Does the Air Conditioning have to work to take the CDL Skills Test?

as far as i know, if it's on the truck, or in the truck, it has to be working.

never heard of cancelling a test here in my area, (i taught for 3 states at a CDL school) but, some testers run the rules and no way to complain about them.

 

You know this is wrong because we've talked about it in the past. Go read part 393 and is the a/c listed? (hint, it's not) it's not required to work on the federal level.

That said, it could be a state thing (doubtful) of most likely it sounds like the tester didn't want to work in an oven.

 

Sounds like the tester just throwing their weight around.

 

Tester probably had some medical reason for this.
I know in PA the state seems to like hiring those with disabilities. Could be that the tester had some kind of medical condition that makes the heat dangerous for her.

Now whether the A/C has to work? No. It doesn't HAVE to work.

Did they actually fail you for this? Or just have you reschedule?

 

That makes better sense. When I did my CDL test in 2001, I did my pretrip, we went on the road and I scraped a curb and failed the road test.
I went back a week later and still had to go through the pretrip portion

 

And if you go back in that vehicle without a/c, make sure all the windows are open on the way to the testing site. Make sure it's at least no hotter inside than outside. Heck, I might take it to a carwash and spray it with water to cool the metal off a bit. Don't know if it will help, but it won't hurt.

 

The tester may site it as an OSHA failure, not a DOT item. Now, you can’t expect our civil servants, or their contractors to be uncomfortable do you?

 

Just get it working and point all the vents towards the passenger seat. Make it so it gets so dang cold in there you have to wear a snowmobile suit to ride in it.

It’s a bus put a roof unit or an rv style floor or window unit right there at the seat, crank it to 11 on cold and rip the knob off.