Any tips for rookie driver getting ready to take CDL test?

Are you in CDL school right now?
If so, give details.

 

I was always told " don't let the car following you, drive your truck. " meaning , don't worry about what's behind.

 

When I first started driving truck I would use the very rear most side marker light on the trailer (it stuck out about 2 inches) to tell if a car was too close for me to change lanes... If when i looked in the mirror the following vehicles head lights appeared lower than that light it was too close for me to change lanes. This was with a standard flatbed trailer, also worked well with van and reefer trailers... Or any trailer with that light at about 4 to 5 feet off the ground.

 

Relax, you're overthinking the whole process.

 

Everyone has that same anxiety. You should try for a perfect score but be happy with any passing score. Most fail on the pre-trip. Use the EXACT wording from the state CDL manual. The pre-trip isn't a conversation, it's a repeating-the-words contest. Generally, you will do the in-cab portion and one of the other portions of the vehicle. EXACT WORDS, not equivalent words, not slang, etc.

 

Don't worry about who is behind you. Concentrate on forward and both sides. Be obviously checking mirrors every 10 seconds or so. Turning slightly wide is way better than going up on a curb. With backing your setup is everything. Know how to correct bad setups especially on parallel and alley dock if your state requires alley docking.

If you are leaving enough space for a car to overtake you in the right lane then yeah you are turning too wide...

 

Most likely your CDL road test examiner will come to your school to administer the test. Your instructors will probably have you running "mock road tests" when you get closer to test day. Hopefully you will get enough time in to memorize every turn and where to position yourself for each turn.

For turning right, I was always told to keep the tandems within two feet of the curb. Not sure if that's an actual requirement or just something they say, but it's a good rule of thumb and not that hard to do.

Good luck!