Well im pretty sure im taking my cdl class A road test tomorrow. If not tomorrow Monday for sure. Anybody have any good tips for me. I know the pre trip pretty good and i know the air brake test so i should be good on them. I guess im just nervous about it.
four ways and sound the horn before backing, do not shift on the railroad tracks, and know your pretrip/post trip stuff. Also when you stop behind a car at an intersection, leave enough room for you to get around them without having to back up if they were to brake down. Good luck!!
let's us know how it goes, what you had to do. i was "grandfathered" on the CDL years ago, just had to take written. my son is doing his CDL shortly, and he's wondering what all will take place on the driving part.
Thanks, and yeah i will let you know how it goes. my dad only had to do the written when he got his as well. I heard about the shifting on the tracks part, and i also heard something about not shifting through intersections as well.
Pay close attention to all warning signs such as bridge or overpass load limits. Good trick is for the tester to ask you what a sign said -- after you have passed by it a hundred yards or so. If you are asked to pull over to the side of the road, use turn signal to indicate the manuever -- and when the tester says pull back on, use the signal again. Make sure you check the left rear view mirror before returning to the pavement off the shoulder -- and make sure to check the right mirror as well. Do not shift when making a turn left or right. Complete the turn first. Keep both hands on the wheel except when performing a function like shifting, using the turn signal, or maybe moving a switch on the dash. Always return both hands to wheel, do not rest one hand on the shifter. Hopefully you have practiced in the truck before now so that you are familiar with the controls and the shifter. Turn your cell phone OFF before the test drive! Good Luck!
1. Drop all air out of seat. 2. Recline seat to where you can almost see over steering wheel. 3. Remove all seat belts. 4. Turn the C.B. up all the way. 5. Relax your gonna be fine!!!:bouncegri
Cdl test is a joke. I pass with flying colors and it was only my third time driving a big truck. I only went for the B class.
Put it in the high hole and mash it. lol but seriulsy just drive like your dancing w/a fat girl slow and wide turns
All the things said above plus don't take it out of gear too far before a stop. You are only supposed to free wheel the length of the rig and no more. Also, if they make you stop and start out again on a hill, make sure you don't roll backward when you start out. The only thing I missed on my test was a weight sign. We stopped at a stop sign and he told me to turn left. After we turned left he asked me if I saw the load limit sign that was straight ahead at the stop sign. I never noticed it since I was turning left anyway. Pay attention to all signs on all the roads that you can see. Good luck. You will never regret getting your CDL.
When doing pretrip make sure you touch the things you are looking at. Example: When looking at front end make sure you grab the air hose , slack adjuster , etc. They knock off points it you just tell the instructor what your checking, they want the hands on approach. Also Just RELAX and be yourself. Good Luck!!:thumbsup
The pre-trip is the most important, and make sure you know how to check the air brakes and are able to explain how and why you are doing the check. Like what is the allowable pressure drop when you hold the pedal down. How long should it take for the pressure to come back up. Pump the pedal until the pressure drops to check the alarm, etc, etc. If you don't pass the pre-trip you will not be doing th drive test that day. I had a employee years ago in Oregon that this happened to. I went with him and the truck down to do the test. Waited while he was doing the test, and somehow he went blank and couldn't explain the air brake test and what he was doing, he did the walk around fine. Disqualified right there, and had to come back a week later.
:usa with all this good info ill assume you will pass no problem. so ill give you some dirt roadie advise. 1. lowbed drivers are always the first one out and the last one in. 2.get use to fast whatever you can fit the truck in to returaunts for lunch. 3. never eat chilie or hot wings that are named after the chef from a choke and puke before 4oclock. ie tonys famous chilie or charilies special hot wings. finding a toilet isnt as easy in a big rig.
Well i passed I did the pre trip and started at the front of the truck and checked the lights and grill etc then went to the right side did the exhaust and started under the hood, then went to the other side did the steering stuff and brakes on that side then moved to the first rear axle and did everything on that axle and then he asked me if i would check everything on the next axle the same and i said yes except this axle has parking brake chambers and moved to the trailer. Only checked the lights on the trailer because he told me he knows the trailer axles are the same as the drive axles. Then did the in cab which all he made me do was the air brake test which was no problem. Then i had to do the parallel park and did ok but i had to make a pull up which PA doesn’t want you to do but i did. Then the road test i did good on it and didnt miss any gears but i stalled it once, and i did it going down hill from a red light:beatsme i had it in 3rd and thought i eased off the clutch but i dont know what i did. We went through a little town and i just keep it in 6th since there was about 4 lights in a row so i tried to play the lights. We made 4 almost 90 degree turns and i did good and just keep it in 3rd since you cant shift and didnt cross the lines or hit a curb. then we did a little 4 lane and did 2 cargo stops, i almost forgot to put it back in low range to start out again but caught it just in time. We then went back to the shop we started at and talked about everything. I told him only thing i thought i did wrong was when i stalled it, and when we were on a 2 lane road a person was walking and i moved over a little bit and didnt put my signal on. but who really does that anyway. He then told me i passed everything and that he thinks i was the youngest one to pass it through them, which i thought was pretty cool for being 18.
