M818 - Georgia CDL driving test?

[twright]

Read the new law do not need a CDL in Ga

 

[Makincold]

Great! New battle plan, class E,F!
Thanks!

 

[jwaller]

I just took my CDL last year in Georgia, AND I tried to use my 818.

DO NOT DO THIS!!! the people giving you the test do not know how to give the tests in the 818. It does not have air brakes and it does not have air over hyd. THERE IS NO PROPER TEST IN THE GEORGIA SYSTEM FOR THE 818 AND THIS MEANS THEY WILL FAIL YOU EVERY TIME.

Rent a proper modern truck to take the test with.

The 818 does not turn very well and you must be able to parallel park the beast with trailer. It is not easy. The test is a pain in the butt and you better study and practice all the maneuvers.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

On the studying and practicing. The simplest mistake and they will say 'fail'

Practice the walk around until you can do it with one hand tied behind your back, blindfolded, underwater, at night.

 

[EMD567]

I have taken the Ga CDL test, and passed on the first try. It requires you to do a parellel park with the the tractor and trl, along with the 100' back. I was quizzed a lot by the examiner about the air brakes, while driving the test route. You also have to make a "non standard turn" which in my case was going from a 4 lane street, into a 1 lane alley. Don't hit the curb!
If you are going to put forth the effort to get a Class E or F, just go ahead, and get the class A. That way, you can drive anything, and you don't have to worry about it.

 

[sterlun]

get it straight

Forgive the length but it's important.

It's simply amazing how many misconceptions people have about CDL requirements. I live in GA, just brought home my XM818, and have my Class A CDL permit. Still have to do the driving test to get the real deal.

First, regardless of what people say, the 818 has a GVWR of OVER 26000 lbs and therefore requires at least a Class B to bobtail it. If you hook any kind of trailer (pintel, 5th wheel, whatever) that's over 10000lbs GVWR then you just bumped to Class A. Note: GVWR and vehicle curb weight are not the same. The truck weighs app. 20k lbs but the GVWR is 44260 per my data plate. A pintel hitch equipment trailer may weigh 7000 lbs but its axles are rated at 10000 each which means its GVWR is 20000 lbs.

Now about the non-commercial Class A. Setoyota appears to have pasted the info straight from the GA DDS website. This was what I attempted to do. However, at the drivers license office they absolutely refused to issue me this license. According to the book, IMO, I qualified for the non-commercial license but I was told the license was only for military personnel, firemen, and farmers. Farmers in GA must file a Schedule F and can only drive within 150 air miles and only SEASONAL. Now I've heard of others in GA in our situation succeeding in this but it must depend on the office you go to and how they are to get along with. My office said I had to do the regular commercial license.

Now for the truck. I'm going to attempt the test in my 818 as soon as I get it road worthy so I'm interested in the qualms they may have with it. For one thing it's still a legal vehicle so I don't see how they can refuse it. If the truck is for personal, non-commercial, not for hire, not for profit use you do not have to have DOT filings. The air over hydraulic system will still require an air brake endorsement in GA. If you test with a trailer other than a 5th wheel you will have a 5th wheel restriction on your license.

People can tell you whatever and swear to everything holy that you don't have to have the CDL but it's all worthless when the GAHP hands you the court date. I even talked to troopers about it. Explained the situation in detail. Asked what license he would be looking for if he stopped me. He answered, "Class A CDL".

You will have to take the General Knowledge, Air Brake, and Combination Vehicle written exams and then the road test.

Here's a link for the CDL manual from the GA DDS website. It'll tell you everything you need to know and eliminate the speculation and misconceptions.

http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/CDL_Drivers_Manual_4_17_09.pdf

 

[Makincold]

Wow, thanks Sterlun!
Not to long, good read!

 

[lsansone]

although not GA, I did ask my state's DMV about using my m817 for a test and they also said no. As others have said, rent a truck that meets all the modern requirements. that is what I am going to do. best wishes

lou

 

[SETOYOTA]

Now about the non-commercial Class A. Setoyota appears to have pasted the info straight from the GA DDS website. This was what I attempted to do. However, at the drivers license office they absolutely refused to issue me this license. According to the book, IMO, I qualified for the non-commercial license but I was told the license was only for military personnel, firemen, and farmers. Farmers in GA must file a Schedule F and can only drive within 150 air miles and only SEASONAL. Now I've heard of others in GA in our situation succeeding in this but it must depend on the office you go to and how they are to get along with. My office said I had to do the regular commercial license.http://

There is nothing in GA code that says the license is only for the above mentioned. When I first went to the DL place they did give me a slight hassle about the fire fighter stuff but I brought a copy of the regs with me and they let me take the test and I left with my license.

There is nothing on the license stating any special provisions either.

 

[feldmarshal]

I had to get the class B non-comercial for the FD in 92 . It was explained to me that I could borrow my neighbors dump truck and haul a load of gravel to my road but not work for hlm hauling. Personal use only. It was paper test only.

 

[sterlun]

There is nothing in GA code that says the license is only for the above mentioned. When I first went to the DL place they did give me a slight hassle about the fire fighter stuff but I brought a copy of the regs with me and they let me take the test and I left with my license.

There is nothing on the license stating any special provisions either.

