Men and women who are interested in driving a commercial truck for a living may have heard that a commercial drivers license is not required for farm trucking jobs. That is true in many cases, but not true in others. A Commercial Drivers License in Illinois is required for drivers who travel a certain distance away from the business and go out of state.
Transporting Vegetables
Someone might imagine hauling loads of grain or corn down to the nearby grain elevator and also driving various types of equipment around the farm itself. However, it’s common for large farming enterprises that concentrate on vegetable growing to need those raw foods transported to a location out of state and more than 150 miles away. That combination of transport features requires a Commercial Drivers License in Illinois.
From Farm to Cannery
One common example is an Illinois farm that sends green beans, peas and sweet corn to a canning facility in Wisconsin. The farm may contract with one facility that is happy to accept all the vegetables it can supply. Dozens of loads may be shipped north each week as long as weather permits continued harvesting. Those drivers may have completed training at a center such as Star Truck Driving School, making them eligible for the required CDL. Now, they’re also eligible to drive for transport companies during the off-season.
Risks of Ignoring Legal Requirements
It’s crucial for farms and their drivers not to ignore the legal requirements. Some agricultural enterprise owners are tempted to send their employees on these types of runs even if they don’t have a CDL. They trust the workers and know that they are highly skilled, experienced drivers. They know there are no open weigh stations along the way. Nevertheless, if anything goes wrong and the driver is caught, state and federal monetary penalties apply. This will cost the business a minimum of $2,500.
These types of jobs are appealing to men and women who like the idea of driving a truck but don’t want to be away from home for many days or weeks at a time. They might learn about one particular training program at Domain.
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