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I taught Sage Corp's CDL program in PA. Someone who my wife knew was getting his CDL on his own and asked me roughly the same question, so I took my time to describe the CDL test in detail for him. I've pasted that document in here, hope it helps. This is PA and our in-house examiners, I assume the state examiners are similar, and since most states follow federal guidelines, I assume (yes, I know about that word) most states will be similar.
CDL Test
There are 3 parts to the CDL test. They are:
1. Pre-trip inspection- Study the pre-trip inspection as it is presented in your CDL manual (the state manual). I’d practice doing it exactly as stated in the manual so you’re comfortable with it on test day. You’re going to be expected to do a good pre-trip or your day is over right then and there.
? Don’t forget to scoot under the trailer to check that the jaws are around the kingpin and point out that the trailer’s slider pins are out and the locking handle is in.
? Don’t forget to look up! Point out tractor and trailer marker lights
? You must know the air brake test! Practice it on a real tractor 20 times until you know it in your sleep. Anyone who just attempts the CDL test “cold” will fail right here. Make sure you know how to start the test out and how to wrap it up. Most students have trouble with the beginning and the end.
2. Skills- There are 4 “forms” they could use to test your skills. They differ in that some require a higher skill level than others, but you are allowed more points to complete them. In the end, it probably won’t matter which form they use; if you’re passable on one, you’re passable on the others. I’ve enclosed diagrams of the different skills.
? Scoring- Here’s how they score the skills: Crossing a line, hitting a cone, or pulling up will cost you a point each time you do it. You ARE allowed to stop to think about your next move though. Some skills require you to have your bumper in a specific box (front or back), a point is assessed if it’s not, and it’s another point if you’ve gone too far and end up out of the far side of the box (an encroachment).
? Strategy- There is a strategy that can help you save a bad situation. First, understand that there is such a thing as an “honest attempt”. For example, if you don’t have your back bumper in the box after doing the alley dock, you’ll get a point. But if your bumper is 12 feet from the line, they won’t even score you because you haven’t made an “honest attempt” at doing the exercise. In that case the examiner will approach the truck and say just that. Your job is to figure out what he’s talking about and make the correction. There are no points associated with this.
Usually, in situations where you have to pull up or back up to a line, like the straight line or one of the parallel parks, 10 feet is considered an honest attempt. Now here’s an example of how to use your strategy: Say you’re doing one of the parallel parks, you’ve got the rig in there all right but you racked up 3 points to do it. Now you’re backing up, all you have to do is put the back bumper in the little box and you’re done. Don’t get too fancy now. Intentionally shoot for 8 or 10 feet and take that 4th point. Don’t even try to put that bumper in the 18 inch box because it’s too risky. You could pop out of the back of the box; that’s 2 points (not in the box and an encroachment) and fail. In short, always do it the easy way if you can afford the points.
Another example: You parallel park in one shot and you’re back within the 10 feet, but when your tractor swings around you see that your trailer has gone over the line a little. Stay there. Let him score you as-is (crossed the line, not in the 18” box- 2 points). If you pull out and try to fix it, there’s no telling what could go wrong, and you have 2 points already.
Here are some miscellaneous points to keep in mind: NEVER intentionally cross a line. You’ll have to pull up to correct it; one error cost you 2 points (crossing the line and a pull-up). Instead, stop before going over the line and make your pull-up… Remember that if the tractor and trailer cross the line, it’s 3 points- one for each unit. plus another point for the pull-up…. On parallel parks, an “honest attempt” is if 90% of the vehicle is in the space… Keep track of your score is as you do the skills so you know what you can afford to do.
3. The Road Test-
You MUST know the Downhill Procedure as detailed in the CDL manual. It’s a legal requirement of your road test. When you do the downhill, you must at least say “Downshift” and “Snubbing” or the examiner won’t accept it and you fail the road test. There are 2 other elements that if they’re missing will cost you points, but I’m not sure what they are. Just be sure to know your downhill procedure. The examiner might also ask you for the RR crossing procedure and the snubbing procedure.
The road test is usually around 15 miles over a pre-determined route. Some things are scored on specific parts of the course. For example, there are usually 2 left turns and 2 right turns that are scored. You are allowed a maximum of 25 points for the road test. In addition there are the “instant failures” which are scored over the entire length of the course. These are instant failures:
? Not knowing your downhill procedure
? Coasting more than 2 truck lengths (in neutral or with the clutch in). If you lose your place in the transmission, you’re only allowed to coast 2 truck-lengths before you get it back into gear. More than that and you could fail right there (if you’re giving the examiner a nice ride otherwise, a lot of them will look the other way on this if it only happens once or twice.)
