class 8 truck.If you’re wondering how confident Tesla is in the viability of their new trucks, how’s this for a vote of confidence: Jerome Guillen, Tesla’s vice president of trucks and programs, recently announced during an electric truck confidence in Europe that Tesla would be its own first customer. That’s right- Tesla will utilize its brand-new Tesla semi to haul its own products and cargo between its Freemont California facility and its Gigafactory just outside of Reno Nevada (in case you’re wondering, that’s an approximately 260 mile route).If you’re interested in getting behind the wheel of this new rig, Tesla is accepting early reservations for the Tesla Semi- provided that you’re willing and able to plunk down $20,000 for a reservation. If money isn’t a major problem for you, Tesla is also offering a limited-edition Founder Series truck model (just 1,000 v ersions of this truck will be released), with more bells and whistles than the base model- but it also requires that you put down a $200,000 reservation.If you’re among the lucky few who gets to drive one of these new Tesla Semis, one things for certain- you’ll catch the attention of other drivers on the road!