CDL Course Question

[Bob0618]

I know that you'll need to unload some percentage of the loads you haul. I am going to start CDL School at Sage in Pa in January. I am wondering what you think.
Do you think I should also take the Fork Lift course, since I never drove fork lift either - for when I do have to unload.
The guy at the school said they offer both and I could take the two course right there. It seems to make sense to me, but would I be wasting time after CDL Class that could hurt me when i do go job hunting.

[crb]

Nope a waste of money IMHO. If you drive OTR or regional shippers and receivers that require you to load or unload product will 99.9% not let you use a forklift due to insurance. You would be lucky to get an electric pallet jack for said purpose usually it will be a manual pallet jack. Any trucking company that will require you to run a forklift will train you if yoi are trained you will go through the program. Some Ltl companies have you work dock and drive.

[CaliTrucker]

If you are going OTR, then I'd say its a waste of money. Most placed won't let you anywhere near a forklift, heck some won't even let you in the warehouse. If a company wants you certified they will usually foot the bill. Otherwise, it's usually just part of the on the job training.

In my experience, places that I deliver to and from on a regular basis still won't let me on a lift, even though I occasionally carry a piggy back lift on the trailer. They would rather I wait an ungodly amount of time for one of their guys to do it then to let someone not employed with them touch a lift. (insurance reasons, I'm sure) Example, last week I pulled into a customers yard, seen the 5 pallets I was picking up, 3 forklifts in a 10 foot area, but no one around. By the time I was strapped down and ready to go, I had spent almost 1.25 hours in their yard for something that should have taken 20 minutes. Granted, with it being some high dollar machined aluminum pieces, I'd rather not be responsible for anything more than I have to. In the last year or so, I've probably only been on a customers lift maybe 3-4 time to actually unload freight.

Unless you've got something of a job lined up where you are dealing with forklifts all the time (for instance, a local heavy equipment hauler), I'd say it's probably not worth it. Come to think of it, I gotta move a high reach lift in the morning.