Grain/Livestock trucking

[Double L]

I live in a very agricultural area and I was curious if anyone can give me some information on grain and livestock hauling. This is one area of truck I've been interested in but my main worry is what are they going to have me during the slow season? With me being 17 well almost 18 I feel farming is really gonna be the only way to get my foot in the door. Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. I don't know if this will help any of you or not but I registered for Co-op, I'm gonna ask my co-op teacher if he knows someone in the farming business to hopefully get my foot in the door but I want insight on the farming business from the drivers.

[rangerroy]

the best way is to contact your dmv station to ask them about it in my state their is alot of restrictions being 18 for a cmv license and farming again is different they can get seasonal licenses for drivers and i think they can only go a certain amount of miles from the farm and only class b i think and your driving record has to be spotless for a certain amount of years still the best way is to contact your license place and talk real slow and ask them excactly what you want to do.good luck

[Double L]

My driving and criminal record is spotless! As far as I know I can get my Class A but I can't get any endorsements like hazmat, or doubles/triples. The certain amount of miles applies to whether or not you need a CDL, according to the CDL book it says you don't need a CDL if you run within a 150 air miles of the farm or if it's farm to market operations. But if it's a for hire company than a CDL is required. That is the way I understood it! Like I said I'm gonna talk to my co-op teacher and maybe he can help. My couselor had a family member who use to do grain/cattle hauling but he doesn't drive anymore from what she told me but I don't know.

[dieselpower]

I started hauling grain when I was 18 right out of high school. This was my first driving job. I am in Georgia so the rules may be a little different. In 1989 I could drive only in the state and could not cross state lines. I drove for my grandfather hauling grain, rye,wheat ,soybeans you name it we hauled it. When grain slowed we pulled fertilizer and some other stuff to stay busy. I worked long hours sometimes 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week. It depends on who you drive for and what they haul in order to stay busy; like I said we hauled different things when it got slow. Alot of this stuff is paid by the load, bushel, and how many stops you can make from elevator to elevator. The more stops means more money. I hoped this is helpful.

[Double L]

I knew that about staying instate. Anyway with the co-op program I'll go to school from 8am to like 11am and then I can work the rest of the day from 11am to whatever, so that'll benefit me there.

[Kranky]

Don't know about IL, but in WI you can get a CDL at 18, however it is only valid for intrastate hauling until you become 21.

A few years ago I hired a 19 year old farm kid to drive one of my dump trucks. He had gotten his CDL as soon as he turned 18.

This kid had been driving trucks and tractors on his family's farm since he was old enough to reach the pedals.

My insurance company accepted his verifiable farm driving experience and OK'd him for hire.

When I closed my business he went to work for another dump trucking contractor near here.

He's about 23 now, and I still see him around driving dump truck, he's a good driver.

[Double L]

Don't know about IL, but in WI you can get a CDL at 18, however it is only valid for intrastate hauling until you become 21.

A few years ago I hired a 19 year old farm kid to drive one of my dump trucks. He had gotten his CDL as soon as he turned 18.

This kid had been driving trucks and tractors on his family's farm since he was old enough to reach the pedals.

My insurance company accepted his verifiable farm driving experience and OK'd him for hire.

When I closed my business he went to work for another dump trucking contractor near here.

He's about 23 now, and I still see him around driving dump truck, he's a good driver.

It's the same way here can get the CDL at 18 but can't run across state lines until 21. But my problem is I won't have a truck to go take the road test in so I'll just only have the permit.

[Icky_]

Ok this is what I do when I'm not pullin a skateboard IL deal is @ 18 you cant leave the state until 21. You can not travel over 100 AIR MILES IN A CIRCLE from the farm unless u run a logbook but no madder what u can not CROSS STATE LINES until yer 21 I've been doing this type of work since I was 18 now im 27 IF that helps

[Double L]

I live in South Roxana, Illinois if that helps any.

[dieselpower]

That is the trick. If you can rent a truck you might want to go that right or try and found someone with a tractor trailer and see if they would give you a try or train you in their spare time and let you test with their epuipment. I dought it but who knows; insurance companies control these trucks. You might want to think about going to school and getting your CDL because you might change your mind down the road and want to do over the road. Some companies will not take you without recent OTR or recent gradute from a school. Some OTR will not accept local experience. I drove local for 5 years 18 yrs old to 23. I went with SWIFT after I turned 23 and my experience did not count. I just had to go with a trainer for 4 weeks but I did 2 and half weeks because I already knew how to upshift, downshift, alley dock and blind side back so thats why I didn't need the full 4 weeks just had to learn trip planning and the other things that comes with OTR.

[Double L]

I don't want to do over the road, I want to be home every night, every other night, and/or a few times during the week and weekends. But I wouldn't mind working Friday night and not get home until Saturday night or Sunday morning. But while in high school I need to be home every night and if I can I would stay out Friday night and stay out until Saturday night or Sunday morning.

[dieselpower]

I did not say you had to do OTR, but it may be an option in the future. I said the same thing in 1989 because I was home everynight and the weekend. I even thought my father was stupid for driving OTR when he could have driving local with his dad and myself. But my mind changed when I got older and did the OTR with SWIFT for 7 years and I loved it. I had a family crisis so I had to come off the road. I am just suggesting that you leave all options open for future references. I don't know about those types of hours in the grain business. Here in GA you either work 10-12 hours daytime or nightime. Most of the time I had to wait to be loaded and unloaded so thats when the long hours come in not including driving in muddy fields and waiting to be pulled out with a tractor.

[Double L]

Yeah thats true I heard about the long waiting hours. That doesn't really bother me one bit as long as I make enough to get me by while I do my 4 years of college to get my business degree and then diesel mechanics after that.

[dieselpower]

I wish you luck with your education; like I said in the other post alot of this business is paid by a percentage, load, bushel and stops. Waiting is not good when you are not paid by the hour. my grandfather paid me a percentage of the load and he paid me well because I was his only driver other than himself. I remember in 1991 a guy left his company truck at the farm because he could not get in and out of the fields for about a month or so quick enough to make enough money and he was boiling hot the day he quit because the equipment at this particular farm would break down for hours on the hour.

[Double L]

Well I won't have any bills to pay, I plan on staying at home with mom! Atleast until I finish my 4-6 years of college. Hell she said she doesn't want me to move out so hey why not take advantage of it. :P

[kc0iv]

Reading from: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/de...xempt_cdl.html You have to be either a family member or employee for you to drive under the Farm Operators' Exempt (Waived).

Also from what I read to operate an 18 wheeler you must be at least 21 and the vehicle must have farm plates.

I would suggest you call (or have your co-op teacher) the highway patrol and discuss the matter with them.

kc0iv

[Jackrabbit379]

Double L, you need to check with your state's requirements on commercial vehicles, and farm use. I know in Texas, you are not required to have a CDL for farm use.

Getting your Class A, and hauling grain, and or livestock is good experience. Unfortunately, major trucking companies to consider country boys that grew up driving grain trucks, experienced drivers. :evil: :P

[Double L]

Well I found out I can't drive a truck for co-op due to labor laws? I thought that was rather weird but my co-op teacher who is also my auto teacher is gonna look into it some more for me!

[Ironturkey]

The way I done it some years back was to git a job as a farm hand and the farmer took care of the rest, stuck me ina truck drove it round the farm for a couple of days then went and got my CDL. There was no renting a truck just finding one outta the bunch that was road worthy or at least looked the part.