? Stopping or pulling over for the purpose of getting the truck back in gear. And when stopping, make sure your truck is in gear when the wheels stop rolling. If you slip the transmission into neutral just as you roll to a stop (something we all do), the examiner could look at that as a failed attempt to downshift.
? Going through a red light- if a light turns yellow just as you’re approaching an intersection, stop if you can, but if not, and the examiner sees red at any time as you pass under the light, he might fail you for that. Important point: Say you’re making a left turn and you have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear. Wait BEHIND the stop line. Don’t go out into the intersection to wait, because if that light goes yellow before traffic clears and you can turn, you’ll still be out there when the light turns red. Fail.
Likewise for right turns- you may not make cars back up so you can complete your turn. If cars are in your turn path, wait behind your stop line for the next green. Explain to the examiner why you’re waiting.
More instant failures:
? Running a tire over a curb, or taking a turn too short or too wide resulting in the need to back up
? Stalling the engine while in any traffic lane
? Shifting gears while passing over railroad tracks
? Offering the examiner a bribe or gratuity
? Failure to obey the instructions of the examiner
? Any accident that could have been avoided
? Any violation of the vehicle code. I suggest you stay 5 MPH below the speed limit at all times just in case you slip up a little, you have a cushion. Where there are cautionary speed limits (ramps, curves, etc.) these MUST be obeyed MINUS 5 MPH.
The following things will each cost you a point:
? Grinding the gears gets you a point the first time it happens, then they’re free after that, but if you really bang them, you could get points for “rough handling”.
? You must stop BEFORE each stop sign. If you can’t see traffic from there, pull up to where you can see. If nothing is coming, you don’t have to stop again.
? At traffic lights, you must stop far enough back so the entire stop line is visible to you over the top of the hood.
? When stopping behind traffic, stop far enough back that you can see under the vehicle ahead.
? Signal turns about 2 truck lengths in advance, do not cancel your turn signal until the turn is finished and your tractor and trailer are straight again.
? When turning, do not shift gears until the turn is complete and the tractor and trailer are straight again
? Do not shift gears with any part of your truck is in an intersection even if you’re going straight through.
? Keep both hands on the wheel. (yes, if shifting from gears 1 thru 10, your hand should go off and on the steering wheel 10 times). Don’t palm the wheel, use hand-over-hand when turning.
? Do not drift left before turning right, and vise-versa. i.e. Don’t go wide into the turn, go deep. Check both mirrors before starting to turn.
? When turning, stay in your own lane. If you’re turning right onto a 4 lane street, for example, you must finish up in the right-most lane. If turning left, be in the left-most lane when the turn is complete. Of course, your tractor might have to go out of its lane to complete the turn, but the trailer wheels should not. If there are multiple lanes turning, be in the outside lane.
? Stay in the right-most lane where ever possible.
? Check a mirror every 5 to 8 seconds. Do the right one time, the left one the next time (normally, on the road, you only do one at a time). Check BOTH mirrors whenever you put the truck in motion, slow down, or start into a turn.
? Emergency stops- During your road test, you may be required to make an emergency stop. They seem to be very particular about how this is done.
1.Signal your intention to leave the road.
2.Pull onto the shoulder and stop- don’t block any driveways or streets.
3.Set the parking brakes
4.Put on your 4 ways.
5.Be prepared to tell the examiner about how/where you would put the triangles
6.When it’s time to take off, release your brakes, put your turn signal on and CHECK BOTH MIRRORS before pulling out. They’re manic about checking BOTH mirrors, their theory being you could have a cop or somebody walking up along your right side.
7. Pull out. Do not roll back, not even ½ inch! (the cop thing again, he could be behind your truck). Pull straight ahead 20 ft or so then head back onto the road. Cancel your turn signal once your completely out, and pull on your 4-ways if your more than 15 mph under the speed limit.
On test day, make sure you have your license, permit, and physical card. If the examiner is writing while you’re doing the road test, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, and if you goof up, don’t just assume you’ve failed- keep doing your best right to the bitter end. Sometimes examiners will let things slip by if they think you know what you’re doing.
(End of paste-in job)
Never never assume you've failed. If you do, it'll affect your performance during the rest of the test and you will fail. I've seen some pretty huge breaks handed to students by examiners who never give breaks. My personal opinion is that if you make a mistake, acknowledge it so the examiner knows that you know what you did, and then stay calm, act professional, and do your very best.
Good luck!
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Trucking is the worst #@%?>&# business you ever saw. I just wish I didn't like it so much...
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