Oh I fully agree with you, friend. I got in a heated, uh, "discussion" with the folks at my DL office and even showed them the requirements (you posted) on their own website. They said, "Oh that's interesting. I've never seen that". Then still wouldn't issue the license. And as you said, paper test only, no endorsements or road test required.

Like I said before, I think it depends on the particular dl office you go to and the intelligence level they have. I know where you live. Maybe I should drive down there for my non-commercial license. That's what I'd rather have.

The point is, a special license is absolutely required for an 818 in GA. My advise is to try for the non-commercial if you just do personal use and if they refuse just get the Class A. Or head to Warner Robins and get Setoyota to go to his drivers license office with you. Need him here...

 

[sterlun]

Oh and Setoyota you are right about special provisions on your license as well. That's the difference between yours and a commercial license. You have no restrictions or endorsements necessary but if you have to do the road test those things come into play.

Crazy, but you can drive an 18 wheeler with air brakes and a 5th wheel but if a CDL holder doesn't do the endorsement test and take the road test with a 5th wheel he'll be restricted. Funny world eh?

 

[jwaller]

Now for the truck. I'm going to attempt the test in my 818 as soon as I get it road worthy so I'm interested in the qualms they may have with it. For one thing it's still a legal vehicle so I don't see how they can refuse it. If the truck is for personal, non-commercial, not for hire, not for profit use you do not have to have DOT filings. The air over hydraulic system will still require an air brake endorsement in GA. If you test with a trailer other than a 5th wheel you will have a 5th wheel restriction on your license.

they may refuse it because it does not meet the two types of air leakdown tests that are in the ga driving manual. Even if you go so far as to install the red and yellow airbrake knobs on the dash like I did it does not meet the test requirements. If the person giving you the test is a moron then they may not know and might but I doubt it give you the test.

There is a very specific checklist and you must follow it perfectly from start to finish and YOUR TRUCK WILL NOT PASS. there are about 12 steps in the process and your truck does not have the equipment for it.

If you then tell them you don't want an airbrake test then you still don't have the equipment to do the air over test. You don't have a backup source of air and that is a requirement once you bleed down your main tanks.


I have also tried to mix a airbrake trailer with an 818 and it will not work either. You must use a vehicle with all the same equipment.

 

[sterlun]

I've not hooked an all air trailer to it yet. Other posters on here say it works the same for the trailer. What happened when you tried?

 

[jwaller]

I've not hooked an all air trailer to it yet. Other posters on here say it works the same for the trailer. What happened when you tried?

works just fine, you just can't use it to take a cdl test.

 

[sterlun]

I have taken the Ga CDL test, and passed on the first try. It requires you to do a parellel park with the the tractor and trl, along with the 100' back. I was quizzed a lot by the examiner about the air brakes, while driving the test route. You also have to make a "non standard turn" which in my case was going from a 4 lane street, into a 1 lane alley. Don't hit the curb!
If you are going to put forth the effort to get a Class E or F, just go ahead, and get the class A. That way, you can drive anything, and you don't have to worry about it.

What kind of truck did you test with? If it was a military truck, which test location did you go to?

 

[EMD567]

I took the test in a 1995 IHC short nosed tractor, for the company that I work for. J Waller is right- The 818 will not work with the air brake tests. As delivered, the 818 does not have a dash mounted trailer supply valve, or an air operated tractor parking valve. The 818 also does not have air chamber operated brakes on the wheels, so you CANNOT check the slack adjusters(doesn't have them) This is a major part of the Class A license, so if they can't test you on it, then you don't get the license.
I just spent 3 hours working with Ferro on his pretrip test for the class A. It is a world of diffence between an M818 and a modern OTR. The examiner could care less that the 818(or any 5 ton) is all that you will be driving- The examiner only can test you as if you are going to climb into a OTR, and start making money tomorrow driving.
I still believe that the Class A is the way to go if you wish to drive a 5 ton. There is so much you need to know, and practice, in order to drive a 5 ton safely.

 

[glcaines]

For those veterans or active service members in GA, you can simply take a copy of your military license in when you take the written test for either a Class A/B or Class A /B CDL and you are exempted from taking the road test, as long as the military license covers the appropriate truck configuration. There is no time limit either, as long as you still have a copy of the military license and complete the waiver form.

 

[sterlun]

I can see the problems with the air valves on the dash. 818 doesn't have the pop-out for the loss of air to the trailer and the 818 doesn't have spring brakes on the tractor. Another potential worry I've wondered about; if you road test in GA with an auto tranny truck they place a manual tranny restriction on your CDL. The 818 is manual but it's a straight 5 spd like a car. No splitting gears, dbl clutching, wierd shift patterns, etc. So I wonder if they would hit us on that as well. They also gig you HARD if you don't remove the key from the switch when you exit the cab.

If anyone has attempted a road test in an 818 I'd like to know.

More importantly, if anyone in GA has gotten their non-commercial class A WITHOUT being a fireman, farmer, or military ID I'd really like to know where you tested at cuz I'll be heading that way.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

What about the part of the Federal Reg. that specifically allows air over hydraulic brakes? Except for the slacks the issues are the same and even the Feds recognize this.

Also, the 2010 International that we just returned with (80K GCVWR, OTR Condo) does not have slack adjusters........it has DISK brakes. Wanna drive them nuts????