Can I deduct this as an expense on my taxes as a CDL Student?

I'm not against using a Sim. I used a PC sim on an ancient monochrome LCD screen using only a keyboard to teach myself how to fly airplanes on instruments. I had my Private license, where you fly by looking outside, as when you drive a car. Instrument flying is when you fly soley by reference to the instruments inside the aircraft. I got a book, learned what you are supposed to do and then learned to fly inside clouds looking only at the instruments on the screen AND using the I,J,K,L, and M keys of the keyboard. So yo can learn something about trucking with the sim. What I and others in my class had difficulty with in CDL school is not having the picture in our mind or not knowing exactly what we were trying to do, and then being able to move this ot pull that to make that idea happen. I really like the overhead drone shots on some YouTube videos of a truck backing into a dock door. You see the pattern of the truck pulling past the empty dock door, turning tor the right and swinging out, and then backing into the hole. Another instructor told us to imagine already being backed into the hole. Now imagine driving away. You start by pulling forward and then turning to the left as you start to clear the trailer on your left. It's easy to imagine where the steer tires are pointed when you are driving away from the hole, Just break that drive away maneuver into the straight portion and the curving portion. It's easy to see what the steer tires should do. Even if nobody is telling you what they do. Once you have the drive away maneuver broken into the straight and the curved elements you can see the steer tires and see what the steer tires should do when backing. When I'm trying to explain what to do with the steering while while backing I reference everything in the driving forward effect. Because that frame of reference confuses nobody when has ever driven ANYTHING. When backing the steering inputs cause an opposite effect on the trailer. That alone is confusing when you are learning.

The most helpful thing I learned is stick with one technique/description, even if someone has a better technigue and uses terms that would make more sense to you, practicing ONE bad technique will show improvement faster than switching between 2 or more techniques, and being confused by the terms or using the terms of technique #2 while attempting technique #1. They will show you what to do, it will feel unnatural, but AFTER you pass your CDL and you have time to practice it will quickly become almost second nature. NOBODY usually feels adequately prepared for shifting or backing when they take their CDL exam.

 

You would be better off buying a die cast model of a truck and trailer, some plywood and layout a scenario and pay attention to how the truck moves while turning, backing up, moving around a truck stop layout, etc.

 

waste of money if you really want my personal opinion, I know some of the mining companies do use them to train people how to operate the large dump trucks like the CAT 793, CAT 797 although they are between 386 - 450 metric tonnes. As far as being a tax deduction yes I guess if you can prove you are training other drivers, or maybe even yourself although that's a lot of money to spend just to train yourself, if it was easy to resell it might be worth it, which is something you also should look into.

 

@AModelCat I hate you. I'd elaborate, but I need to build this bridge.

 

That's half the fun. Rock slides and what not too.

Gotta get the lift, lockers, AWD and mud tires for the Fleetstar then you'll be unstoppable. Then go get the 6900XD twin steer.

 

I purchased Euro Truck Simulator on Steam and totally forgot to write it off.