How is it possible to get your CDL but then not know how to road test??

It depends on the position that they are wanting and what I need a guy to do and my time frame but I train alot of people to drive tractors in a field but typically if they have a willingness to learn I will help them

 

Ever see a driver post these words, "I WAS TAUGHT ______"? They don't understand WHY, they just repeat what they were taught. Example: "I was taught to come down the hill in the same gear I went up the hill." Now, you and I both know why that isn't a good idea, but you see drivers say it on every thread where they are discussing mountain grades. They don't know why, they just do what they were taught. "I was taught to start off in 3rd gear!" There's no hard rule that would work in every scenario that we could possibly encounter, so if we stick with what we were taught, we are severely limited in our driving ability.

The guy whom you speak of, as soon as he passed his CDL test, he shut his mind down to learning. Idiot. It's like being the smartest kid in the 3rd grade, after 8 years or repeating the 3rd grade.

 

Yep, no hard and set rule...when I pulled asphalt with the wife, the grade from 223 to 6 was 45degrees each way. Down, then up. They don't write a book for that, and she never would try it. No teaching can assimilate reality.

 

ps: on another note, as I wait on the imminent call.. how is @Lepton1 doing?!?

 

I had a student like that one time. He sits in my pax seat waiting his chance to do something with the truck. Talking up how great he was in truck school and how he smoked the backing and so on. talk talk talk talk. I gritted my teeth, mentally yelled BS to myself smiled at him and said ok... put her into that dock number 8 over yonder.

To understand dock 8 was at the far end of a neglected ex shipper on vacant property not far from the yard and the pavement dropped off a bit with a left over dumpster somewhat in the way. Anyone can get it into dock 8 it's not particularly BAAAD but it had lines and so on. Reasonable dock. Just at the far end. He talked his backing game so much so I told him try that one.

walked to the corner of the parcel and waited.....

Vrooom THUNK dumpster moved a foot.

JERK! RATTLE stall. crank start up. rev rev rev leaned into the reverse gear nose bucking down as he worked the empty trailer with 10000 HP towards the dock. I roared HO! at him. He stopped short. Thankfully. Its my truck and I don't want company ragging me for damage. I put him into the pax seat back to yard handed him to boss man and told him if you want this one. YOU test him yourself to see if you REALLY want this one.

We never saw him again after that day.

I hope he learned something and leave off all that talk talk talk talk.

I remember another student. Old enough to be Moses.

Put him into that dock 8.

Manuvered around that dumpster so pretty. kissed the concrete pads so smooth. Made that thing just glide everywhere not a scratch, jerk or excessive vroom. Did maybe say two words the whole time. I told him take off lets go find lunch down this way. And bought him lunch.

Boss man was a bit riled for us being gone so long. I told the boss hire this man. He taught god how to drive on hardly anything at all.

He probably was still there long after I was gone on to do something else. I actually like quiet people. Learning that those who talk alot needs to prove it sometimes.

 

Testing anxiety is a real fear. I would rather drive through New York traffic during rush hour with hell on my heels then take a test when someone is watching my every move.

 

This very thing happened to me when I first obtained my cdl at age 21 in 1992.

One needs to bear in mind that just because a driver holds a cdl fresh out of driving school, this doesn't mean the driver is familiar with all types of trucks and how they shift.

If you were trained on a ten speed, you might have serious difficulty figuring out how to shift an 18 speed.

My case was that I was unfamiliar with the tractor that I was going to be tested in. So, like the student you are complaining about, I was failed right on the spot.

What that student needed was some on the spot coaching. Instead he was subjected to scorn and thought to be incompetent.

Had my road test guy showed the smallest amount of patience and had the willingness to teach, I would been on my way.

Next time you find yourself in that situation, see if you can find it within yourself to be helpful instead of assuming the student shouldn't need any help.

It takes no skill to become impatient with others and to offer only ridicule.

Imparting knowledge to others, showing patience; this shows ability.

 

The truth is this - the CDL road test is the easiest commercial vehicle test around.

The written test is so simple, kids in middle school can pass it just reading the book once.

 

Interesting

 

There are two things that the majority of guys will think, especially when they are teens:
1.) Because they have a driver's license, they are GREAT drivers.
2.) Because they have a pickle, they are great lovers and can curl any girl's toes. They can pound Jenna Jameson into submission 8 days a week and twice on Sunday if given the chance.

"Well, I passed the driving test, that means I can drive."

You see this mentality every single day in the Rookie forum. New person comes in asking about everything BUT driving. "Hi. I am interested in being a trucker. I have been watching youtube videos and I play my simulator video game and I am a fat antisocial loner...do you think I would make a good trucker, after all I have all the qualifications?"

Next post: "Hi, this is FatLoser again. What kind of socks should I wear when driving? I don't really like socks. Will I have a tan line on my feet from wearing flip flops?"

Next post: Fat Loser here. Will the truck have a way that I can power my video game? Who is your favorite youtube trucker? I only want to work 4 hours a day, as I am an avid gamer...what company would you recommend for me?"

And of course, they start struggling in school. Everything was the school's fault.
"They failed me! They wouldn't let me practice (practice is him/her getting in the truck by themselves and figuring it out at their own pace, regardless of the rest of the students)!
Bad school! Bad school! Is there anyone that will let me use their truck to practice on?(Practice is them using your truck on their own to figure it out at their own pace) I will pay you for your time. Anyone?"

And when they get into the truck with their trainer.
"My trainer is a tyrant and a bully! He expects me to do all the driving! He actually expected me to read the road signs. He actually started screaming at me just because I went the wrong way and turned down a one way street! I hate him! How am I supposed to drive down the road and read road signs at the same time? Why is he screaming???"

And of course, when they get let go.
"Don't work for Moron Trucking! They fired me because I got caught running 55 in a 25mph school zone! The nerve of those people! You don't know me! Don't judge me! Don't hate! You never made a mistake before?"