Help!!! Need advice from an expierienced driver

doubledragon5 · Oct 5, 2008

TrooperRat said: ↑

I guess we have it easy here. We don't have to go through the state to get a CDL - there are plenty of certified truck driving schools that also do the test for a fee. I went through the school - not the course, just the CDL test - they made it so easy, it was pathetic. Backing was done in the smallest vehicle allowed by Arizona law that still would pass you for driving any big rig - it was a small 6 wheeled dump truck hooked by pintle to a 20 foot trailer with air brakes. Lol. I laughed when I saw what they were making me do. For the driving test, we got into an OLD Ford - 2 axle tractor with automatic transmission pulling a 28 foot puppy-dogger. This was for the street/driving test only. I only went through a small portion of the pre-trip cause' the instructor got mad at me that I found something wrong with his truck, the guy turned blue with anger, methinks. lol. He lectured me for 15 minutes about how he checks his truck every day and he doesn't know HOW he could have possibly missed it.

I guess they don't have this kind of deal everywhere.

About the time you get tense, anxious and fearful of anything you are doing, that's about the time you are going to do the worst possible job you have ever done. It's ALWAYS harder to do a test like that when someone is sitting right next to you, scrutinizing your every move. Actually, in the backing test, the instructor for my test stood outside of the truck and was actually giving me hand signals!!! ROFL!!

Like others have said, just take the test again, you'll pass. Lots of people fail one portion or another of these CDL tests, you certainly are not alone.

Good luck!
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funny but personally I think everyone going to get his/her cdl should be tested in a sleeper truck with a 53 ft trailer.. Just like in school you should be trained with what most of us will drive when we get our first job, yes a sleep and 53 ft trailer...

TrooperRat · Oct 6, 2008

I thought it funny at the time as well, because I had been practicing backing with super-long wheel base tractor that had been specially built for specific construction purposes. It was too easy to oversteer and then by the time you tried to correct, too late, start over. Once I got used to that - backing up that 6-wheeler was akin to backing up a tonka toy. But - I can back 53 footer as easily as I can back a 20 footer : )

Hammerhead44 · Oct 8, 2008

Re tested on Friday and passed it easily. I guess I just needed one more backing session and a little help from the backing gods. In my state GOAL is an automatic fail. Having only lived in this state for 5 years, this policy and my dealings with its DMV are just another reason that happiness will be measured in how far I can put this State in my rearview mirror. I know most DMV's can be a little trying on your patience, but this state takes the backwards prize. I will always get out and look, I would rather get out and look 20 times, than spend time filling out an accident report, just like every instructor at school said " Trucking is about using your common sence and learning to have a lot of patience"

Ken Worth · Oct 9, 2008

im6under said: ↑

actually in my state, and apparently in the original poster's state, getting out is an automatic fail.

our range skills were get in the truck, buckle up, run through the course and open the door when finished.

kinda screwy with all the goal stickers... but thats how it is for the test... and likely because they want to make sure you can do it without getting out because they know that's how you'll do it without a badge making you.

how many guys you see at the truckstop get out and look?
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I'll get out 50 times if I have to. What seems strange to me is that he has to take the test at the DMV. Isn't Sage a 3rd party tester? All the driving I did was done at the community college. The written and eye test were all I did at the DMV.

TrooperRat · Oct 9, 2008

Our company recently handed out stickers to put in our trucks. Yellow with black letters: G.O.A.L. Many other companies do something similar. They're trying to avoid drivers having backing accidents - costing the company a lot of money and sometimes costing people their lives.

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