Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Knowing the Basics Before Getting a Driver's License
• Method 2 of 3: Classes at a Truck Driving School
• Method 3 of 3: Obtaining a Commercial Driver's License.
• Tips
• Warnings

Driving semi-trailers can make your life a lot easier - a good salary and job offer a fair amount of freedom and maneuver. Before driving, you need to obtain a commercial driver's license. Once you pass the required tests, you will be able to work for firms as a freelance driver. Here's what you need to know to get started.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Knowing the Basics Before Getting a Driver's License

1. 1 Understand how to start a truck. To start the truck, you need to turn the ignition key to the first "click", this will reset the gauges and heat the spark plugs. Learn more about how to start a truck at the Truck Driving School.
2. 2 Familiarize yourself with the gear shift diagram of the tractor. Driving semitrailers requires shifting gears more frequently than when driving an automatic car. All trucks are different, so plan your gear shift study based on the type of truck you plan to drive professionally.
3. 3 Learn to turn and park correctly. Driving such a large vehicle requires a high level of concentration when turning right and left, reversing and parking. It is also important to take a course on how to properly maneuver and park the truck you intend to drive.

Method 2 of 3: Classes at a Truck Driving School

1. 1 Find a truck driving school in your area. Browse the website of your local Transportation Authority for listings of verified truck driving schools near you. Look for programs approved by the Institute of Professional Truck Drivers (IPVG). Truck driving school training is the best way to learn how to drive a semi trailer.
   • You can also study driving at a community or technical college in your area.
   • Some schools offer more than one course of study, but only one of them has been approved by the IPVG, so do your research before deciding which course to enroll in.
2. 2 Sign up for a workout program. Truck driving schools offer programs designed to qualify for a Category A or Category B commercial driver's license. If you want to be a professional truck driver, prepare to take about 350 hours of training over a period of several months.
   • You can enroll in courses with fewer hours, but this is usually for people with some experience and need a course to brush up on their skills.
   • IPVG-approved training courses cost 150,000 rubles on average, in addition to the cost of books, rights fees and other expenses.
3. 3 Get skills and knowledge in the course of the training course. During the training, you will learn how to inspect a tractor and semi-trailer train to make sure it is safe to drive, as well as how to drive a truck and deal with situations in real life. Your skills will include the following:
   • How to make controlled turns without acknowledging the danger of other vehicles.
   • How to change gears
   • How to stay in line or rebuild
   • How to control your speed on the highway
   • How to behave on congested roads
   • How to dodge obstacles on the road
   • How to deal with navigating narrow city streets
   • How to back up with a semi-trailer
   • How to park a truck
4. 4 Get the knowledge of how to behave as a truck driver. In addition to learning how to drive a vehicle, you will also learn how to be a responsible driver. Here are examples of the specific knowledge you will gain to prepare yourself for a commercial license.
   • How to keep a log of hours on the road
   • Knowledge of Ministry of Transport requirements to be followed
   • How to safely transport dangerous goods
   • How to operate vacuum brakes
   • Other driving instructions

Method 3 of 3: Obtaining a Commercial Driver's License.

1. 1 Take an aptitude test. Before obtaining a commercial driver's license (VL), you will have to pass a federal aptitude test. You must be 21 years old to drive an interstate trailer, but you can get a limited license at 18 years old, which has restrictions on driving a vehicle within one state. In addition, you must pass a federal medical commission and receive a medical card before receiving a commercial VU.
2. 2 Take the knowledge test. To obtain a commercial VU, you must pass a series of written tests. The tests you receive are determined by the type of vehicle you want to drive and what you will be driving in your truck.
   • The general knowledge test is written by all candidates, no matter what type of transport they will drive
   • The vacuum brake test must be taken if you want to drive a truck with vacuum brakes
   • Tractor with trailers test must be passed by those who want to drive tractors with trailers
   • A dangerous goods test is required if you will be transporting dangerous goods
   • Tank test is needed for the transport of liquids in tanks
   • The road train test is needed if you want to pull two or three trailers.
3. 3 Get a certificate. After passing the knowledge tests, you receive a certificate similar to the one you received before issuing you a driver's license (with which you can take the remaining exams that you need to pass to obtain a commercial VU within 6 months). With a regular driver's license, you would need an instructor with a commercial driving license. To obtain a certificate, you need the following:
   • You must be at least 18 years old
   • You must have a valid VU
   • You must pass knowledge tests
   • You must have a federal medical card
4. 4 Take the skill test. Once you have earned the necessary scores on the knowledge test, you can proceed to the tests for the skills that you received after hours of practice during training. In some cases, you can rent a semi-trailer that you learned and take skill tests on it. You will be tested for the following skills, in addition to others that come from the specification of the vehicle you wish to drive:
   • Checking the vehicle before the trip. This must-have test will show if you understand how to test your vehicle for safety while driving. You will check in front of the examiner.
   • Basic tool management. In this test, you climb into a vehicle and drive it while sitting next to the examiner. You will be asked to move forward, backward, and take turns without dramatically deviating from your lane or knocking down cones or fences.
   • Driving on the road. In this test, you will be asked to drive a vehicle on a road in various traffic conditions. You will make turns, cross railroad crossings, shift up and down gears and navigate city streets and highways.
5. 5 Use VU to get work. Once you get a commercial VU, you can be hired to work for trucking companies or act as an independent entrepreneur. If you want to start driving a different type of truck, you may need to take additional exams.

Tips

• Watch the end of your trailer using your rearview mirrors to avoid hitting the curb.
• Use all the space provided to you.
• Think sensibly, drive more accurately than your car.
• Show the same respect for the semi-trailer as you do for the weapon.

Warnings

• When following a curved line, never exceed a speed higher than 16 km / h.