Any advice on taking the cdl test

Sometimes its better to learn a stick in a truck. First of all, 4 wheeler or truck, its best to learn in a diesel powered vehicle. So much torque makes it much harder to stall. Big truck transmissions are different than car transmissions, so if you have never learned, it'll be easier than re-training yourself.

If you are going to school, they help you study so much for both tests, just stay focused. If you do what they say and combine that with common sense driving, you'll do fine.

 

Understand that the CDL examiners don't eat babies, and breathe fire. They aren't there to make you nervous, they are there to verify that you know enough to pass the test.

Don't let nerves get the best of you.

 

If you know what you are doing, make small talk with the guy. Where ya from, got kids, like sports...etc. I did with my examiner, he'll continue to check you out without the awkward pressure of him watching your every move.

 

Just know that they aren't allowed to say hardly anything during the pre-trip.

 

Right, I was more implying about the actual drive. During the pre-trip, just take the reigns and go thru everything, no pauses. Clarify where you are going next..

"Now done with driver side, moving to 5th wheel. Checking my..."

I said that each time I changed my point of focus, and if I missed something in the DMV's list of items for the previous area, my instructor would say "Are you sure?" Nice of him, I thought.

Then, when I was done with the back of the trailer, he said "would you like to check the entire passenger side as you did the driver side?"

"yes, sir"

"Congratulations, you passed."

The point of the small talk during the drive test is just to help you relax a little bit. If you know how to drive, you know how to drive. It helps to over exaggerate your movements too. Do not check traffic crossing an intersection with your peripheral vision, be sure to move your head side to side, making it obvious. Especially if you are wearing sunglasses.

 

uh..........i don't know about.........that...

 

There are the written tests, of which you're already nervous. That's completely understandable and I know it's easy for us to say "don't sweat it" but really, don't sweat it. There are many, many drivers out there that came before you that passed their tests and one would wonder if they even know how to spell their own name.

You're already studying for the CDL which is good, you'll be ahead of the game. You can probably get a copy of the official study guide that the DMV puts out by just dropping by the local office.

They're going to teach you everything you need to pass the tests and you'll have many, many practice tests to prepare. Don't sweat it, really.

One thing you may want to do is go to youtube and look up videos for the pre-trip inspection, there's lots there. That's one more thing that's weighted very heavily in school - not trying to make you more nervous, belive me.

When it comes to the actual driving test, and practice time behind the wheel, just remember that you're bigger than everyone else out there so take your time, slow down, and if someone in some 4 wheeler gets bent out of shape and starts honking at ya you can just ignore them. It's YOU behind the wheel and ONLY you.

That all probably doesn't help much but it's all the truth.

Good luck.

L

 

repetition is the key, i typed up every single thing i had to say, before i took my cdl test i could recite the entire friggin thing, including brake bleed down with out looking at my notes once, no kidding. i would suggest you do the same. i failed it twice for the same maneuver but i tell you what it was a lot nicer knowing when i went back all i had to do was one maneuver and go out on the road as opposed to retaking an entire part of the test over