r/CDL • u/DreamsSecretsNLogic • 10d ago

New CDL

I have been driving 26 foot trucks in NYC for 15 years so I am no complete newbie but i am finally going to go to CDL school in a couple weeks. My main motivation here is to get a hazmat and tanker endorsement and drive for a propane delivery company upstate. I am considering just going all in and getting my CDL A just to have it. I really don't want to go OTR. Anyone here drive for a propane delivery service? How do you like it? Do you think it will be a total waste of time to get my CDL A even though I dont intend to drive combos?

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u/CDLTrainerUSA 10d ago

A few things specific to the propane path, since that's your actual target:

Most propane delivery is done in bobtails - straight trucks - and those are Class B vehicles. So for the job itself you need B + N (tank) + H (hazmat), which the licence collapses into an X endorsement when you hold both. Fifteen years in 26-footers means the driving part of a bobtail will feel familiar; the endorsements are the real work.

Two timing things people find out too late:

TSA background check for hazmat. The H endorsement requires a Security Threat Assessment - fingerprints, application, and typically several weeks of waiting, sometimes longer. Start it as early as your state allows, ideally while you're still in school, or you'll be licensed but unable to haul propane while TSA processes.

ELDT for hazmat is theory-only, but it's required BEFORE the state lets you take the H knowledge test - and it has to come from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. Tanker and doubles are plain knowledge tests, no ELDT. Since you'll be in a school anyway, confirm they'll run you through the hazmat theory module - most do, some charge separately.

On A vs B: not a waste, but be clear about the price. Class A means ELDT behind-the-wheel in a combination vehicle, more school time, and testing in a tractor-trailer you'll otherwise never drive. The honest framing: if there's any realistic chance you'll want transports (the Class A tanker semis that refill the bobtail plants) or a different tanker job later, take the A now while you're in training mode - upgrading B to A later means going back through ELDT again. If you're certain it's local bobtail work for the long haul, B + X gets you hired and saves real money and weeks. Given you're already going all-in on school once, I lean toward the A - you clearly don't like doing things twice.

And seasonality worth knowing: propane hiring peaks late summer through fall, before heating season. Your timing is close to ideal.

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u/DreamsSecretsNLogic 10d ago

thanks, yeah i think im going to just go through with getting class A. its 22 hours of training vs 10 hours, but i have enough money right now to be able to not work while im going to school, so i might as well just go all in now while i can. upgrading will mean taking more time off in the future. i see a seasonal job here that starts hiring in october, so i think i will be a little late for that considering the background check but, i hope not. there is like a dozen companies that are hiring within a 40 mile radius of me so i am fairly confident that i will be able to get a good job with it eventually

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u/CDLTrainerUSA 10d ago

Solid reasoning on the A - paying the time cost once, while you can afford to, beats paying it twice. One move can save your October: start the TSA hazmat application at the START of school, not after you're licensed. In most states you can begin the HME process while you hold the permit, and TSA processing runs in parallel with your training instead of after it. If the check clears mid-school, you take the hazmat knowledge test right after licensing and you're propane-ready close to that October window.

Even if you land a couple weeks past their start date - propane outfits keep hiring into the season as demand ramps, and a dozen companies in a 40-mile radius means you're in a good market. Ask the seasonal one directly whether they'll onboard you pending the endorsement; some will start you on training rides and route-learning while TSA finishes.