Who Conducts the CDL Tests in Your State?

State specific type of question here from a Newbie.

So, here in Massachusetts, the CDL tests have (recently or not - who really knows when it even started), been given by the State Police/Troopers. And let me tell you, this is NOT a pretty sight. My first week in the "field", learning these maneuvers, and a classmate observes a trooper giving a test in the next lot over to us. He asks our Instructor if he can just watch from just nearby. Instructor says "sure, no problem. Go check it out. Just stay far enough back". We have been encouraged to observe the tests of others to see just how it is done, what they want, and how they want it. Bad idea for my fellow classmate. Not 5 minutes later does he come walking back over to use with his tail between his legs and looking like he had seen a ghost. When asked what the Trooper had said to him, it was along the lines of "...Don't you think you should be over there learning with your other students and your instructor rather than over here watching this test and watching me!?". . We were all floored. Now, of course, all 5 of us in our class know that there are some hard ##### out there sure, but this particular one that was pointed out to us by the Instructor afterwards confirmed everything that we have laid out in front of us: The test will be hard. They are going to make it hard for us. And they are going to make it hard for us on purpose. As in - No Mercy. We will probably fail our first time. If not for saying the wrong word, it will be for saying too much, or too little, or not having our shirt tucked in. It will be something. Or not using three points of contact getting in and out of the truck. Statistical example that we were given: A class of 6 students? Only 3 will pass their first time . Instructor says that in turn will look bad on them for not preparing us enough. Now, I do not want to ##### because I am totally committed to learning all of it in, and working hard, and studying when I am not in the field on my own time, but this does seem like a little bit of overkill. In addition to that, I just do not think that 4 weeks in the "field" is enough time to learn both offsets, both parallels, alley dock, and straight back + a 9 page Pre-trip inspection + the air brake test. And, oh let us not forget that you need to learn to shift up and down from 1-10 smoothly and correctly or else? Yep, you guessed it. Your are failing. It does not help any one of us that we have had 4 different Instructors, on 4 different days, instructing us 4 different ways to perform the Air Brake test. Shameful.

Ramble aside, I am curious if the State Police give the CDL tests out in other states, or is it done by the DOT, or a rep from the DOT, just like it was when I got my Class B in 2001?

 

What are these 3rd parties that have been mentioned here and above? Are they an in--between the Feds and the state, or are they a contractor of some type? Regardless of who or what they are, I believe that if they are not the State Police, I would stand a pretty good chance at passing the very first time out. Massachusetts must be one of the hardest states to get a CDL A in. Insanely pressure filled just because they can.