I know there a few hanging around. What is needed in order to become one? I know class 8 needs DOT, fuel tax stickers etc., but what does a Class 3 need? My CDL is intrastate only since I don't have a medical on record, but will I need one to haul interstate with a potshot and gooseneck?

 

You will need medical for either interstate or intrastate as soon as you start using your CDL to make money , the commercial part.

I retired last year because of medical card issues but want to keep my CDL if I wanted to volunteer for farmers around here or just in case I wanted to renew my medical card and not need to re-take the driving test part.
I was told by DMV I could keep my class A, had to drop tanker & HAZMAT, to keep it but as soon as I started making money, the commercial part, I had to get a medical card.
If I want tanker back, besides needing the medical card, I would need that endorsement and for HAZMAT get Home Land clearance like before when I was hauling 10,000 gallons of PL gas.
Dave ----

 

South Dakota you let the med card expire your cdl is no good. Every 2 years SD sends me a reminder for renewal and if they don't get a copy, it expires.

 

That is true let the card expire and you can not drive at ALL as the lic. is not good even for driving a car! At least here in NC and because it is a federal Lic. I would think the same all over.
I dont know how it is in over states but I was able to put the Class A on hold without a medical card but as soon as I use the Lic. to make money without a card I was breaking the law.
Till I was told by other drivers that had their lic. on hold I did not know you could do that so check with your state DMV.

BTW I was every year for my medical card because of high blood pressure and they said it could be knocked back to every 6 months!
Because I had to had a waiver because of an eye that would not pass medical, I get injections in the eye just to keep the it, I had to go thru fancy eye tests every year and this was not thru the injection Dr or the medical card Dr and that was all out of pocket, work paid for the card.

Bet you did not know you can get a wavier if you failed a medical card test?
When I fist got it over 10 years ago, you could only drive intra-state and had to do that for 5 years before you could try for a inter-state from the government.
Thing was I was moving to a different state within a year of getting the wavier and did not want to go back to zero. I found out you can carry the time over, with proof, till you got your 5 years then apply for the inter-state.
I was happy staying in state, NC, home every night so I never applied for the inter-state.
Yea I went thru a lot just to keep my CDL and when it was due for renewing and I was 64-1/2 I retired.
I miss the driving but not the hours
Dave ----

 

That's messed up since CDL is a federal license issued at the state level. Alaska and Alabama both don't care if you have a med card and maintain the classification. I didn't have a med card for 10 years in Alaska and renewed my license twice. In Alabama they ask if you have one and I didn't they just told me if/when I get one you can upload it to the state's website. I maintain a CDL just in case I do a job that wants it but I don't maintain medical status every 2 years if I don't need it because it's a waste of money if I'm not using it. Kind of like a motorcycle endorsement. I haven't owned a bike since 2012 but I don't want to have to go through the hassle of retesting and relicensing again if I do decide one day to buy another so I just paycheck extra every renewal instead of dropping it.

 

OBS, you better check if your Lic. has been suspended or not as they dont always send letters of such.
The last BS I went thru, my car insurance Co. called me to say when checking they found it had been suspended but did not know why, as I did not either.
When I went to DMV next day, nothing like calling dispatch and telling them you dont have a Lic., DMV after some checking said because they did not have a med card on file?
I showed them 2 letters, 1 that it was suspended and the other that they received the card and I had a copy of the good card as you need to carry it when driving.
Thye just looked at me and had to make calls and then the system went down state wide I did not have a Lic for 2 days, yes out of work too.
Oh I was out of work for a month because the switch of the waivers from state to Gov. and no one knew how to get the paperwork!
It was this BS that lead up to the one above. The DMV knew me by name and almost would run away when they seen me coming as they knew what BS they and me were in for.

When you drive a big rig with HAZMAT you get pulled over just for checking your CDL and or trucks paper work. If any of it is out of place the truck sits OOS till it is right.
Then it is a mark on your CDL and Co. you drive for record making it hard for you to get a driving job and their insurance goes up not counting any fines etc.
Dave ----

 

Neither state requires you to have a med card on file for your Driver's license to be considered valid. I just got it switched a couple months ago and they asked if I had one and I did because the school I went to required it but they asked if it was on file with the state and I said no. They said if you have a job that requires your CDL then you have to upload it to the state's system. I renewed my CDL twice in Alaska and they don't even ask about a med card they just ask if you want to keep all endorsements because it affects the price.

 

Maybe it is a state by state thing but should not be as the CDL is a Gov. thing that the states handle the "paperwork" for?
I just know here in NC the DMV and my job required it, even safety would check on both med card and CDL like my car insurance did.
Like you I wanted to keep the CDL just in case but had to drop tanker, HAZMAT was due anyway, but was able to keep the Class A with doubles & Tripels.

Because it is an older CDL I can drive manual transmission. Anyone getting a CDL now days if you take the test in a auto truckthat is all you can drive and it is marked on your CDL.
Dave ----

 

In IL the restriction for no med card is a K on the license.
The restrictions on my license are BK, Glasses and Med for Intrastate only. I can get a Med card and then do interstate.

 

If you go to a chiropractor that does the med exam chances of failing are extremely slim.

 

So now that the CDL is settled, I think, what is required to hotshot? What if I want to ferry 5th wheels from Indiana after I renew the Med? What do I need besides the truck.

 

There are companies that do dispatch for you and pay you per mile or a flat rate to deliver to an area. I've seen them on Indeed and Glassdoor.

 

I also had a B & K but I still needed the med card and could only drive intrastate, this was from both CT & NC DMV.
The way DMV told me if you make money with your CDL you have to have a medical card.
It is all about the money


First time I had to get the card re-newed for my job here in NC the company would not take it as I did not go to their med card Dr.
I said who is going to pay for this second checkup and they said if you go to ours we pay, so from then on it was their Dr. LOL
I dont miss going to re-new my card now that I am retired but do miss the driving part.

Funny thing is in all the road side checks of Lic & trucks paperwork not once was I asked to show a medical card or even my medical wavier
I was asked once why the "K" on the Lic. and told them a bad eye and have the wavier to show it but they did not want to see it.
Dave ----

 

 

same for ohio
i I haven't had a valid medical card for 15 years yet I'm fine to drive school buses for the garage ( not transport kids) so long as I'm in Ohio