Failed CDL-A skills test

I started driving big trucks when I was 15 years old, but didn't get my Class A till I was 24. In all those years I never backed one up. When I finally decided to get legal and hit the road on my own, I borrowed an old truck from my Dad and set up a few empty gas cans for cones and practiced by myself for a day or two. At my examination I must have hit every cone in the parking lot. A couple weeks later I aced it. I think you'll be just fine Driver. Make sure you fully understand the instructions next go around, and as others have said here already, relax.

 

I remember when I got my class B back in '02 or '03 I failed pretrip first time and had to come back. Second time around passed pretrip, skills and road test. On the road test I was arguing with the tester about my lack of clutch use to shift. She was wanting me to double clutch. She finally said "you better not grind the gears." I passed.

I took the written test for combination, tanker, and double/triple a few years later but never pursued the road test. Flash forward to last week and I have taken the tests again. This time I'm going third party through the community college to take the road test in a few weeks. Going to cost $150 if I provide the truck, $200 using their truck. I can do it on a Saturday with them but not with the dmv.

 

I had a hell of a time doing the parallel parking in class even though I had been pulling 40 foot boats around for 25 years previous ,but never 5th wheel just bumper hitch with crew cab daully,not a semi but quite a swing for a bumper hitch.

Anyways in class I told my instructors I would throw all I knew out the window and only drive following their setups and techniques.

So I followed their protocol and even though I took all my get outs I kept putting the trailer in too deep in the box . I than had a problem getting set back up after I pulled out of the hole to follow their setups.

So I was at about a 6 out of 10 success rate being I only got to practice the maneuver 10 times while at the school and went over my pull-ups and get outs .

So We arrive at a brand new site that our company had never tested there before testing facicility 2 hours away and
I look at their box and it is tighter than the one I practiced on.

Inline backing and offset no problem. Tester is a old crotchety intimidating guy though.

Comes to my parellel parking and I get my front wheels over the front cone, he blows the whistle and tells me to get off his Fricking Cone Now.

So I pull out of the hole trying to duplicate the maneuvers out of the hole that I went in with so I don't get totally out of position.

Back up again and once again I see I am getting into deep again and I hear the whistle and he yells for me to get off his Cone again.

So now I am totally frustrated.

I pull out of the box and lose track of my maneuvers . Now I am all jacked up out of the box and have lost all track of how many pull ups I have left.

I sat for a minute , thinking I just failed this Big Time.

But than I got out and looked and said my self. Self you have backed 100 of miles with boat trailers over the years, this is no different, just a different swing.

So a Following the trailer I go.

Got it perfect in the box in one maneuver but was very unsure if my tail was hanging over but was sure I had no more pull-ups left.

Honked my horn

Instructor informed us to put the truck in neutral and set the brakes and he would proceed over to instruct us of our next test.

So I set the brakes and put the truck in neutral so I thought, and released the clutch.

The Clutch Halfway out the truck started leaning over hard and in a flash of a eye he whipped around at the same time I pushed the clutch back in.

He growled at me and proceeded me to the road test.

That's a whole Nother story .

I haven't been that nervous since the 1st time I had sex, and the Performance was pretty similar also.

The intimidation process is no good along with the absolute perfection that is expected in that situation.

It all practice practice practice. I just never got enough practice in.

Oh and I did have 3 more points left to take another pull-up .