Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Information

Our bus is currently registered as a recreational vehicle. This means that, despite the fact that the vehicle would otherwise require a Commercial Driver's License, any ol' schmuck with a valid driver's license can legally drive her. (Scary!)

While it's not legally required, getting a CDL is still valuable. Learning this stuff will help you drive the bus safely.

Getting a Learner's Permit

The first thing to do to get your CDL is to get a CDL learner's permit. To do this, you'll need to take a physical examinination, which (contrary to rumour) does not include a drug test. If your HMO tells you it'll be a two months for a physical, or you don't have an HMO, I can recommend Downtown Clinic for a quick $55 trip to get your DOT physical form filled out. DOT physical forms can be obtained from me or from any DMV Licensing Service Office.

When you go to get your CDL Learner's permit, you will need to bring

• Your current driver's license
• Your filled out physical form
• Your social security card

The CDL Test Part 1: Knowledge

For complete information about the CDL test, or if you're really bored, read the Commercial Drivers License Guide. You'll probably have to read a good chunk of this to pass the CDL knowledge test. It's like the test for getting a WA driver's license -- it asks you lots of stupid number questions like "How far in front of train tracks do you have to stop if you're driving a school bus?" or "What is the maximum rate of leakage from your air-brake system?". A lot of it's common sense, but it's also about stuff that you probably don't know much about.

To drive the bus you will need a class B CDL with air-brake endorsement. You might as well get the P1 passenger endorsement to take 15 or more passengers, since it might be required for big vehicles registered as 'bus' and it's just another 25 multiple choice questions on the computer. That said, you might as well take the hazardous materials and tanker vehicle tests.

To take the knowledge test, just walk into any LSO with your DOT Physical form and tell them you want to take the CDL written test. $10 bucks and they sit you in front of a computer. When you pass, they give you a form to be filled out by the driving tester. Be sure to get a list of licensed third parties who conduct testing. If you work for Metro or a trucking company, you do the skill test with your employer. We get tested by moonlighters.

The CDL Test Part 2: Skill

Since we're not being employed for this, we pay $50 to somebody who drives commercial rigs for a living and who have a deal with the state to do this stuff. Call up somebody who looks nice, and tell them you want a CDL test. Work out a time and meet them there. I went with Pat Brecker (206) 799-7117.

The driving test will be hard. It's a strict road driving test in a hard-to-drive vehicle. They will want you to be checking your mirrors all the time, and reading and remembering every road sign. (They'll ask you "what did that yellow sign we just passed say?")

They'll also want you to be able to shift almost perfectly every time, and that is not easy on the bus -- it has a manual 5 speed transmission with no synchromesh. That means you have to 'double clutch' each shift -- letting the clutch out in neutral between gears to let the two sides of the transmission match speeds so your gears don't grind. The tricky thing is that if you're shifting up, you let the engine idle on the double-clutch, and when you're shifting down, you have to rev it. You also have to shift faster between high gears than low gears -- shift too fast between 1st and 2nd and it'll grind. It takes a lot of practive.

There's also the pre-flight test where you have to demonstrate to the tester that you understand things like air-brakes and that they're in decent working order.

The Metro Way

An easier way to get a CDL might be to work with King County Metro. Metro has a training program for new part-time drivers that will get you a Class B CDL, which is good enough for our bus, as long as it has the air-brake certification. (Not sure on that yet.) They'll pay you $8 / hr for the training time, which is about 25 hours a week for 3 weeks. They say you need to get your CDL within the 2nd week of training. For more information on being a part-time metro driver, see their website

I don't know for sure, but I'm betting that if you're in the Metro training program, you'll take the CDL test on a Metro bus. They have automatic transmissions, which will make the test much easier.