CDL Road Test Failed? How could you have done better?

The one main reason when going through cdl school and you are driving instructor has cdl in order to take control of truck. In an emergency situation lets just throw something here may be a little extreme but proves point. Let's say person driving has a stroke, seizure, heart attack, you gonna tell me that the tester with no cdl is going to know how to handle the situation in an emergency. One would have to be able to drive or control the truck to try to get it safely parked.

The he minute a no. Cdl driver tries to get control of truck to safely park it or stop it if they know how to they violate the cdl rules.

 

Awe, em just take it in stride learn from it and try to do better next round. I hadn't failed a cdl drive test for my license, but when getting hired on to new company and getting road tested yep failed more than once lol. Each examiner is different and each look for different things it sucks were not perfect, and driving in real world isn't perfect either.

take a deep breath, stay calm, and focus you'll get through it.

good luck

 

I just failed my first road test today. I'm chalking it up to nerves and TOO MUCH ADVICE. We have a left turn at an extremely busy light that changes frequently. We had just gone under an overpass with no clearance markers, and the instructor asked me what the clearance was. One of the instructors at the beginning of my course had stated that the actual distance was 14' 1". So I said that, instead of the correct answer: "I don't know." The light is at a four way intersection where I was turning left from the right turning lane. Every other time I had been at this light and been behind more than 3 or four cars, the light had changed to yellow before my truck approached the stop line. Apparently, on busy Fridays, they extend the duration of the green. I was so paranoid about being in the intersection when it changed that I stopped at the green. This was beaten in my head by 2/3 of the instructors. (The remaining instructors told me to use my judgment, and that many times depending on the situation it is much wiser and safer to continue through the intersection as if you're fully loaded you would go through anyway rather than stopping abruptly.)

Unsafe act. Autofail.

Didn't even get a mile out from school.

Just to do myself in, while the instructor was asking "You DO know that you can't stop at a green light, right?" after I'd just expressed my frustration at my obvious error, I became so worked up that I forgot to put my button down and stalled the truck.

Better luck next week...

 

Don't take it too hard, nerves can definitely get you, they got me! Wish you luck next week. let us know how it turns out. I had a few shift errors on my trip too, luckily I don't think she noticed that I started out in 5th twice the first time I didn't notice until I caught 4th. that was early on and I think she let that slide.

I hate that they got you for stopping early on green. It may not be the correct thing to do in their eyes, but you were nervous and doing what you felt was safest under those circumstances. I'm not sure where you're located but the testers here want us to "claim" the intersection on green then go once the intersection clears regardless of color. I'd call that poor/mis-judgement... unsafe, autofail is a bit of a stretch.

Give it hell next week! and let us know how it goes.

 

Hey, thanks!

I attend(ed) a school with mostly great instructors but a huge equipment problem. For starters, it was only a four week course. Which COULD be enough time, if they had enough running road trucks. I'm not at all comfortable with the amount of time I got behind the wheel. I'm not looking to drive primarily for a living, but I'm returning to the shale gas industry and most companies want ALL of their wellsite personnel to carry a CDL A with HAZMAT. I really enjoyed it once I started, though. I just wish I was more comfortable.

Bonus rant: I passed my skills test today, no thanks to the school. I spent all of my time practicing on trucks with a single rear axle (all they had on their 'range') and so today when I went to do my alley dock, what do ya know, tandem axle on the official "test" truck"...

 

What the hell are you talking about? Like all dregs, those who cannot meet the standards bash whose who can. The applicant failed for a clearly defined infraction that is commonly known and commonly accepted.

 

What many of you are not recognizing is the fact that a CDL test is not given under real world conditions but rather under what is legal and what is not. If I had been testing him I would have failed him when he straddled the white lane line. It is against the law and the rule of thumb is that anything a cop can write you a ticket for is a fail on the CDL road test.

 

i dont think that is a unanimous decision, i specically was taught the opposite, i was taught the HOOK was ill advised and unsafe and it is better to straddle the right and center lane and then make the right turn, even if it caused those coming from my right to back up

 

This is how I was taught as well. I'm not sure how a city-driving road test is not real-world conditions.

 

If you are taught by a State Licensed CDL instructor ,as I am, you will be told that the safe and legal way is not to cross the white line. You may use additional lanes on the street onto which you are turning, and like already stated, if it is blocked you must wait for it to clear and you can not pull in front of that car and intimitate them into backing up, The they may back up without intimidation and that is OK. That is the legal way it is supposed to be done in all States. Now you do it any way you want to but remember if you get a ticket you were forewarned. You can also be failed on your CDL road test. That is the way it is supposed to be explained to all students.
Now go and do as you wish it is your money and drivers license.