CDL Questions
 

I flunked my yard skills on the first maneuver because I didn't quite understand what the tester meant by having the trailer aligned with the cone at the rear of the straight line course. The maneuver ended up costing me 12 points and I actually *thought* I'd done a pretty good job. But it was cold and I suppose I wasn't listening as critically as I could have been... AND the tester gigged me for getting out of the truck to ask him a question (before we started) about what he wanted me to do. grrr... that had me rattled because it didn't seem right!

I suppose everyone who doesn't pass feels the same way as I do now. And, on the positive side I did do fine on the pre-trip, managing to fight down the urge to tell the guy off and storm out.

Another guy in my class flunked his road test, so that made 2 out of 4 who failed this Saturday. Seems like poor numbers for the school I went to. Discouraging...

I've felt training is pretty lame in this industry. In my school each instructor seems to have a different way of doing things and says something different about the skills and road test.

Anyone else have any problems with their CDL skills test? This failure stuff is hard on my self esteem.

Look at this way, when you do a retake you'll know what the DMV guy meant. Next time if you are not quite sure of what the DMV instructor wants you to do, ask him. He might want you to do something that makes sense from HIS vantage point, but is totally opposite of your vantage point.

Least you got that far, most fail at the brake test , thats why they do it first to get it over with so they can go to lunch early.

yeah, good point. Thanks.

The place is a private testing facility, a subcontractor thing. I could understand the guy being such a d**k if he was a cop, but this guy was (I think) a driver at one time.

You have to remeber that they give those tests all day long so the directions seam clear to them even though they may get asked a couple of times a day to repeat them or to clairify them.

You will find it ends up being the same with calling a shipper or receiver for directions, they drive that way to work 5 times a week so they might not notice a change that would make it hard to follow their directions (i.e. street sign has been missing for the last 2 months). You will learn to ask the questions so that you understand them (i.e. is the a landmark, whats the street before that, how many traffic lights).

But back to your test, if you can go early to watch a few others do the skills test you will have a better idea of what you need to do also.

The testing facility I went to was in California and only for commercial licenses and most of those who administer the test, are not nor ever have been drivers. They take a two week course in a classroom on administering the test, not a bad gig really.

I wouldn't sweat it too much. I failed my skills test the first time too. I got all messed up in the set up for my 45 degree alley dock and everything when downhill from there. Tester said that even though i didn't hit any cones if a wall had been there i would have hit it :? :roll: , and so he deducted a lot of points there and i failed the test.

So I scheduled a retest for a week or so later, i still got a little messed up with the same manuver, but in stead of trying to get it in there just right i stopped after a pull up or two and he might have taken off a couple of points, but i still passed :D Then it was off to the road test during Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming. The instructor was nice enough to only bring me down one of the highways by the scale, took an exit, and went back to the scalehouse. He didn't even dmake me go through downtown Cheyenne like one of my classmates did. :shock: :D

Anyways, i wouldn't worry about it, and next time you can nail it.

Don't sweat it. I failed my road test the first time. It just gives you time to work on what you are weak on. The funny thing is the testers here in California don't even have a CDL and they are deciding if you are skilled.

Same here I failed my parrell parking test the first time. But the truck I was using was one I was not used to was a day cab pulling a 28 foot dump trailer when I was trained pulling a 53 footer behind a Classic XL Condo Freightliner hell the tractor was as long as this whole rig. The next time I tried the test I aced it did not even miss a point.