I have read and read. I know the manual front to back nearly word for word. What has me worried is the very little training that I am going to have before coming back to FL and taking my skills test. Has anyone here taking the test in FL, and what did it consist of as far as the control part? I am hoping I can get out of blind-side parallel parking as I can barely do that with my boat attached. I guess Swift will teach it to me. I am just wondering how your experience taking the test was. Thanks in advance for your responses.

As of July '97 you will be tested on straight line, right hand turn, 45 degree, parallel (yes blind side as that is the way you will be utilizing most real world depending on equipment) and then about 20 miles of highway.The ladies in Gainesville were really pretty cool.I had driven trucks most of my life of one type or another growing up around farming.They walked me through exactly what they wanted in the backing area before having me do it.Then we drove to Waldo, back down 301 and across hwy 26 into Gainesville.Not that bad,just stay calm and think about what you are doing before you start.

However you state Swift is training you.If that is so you will end up with a license from whichever state you are training in and then just transfer to Florida after you graduate.At least that is my understanding.

Once you have your CDL you should not have to take the test in another state.
Check with your local DMV first to make sure, and make sure you are actually talking to someone that has an idea of what you are asking.
CDL is done by the states under a federal guideline.
I have had mine in LA, MD, FL, NY
I have never taken a test after the first time.
Not even a state written test, since the CDL test is above the standard drivers licence test.

Thanks for the responses. At this rate, I will never get the CDL anyways. I cannot say I didn't give it a shot though.

Stop being negative. I took the permit test and studied the book like crazy. I passed on my first attempt.

KH

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Wanted: OTR truck driving job. Willing to stay out for long periods of time, have hazmat endorsement, a desire to learn the trade of truck driving, and will travel out of state.

Roybennitt hello: the book part is not that hard as you have stated. Just read the book, Then take your permit test. When you have that done, you can now drive with a CDL holder. To test out on controling the truck. there is two parts. backing on a pad. In the book it tells you about all backing test. But you don't have to do all of them. The computer picks 3 for you to do. You will always do the straight line backing. the alley dock is the hardest if you do not practice. As the shows you the offsets left to right. and blind side and sight side parallel parking. The driver side is the hardest for me. They call it blind side but once you get the trailor kick in you can see out driver window to look at the trailor. Then there a road test to see how you control truck in every day driving. Two lane back roads all left turns one right turn. Stop signs, red lights,one had to be carful not to roll backwards. with cars behide me. A few miles on the interstate we got up to 65 with speed limit 70. Hear is where they do not want you to slow down below 45. Because it the law of interstate speed. To get on the off ramp to exit. Use your blinker, read road signs. Because they are going to ask you" what did that sign say" There is so much to know here. But at the Florida DMV they do not have trucks for you to drive for test taking. But if you do already have your cdls want to change it to Florida not that bad just eye test. The bad park with homeland wants you to prove you life here. Oh do don't hit any curvse while turing. If you do every thang right. Them at the end you hit a curb while turing its automatic fail.

Illinois will make you retake everything.

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OUT OF WORK DRIVER

I took the test last june went thru a 3rd party tester with a friends truck and trailer i only drove a tractor trailer 3 times around town before i took the test and i aced it. it consisted of

pretrip

straight line back

off set back both ways

and blind side parallel parking back (never practiced it before) so i was pretty nervous I just remembered to TAKE IT SLOW start out far out enough ahead and watch ur mirrors both of them I had 1 point taken off because my right mud flap truck side hung over the line by an inch and that was it.

Then the road test my instructor took me down a mucn of back country roads where the speed limit was around 25-45mph No interstates. Also like said above READ ALL ROAD SIGNS they will ask and remember the part about R/R crossing where u have to stop before turn blinkers on and look both ways even if u dont have haz- mat they will want u to do this.

its not to bad just Take It Slow and I didnt do it but I'm pretty sure they let u Go out and look hope this helps

Mass. wants u to take the written test again if ur from a different state I'm pretty sure last time i checked