vision requirments

wow its been awhile since i updated this thread, for some reason i thought i did updated it. anyways, after skimming by the vision tests at both the medical doctor and at the dmv i got my permit, that was last january-"ish." i had a few different people tell me "yeah ill help you get your cdl" or "yeah you can come drive with me at my job and get your cdl through us" well, as the old saying goes, if you want something done your better off just going for it and doing it yourself. although i was on a high after passing my med card test then another high when i FINALLY had a class A permit in hand, i was then finding dead end after dead end in trying to drive.

With a full time job and all the responisilities that go along with that and a family i did not have the option to quit and go to school fulltime. my medical card and permit were growing older by the day and after all it took to get to that point the last thing i wanted to do was to let either of them expire. so i said screw all the bs and took out a loan and went to a local school for a few hours in the evenings after work. it was a very short, very fast paced "we'll teach you enough to pass your skills test and thats it" kinda course. a little more on schools/companies later.

as of mid nov. 2012 i have a shiney new class A cdl resting comfortably in my wallet. fortunatly i was not in a pinch where i had to rush off to a mega carrier with my permit and then be on the road for weeks or months on end.i have a wife and 8 year son at home. i have a decent job (non driving) and now when the time is right i will begin my next step in pursuing a driving job/dream. i know many will say that an unused cdl is worthless and to some degree they are right. but as i told my driving instructor, getting this license was more then just passing a test and having a cdl. it was more about accomplishing something id wanted and was told "wasnt ever gonna happen" 20 years ago.......

more recently now that winter will be wrapping up in a couple months here in the good old commonweath of pa, i have been applying to a few different companies here and there and ive came to another hurdle. it seems that a good portion of the companies that take students are picking what schools they (or their insurance provider) deem to be "acceptable" forms of training. almost like the schools are in some way "indirectly affiliated" or to be more blunt, they are in bed with the carrier. news flash for you old hands im sure! jk ha ha ha
i truely believe it would be easier to become a doctor then to beat it down the highway in a truck these days....

anyways, back on topic. to those with hoops to jump through just to get your license. take it from this guy, DONT GIVE UP! and imo the skills test was much easier then i thought it was going to be or maybe that abbreviated "non" approved school i went to was just that good??? good luck all!!

 

yes I was somehow able to pass the eye test. I have been driving for about 8 months now. I wish I had the answers to help you but I don't. I honestly don't know if the few weeks of patching I did at home helped or not, I highly doubt it. but for what its worth, try patching your good eye and practicing vision tests at home, either on your computer or just try reading random things. one thing ive done in all my tests and so far has allowed me to squeak by - by the skin or my teeth has been when im trying to read the letters I can usually see just the basic shape of it so I then start rattling off possibilities. my bad eye is borderline so ive just been lucky. my card expires in a little over a year so trust me, ill be sweating it when it gets closer. last test I took I had my contacts in and then threw my glasses on for the test. in my situation it helped clear the letters up just a scosh. see what works best for you. I see you've been driving for 7 years, you are already one leg up on where I was... aren't waivers easier to get since you have experience?

I assume you've been to your eye doctor to be sure you have the correct prescription right? I just went and in one year my prescription has actually changed.