Congrat's Nate!!:drinkup You may never get rich by having your CDL, but you should always be able to find work, no matter how bad the times get. And FWIW, I believe it's not the easiest test around. A class B might not be so tough, if the truck has a synco'd tranny, but a class A usually involves a "real" big rig, with multi range unsyncro'd trannies, and 40+ ft trailers. It can be a different ballgame sometimes, depending. So, again, congrats!!:notworthy
Well a class B in VA is very easy to get. I took mine the easy way in a hook lift truck with no box on the back and an automatic. If I wanted an A then I would have need a pintle hitch and 10,001 gvw trailer. Only reason I didnt go for one is b.c it will cost me $1300 to get the hitch put on lol. Also no parallel parking here.
Congrats, Nate! So what did you take it on??
Thanks guys I took the test in an older freightliner flat top with a 42ft flat bed.
Bins, I hope my post didn't come off wrong. I was just thinking back too the days wen I took my CDL test's(pl) , and what it was like for me. I used an '85 Int 9670 COE, and a 48ft box van. The truck had a very sloppy 10speed. The first time I took it I accidently put the truck in reverse(thinking it was second) and when the light changed we backed up ( Duh!! ointhead)Luckily no-one was right behind me. I think that alone would've failed me, but I was a complete wreck after that, and was messing up left and right from then on. The second time I took it, with the same truck,I did pass but just barely. I had a woman tester, and I remember her telling me acouple times I needed to get the truck thru the gears quicker. After it was over she said somthing like"I'm gonna pass you, but you have to learn how to shift that truck so your not holding up everyone else on the road!!":nono So, anyways, that's what's colored my memories of the "CDL test", and kinda why I posted what I had.
I obtained my Class A w/o a road test. When I first went to our Maintenance Division (civil engineer by training) as a supervisor, I obtained a Class 2 (tractor trailer) by taking a check ride with one of our driver supervisors. This was back in the day when an employer could certify a driver and waive the road test. Back in those days, a municipal employee could get a class 2 Operator license w/o taking the Chauffeurs license exam. You were limited to drivng for your gov't employee and couldn't drive commercially. The check ride was easy, single axle 33,000 gvw dump with an automatic transmission. Then I occasionally did some snowplowing during the winter to keep up my "experience". Then comes along the new CDL laws. The rules were if you didn't have two years experience with a Class 2, you needed to repeat the road test. Well, since I would only have my license for a little over 18 months and my experience was plowing and not hauling a trailer, I started to practice with our rookie drivers that were going to need to repeat the test. I actually got pretty good backing up the truck & trailer One day comes the dreaded letter from the SOS. It stated "since you have over two years experience with a Class 2 license, you will not need to take a road test, just the written test. Please bring this letter to the SOS when you take the test". Written test = piece of cake. Class A w/o a road test :woohoo All it took to get the Chauffeurs License at that point was to pay the extra $8. So now I can drive for anyone. My biggest problem driving a tractor trailer, down shifting - still need more practice on that
Congrats on passing your test. It's all downhill from here. It's nerve racking til you're done with the test and realize it wasn't all that hard. Just do everything like you practiced and just relax.
When I got my first chaufferers license in Michigan, I walked into the Secretary of State office, indicated which one I wanted, paid for it and walked out. That was in early 65. No written test, no road test. I kept that license for several years, then gave it up when I moved out of state after the war. Didn't get a CDL till working in Colorado in 89. Class B. Written test only. Hold a Class A now in Arizona, but no Haz. Too expensive and the test for Haz is a rough one. Good job Nate!
Way to go Nate, It IS all down hill from here, just remember to use your Jakes!!
Most important part of being a truck driver is not doing it for free. It is a very intense job that requires 100% attentiveness, make them pay you what your worth.
As mentioned above, I was told to not shift though a turn/intersection and to frequently scan my side mirrors. Also, my instructor told me if I run over a curb on a turn, he would fail me and not to grind the gears when shifting. I guess all instructors have different peaves. The guy I got failed the guy before me so I thought "Oh great, here we go." I passed with flying colors though. Oh and congrats on the CDL. :drinkup The only thing that doesn't excite me about having a CDL in Texas is you can't take defensive driving courses to erase moving violation tickets even if you get the ticket in a passenger car. Also, my insurance company said if anyone on my policy receives a moving violation in my trucks, our insurance rates increase $750.00 per violation per year. ointhead
I agree. Don't you just hate it when a 4 wheeler (car) pulls out in front of you and slams on the brakes to make a sudden right turn? Geez, if they only new the stress on a person driving a big truck.
I remember getting my "chauffer license" back in '87. Went to DMV, took a simple test and passed. I gave up that in '89 when I quit driving, then didn't grandfather into the CDL since I was driving at the time. Should have. I took ALL the endorsement tests originally, only studied for the regular stuff, but they are free to take so I did it. Got tanker, easily, missed triples and hazmat by ONE question. Not bad for not studying for them? Didn't need them, don't want the hassle of hazmat since I don't need it anyway.
Thanks guys I feel a lot better know that i passed it. Now the real fun begins lol
Now is not the time to relax. The fun is just beginning. The simple possession of the CDL leaves you with more exposure to risks, than you might imagine. The rules are always changing, and the fines are always increasing. Governments at all levels are looking for added revenue, anywhere they can. You now have a target on you, so keep your credentials up to date, daily. If you are asked to ignore the rules, you do so at your own risk. Lots of people have no problem insisting that you take chances. They don't have to pay for it.
I dont plan on driving, i want to be more into the equipment side of things, but i understand that i still need to keep up with the rules and regs.