RDTC starting school January 28th

We are over halfway and have come a long way in 9 days of class and range. One more day to hone our skills for the test on Friday. We have our Wisconsin Pretrip down pat, it really is not that hard especially after having the Roehl Pretrip drilled into us during the first week. The road test I think will always have it's challenges. There is a lot to remember and you are also at the mercy of the traffic lights and other drivers. During my practice this morning I took that triangle corner that is off central past the hotel and had a tractor trailer stop way back (he was coming the other way) Nice guy, saw what I had to do and gave me a lot of room. He most likely may have known I was in a training run too..it's probably well known to the locals who see the Roehl trucks driving the same route around town. Got my 45 degree back today first run, and the straight line is a non issue. I haven't missed that once since I've been there. Still a great group of classmates and I couldn't ask for better trainers. So, first 9 days have been well run, well organized. I have not seen one incident of BS. People are on time and get off duty on time, I'm always busy. It's not particularly hard, it's just busy and one must pay attention at all times. Big day of practice tommorow, I have all that I need for the CDL test Friday, I just need to make sure I apply it. There is one student from the previous week who is doing a retake of the driving with our group....I don't know all the details but it just shows that its not a free ride here.

 

All Six in our class passed the CDL at RDTC Friday, Dale and Kevin were very pleased. It was not an easy task to get to that point for a few of us. The weather in Marshfield has been tough and I know that we all were short of some road and backing practice. Fortunately Friday was one of the better days for the street conditions and the testing all went smooth. Monday morning we go from Woodfield to the Wisc. DMV for our new license or for the CDL upgrade for those who are from Wisc. 2 from our class are from Wisc, 1 from Michigan, 1 from Minn, 1 from Ohio, and 1 from Tenn. The past two weeks have gone quick and for me with the testing done it seems like some of the pressure is gone. I really do enjoy driving the tractor/trailer and am looking forward to smoothing out my skills and just acquiring more comfort with deceleration timing and city driving/backing. I think a big key to this now is getting on the road and doing just that. I think we do a lot more driving and backing during week three and I'm looking forward to it. If there was anything that I would recommend for RDTC, considering my recent experience, would be for the opportunity to drive/practice on Saturday or Sunday or even after regular school hours. I think the more that I'm behind the wheel, I get just a little bit better and more comfortable/refined with the skills. At this point no regrets with RDTC or Roehl, obviously I'm pleased with obtaining my CDL A. A big thanks to the great trainers and equipment, I was able to drive that tractor/trailer safely around Marshfield to complete my test. A student from the prior week had failed his CDL drive portion and had to retake the drive portion just before us and he passed. So it's not a free ride here, you have to learn and are required to produce. Listen, pay attention, learn from your mistakes during training, pay attention to your colleagues driving when you're in the backseat and the process here is set up for success. I also really want to say that our group of six, however that worked out with Roehls scheduling, was a great help for me. No one in our class is ever late, they are attentive, fun but yet serious, no horseplay and just generally friendly. The first two weeks has been a great experience here. I would highly recommend RDTC if you can get in and or make it happen.