Newbies/recent grads: Which classroom subjects were the hardest to get a handle on?

I know in my class a lot of common sense safety stuff was covered like following distance, cornering speed and emergency procedures.

 

Well GasHauler, the first thing we did was log books, we had to log every thing we did during the day, just like truckers do otr. Work sheets every day, 25% of grade. We had reading assignments for the next days class. Afternoon's were for range driving.
Sometimes we watched video's about truck safety.

 

We covered safety for dry wet snowy ice. cornering, roll overs, combos, doubles-triples, tankers, Gen knowledge, Air brakes, Proper loading, dry van - flatbed - tanker, HOS, Hazmat, Gear pattern 9-10-13..

 

Just remember. School is to get you a CDL. Not teach you to be a trucker. That comes after you have a license and go to work for a company. That's why training is so important if you've never been around the business. During training, much of this will become apparent and make sense (or at least understandable).
As for Hazmat, tankers, etc? Odds are you'll go to work for an OTR Dry Van or Reefer operation. Later, if you decide to get involved in Hazmat or whatever, that company will train you. Usually, those operations want you to have at least a year under your belt with a 'starter' company. They they train you on flatbeds, tankers, or whatever they use. Get your endorsements now, because it's hard to do later.
Think of going to work for a company as an apprenticeship. You learn as you go and it's all hands on.

 

So there is some defensive driving being taught. Sounds like very little but I guess some is better than none.

Maxwelltie I know you're correct in that statement but maybe that's some of the problem. The other problems rest solely on the companies like you say but what happens when a good student gets a jerk or someone that doesn't know which end of the truck from the other?


A perfect world would turn out drivers with professional skills and enough knowledge to operate the truck the way it should be. Then the drivers would stand a better chance of building a good work history with opportunities to advance themselves right from the beginning. I know we've both seen drivers get lucky and receive great training. Those drivers are the lucky ones and are on the most part getting paid for their skill level. But we need to see all of them get an equal shot. I believe the whole system needs to be regulated from schools to driver trainers.

 

I got my Class B first, then later added a passenger endorsement. When I took the test to add passenger, I thought, "Heck, I'll go ahead and add tanker and Haz Mat, since it's just a written test at this point". I passed the tank endorsement easily.

The Haz Mat? FAIL! That's not a test you can just walk in and take without studying. At least not if you're as dumb as me.

 

The only hard part of the whole school for me was getting my head around the log books, it's not hard just a little confusing. But judging by all the reading and research your doing I'm sure the classroom stuff will be the easiest part for you.

All I can say is read the book before you go to school and you'll be just fine.

American Trucker

 

We had a great teacher.. he went through the CDL book..and made is for dummies.. so we could understand it.. like some places in the book..it might say "you may /can be ticketed for "something" he would read as this.. You will be ticketed!! lol..
The Ohio CLD book was wrote by a PHD that spent 2 weeks in a truck..and it is wrote like a PHD would ... We are not PHD's.. LOL .. If a truck driver wrote it.. anyone with reading skills could understand it..