HD, I've heard lots of good things about Crete, I hope they work out great for you.

I appreciate all the info about the road test.... I'm feeling pretty confident that I will pass. I am going to keep studying all the pre-trip stuff though.

Yesterday (Oct 2) was the big day, my road test was scheduled for 9:00am. I was there at 8:30am but the doors didn't open until 9:00am, and after waiting a while I finally was registered inside the DDS office and the examiner met me outside at the truck. My examiner was a woman, which made me nervous at first because I thought she might be harder on me than another guy would've been, but she was actually pretty cool.

For pre-trip she had me start on the driver's side of the tractor and work my way up to and including the drive axle. I guess I did alright because after that we moved to the in-cab stuff. I managed to get through that and then we were off to one side of the parking lot to do some yard maneuvers. Straight line backing was first, which has always been easy, no problems there. Next up, driver side offset parking... not my strongest skill. For some reason, I've always felt more comfortable doing blind side parallel and offset parking. But, if it's drivers side she wants, it's drivers side she shall have. I pulled up to the point where I was to begin the maneuver and just sat for a second and really tried to think all the steps through. Once I started moving, I just moved REALLY slowly, never actually coming all the way off the clutch. This made it easier for me to see if I was making a mistake because I had enough time to correct myself. It seemed like I was behind the wheel for 30 minutes but I finally got the truck where it needed to be and didn't have to use a single pull up. That was a first for me; I had never nailed a driver side parallel or offset before without using a pull-up. Next up, passenger side parallel parking. I was happy about that because it's my strong side. I swung the truck around to the side of parking spot and pulled up far enough to line up the back of my truck with the first set of cones. Swung the wheel all the way to the left and started backing slowly. The truck basically parked itself. Why can't driver side maneuvers be this easy?? And NO, I'm not left-handed!

The examiner gets in the truck and we're off on our way to the driving portion of the test.... she didn't have her seatbelt on, and I was kinda wondering if I should've pointed that out?? I was pulling out of the parking lot debating about whether or not I should say something about it, thinking it was part of the test? But then I realized that the manual never mentions anything about passengers being required to wear a seatbelt. Then I started thinking that the state of GA requires all front seat passengers to wear a seatbelt, and she is in the front seat, so she should have it on. All this is going through my head while she's directing me where to go and making marks on her clipboard about God knows what. Everytime her pen hit that paper I lost another shred of hope that I would pass. Even though I was doing well (or so I thought) that pen just drove me up the wall. By the time I had made a few turns in the city, she asked me what the speed limit was on the street we were on last, and I told her 55mph, and sure enough her pen hit the paper again. I never did work up enough nerve to ask her about her seatbelt.

After what seemed like an eternity (and was only about 15 or 20 minutes), I found myself pulling the truck back into the parking lot where I began, and the examiner asked me if I'd like to have my new commercial driver's license printed today. Ummm, HELL YEAH, of course I wanted to have my license printed today. After we parked I asked her how I did, and she said I lost some points during the pre-trip but I still did well on it. I lost no points during my maneuvers (and I'm still shocked at that), and I lost only a few points during the driving portion of the test. Oh, and get this, my test started at 9:15am with the pretrip inspection, and I was back at the DDS standing inline to get a new picture taken at 10:15am.... that one hour felt like six hrs though.

Having finished the class A program at ATDS, I can't honestly say that I would recommend them for everyone. Individuals who are self-motivated and can learn independently from reading the materials will find it easy and will most likely breeze through it. But for those who really excel in a classroom setting, I would suggest going elsewhere. ATDS is truly a CDL mill in every sense of the term, and they are pretty barebones. My instructor called in on Tuesday because of Ramadan, so when I arrived at 8:00am as per the printed schedule, I was sent back home because no one else was available to work with me. I wasn't upset or anything, but just a little surprised that they wouldn't have sufficient coverage in case an instructor is out for a day.

There are a few other little nuances about them that I discovered along the way, but I don't want to nit-pick. Besides, any other cdl mill would be prone to the same. The one thing that really made my jaw drop however was when I headed to the school to have my certificate printed after I passed the road test. There was a guy there from DDS performing what I assume was some type of audit. Literally as I was being handed my certificate from the receptionist, I heard the words "cease and desist order" fall from the lips of the DDS guy as he and the owner of the school were going over some paperwork. Apparently, the school needs to have a license reinstated.... I don't know if it's a license to operate, or what.... but it actually sounds like they will be required to shut down shop until it gets rectified. I'm not 100% sure of what will become of them, but I'm just praying that my certificate and my license are still valid. The receptionist promised me that she would fax a copy to my recruiter at Watkins Shepard before the end of the day. I will be calling him in the morning to verify that he got the fax. Hopefully I'll be on my way to Sayreville, NJ for orientation in the coming weeks.... wish me luck!!!

CONGRADULATIONS!!

I knew you'd breeze thru it. I don't think they would've issued you a CDL, aonly to take it back. You passed their examination for crying out loud. The place you got your instruction from isn't your problem.

I got an offset, and a driver side parallel. I don't know what happened but I got brain fade on the parallel and encroached on a line. Did a pull up and fixed it, but it cost me a few points. You "zeroed" the course, so thumbs up!!

I start with Crete next week, so keep me posted on your experience with WSE.

Again, all the best.

Awesome!!!!!!! Almost makes me want to take a prozac before I take my test!!! I wish you the best in your new career and for Gods sake,,, BE SAFE!!! lol..

Thanks. If I can offer you a suggestion for your road test, just try to act like the examiner is not there (God help you if she's hot) and pretend you're just driving with the instructor from your school. I tried to think of it as just another lesson behind the wheel and not a test, and that helped me to stay focused on everything I had learned in school.

Thanks bro. What division at Crete are you going with?

In regards to the yard maneuvers, the examiner told me that I actually had two free pull ups to use during each maneuver. I didn't know that, I thought it was two free pull ups overall, not SIX. If you use your two pull ups during a maneuver, each subsequent pull up costs you only one point!!! So for anybody who is wondering, the state of GA is basically GIVING away CDLs if you know your pre-trip and you're a halfway decent driver!

Thanks Keb, I'll try that but in Mass you have a State Trooper as an examiner(gun and shiny boots) included!! lol

Well in that case, I hope your prozac prescription is current!

I'm sure you'll do well. How much time do you have left? When will you take your road test?

Keb,

I'm goin' to work for Crete, not Schaffer. I suppose I coulda done either i don't really know. 2 months w/ a trainer (Ugh) - then on my own. But I somewhat like the fact that they aren't just "throwin' me to the wolves" so to speak. Especially during the coming snow months. I'm hopin I'll get to chain up with this dude so I know how before I go on my own...maybe experience some inclement weather too...Nice!!

On the yard, yeah you get a couple pull-ups but that's not what cost me. I encroached on a line and bumped a cone. Cost me a few points. Stupid on my part as I tried to jack the trailer too soon and got bound up. Dumb. I didn't drift back far enough to line the corner of my trailer up with the inside back cone...Brain fade indeed.

In retrospect, yeah you are right. The test isn"t that hard, but you still gotta know what's up.

HD,

I guess what matters most is that we both passed, so now the real learning can begin. I'll be looking forward to a new Crete thread from you once you get started with them. I feel like Watkins Shepard is a good company, and I'm obviously willing to give them a fair chance, but I still want to stay informed of peoples' experiences with other companies as well. I'll be posting about my experiences with them sooner or later once I get "thrown to the wolves" after orientation in NJ.... stay tuned.