Failed my road test, what are other options?

Ok, I am inclined to help you.

God himself cannot shft properly if there is nothing like a tach to shft by. Yes we shift by ear and I expect about 10K posts from around the world telling me Im stupid, moron dont know to shift etc. All of that is incorrect ive driven trucks with completely dead electronics because the natural breathing of the non computer engine was the savior.

With me out of the way I say this. Go get your auto endorcment, you rmanual restriction for now. Remember you can get it eliminated when you make a freind somewhere maybe these forums, make a visit in you state and go take the truck to get the Manual restrction taken off.

YOU WILL need to rent a FULL Combination vehicle, this case tractor and trailer Class A 18 wheeler. It's .5 cents or .10 a mile a trailer now, In my day it was 3 so easy enough to store a delivery not yet made while working on hand unloading another that has to be done soon. (He he he...) anyway that was a long time ago. Tractors Im not sure, but betting it's up there now.

This vehicle will need airbrakes of the US Style. Don't make a mistake of renting a British 18 wheeler to run or to use hyperbole a old Soviet one etc. The airbrakes in particular need to be American. You also will be paying insurance ont hat thing. So you are going to be out some momey.

30 years ago I got a quoute of 500 dollars for the day with the tractor trailer. There was no point at .28 a mile and 600 to go that night by morning. It's grossing 169 for the pay, trip minus 40% total of deductions then dip into savings for the rest of the 400 plus dollars. Sorry Boss. Tow me please or rent it yourself and drive to where I am waiting on you with this load that will get everyone fired come morning. It was disgusting.

Anyhow...

I don't think I will bother you too much about road trip testing. ANY one can do this, just breathe normally, tamp the excitement down and get it done! You will have a whole life time of driving ahead of you. Way way way more than that cute little ride around the block.

 

So much for dusting yourself off and getting back on the horse.

 

Food service companies hire with just a permit; you will be classified as "driver associate" or "2nd seat driver" or "driver helper." You'll run with another driver until you qualify for a full cdl. It's OJT training.
I'd go with Roehl Transport though because they pay you $500.00 weekly until you finish cdl training, then you go on full driver pay.
The food service companies are:
Reinhart Foodservice
McLane Foodservice
Sygma Network

 

They (ryder/penske or any one else other than the testing/school ) won't rent you a truck for a road test because you need to have a cdl to do rent it. The same goes for a straight truck over 26k for a class B test.

Just to also point out, get an automatic, you have an automatic restriction on your license which to me is stupid, there should be no restriction. However you can't legally drive a manual truck until you road test in a manual vehicle - which sucks to me.

 

You're better off learning in a vehicle without a tach. The tach is nothing more than a crutch, and too many newbies sit there watching that silly gauge instead of watching where they are going and paying attention to their mirrors. Your ears will tell you everything the tach displays, freeing up your eyes to watch what is going on in the space around your truck.

 

Some of you forget what it was like in the beginning. Watching the tach was something we all did. Listening to the engine came much farther down the road. Forget about down shifting. Even though you had Easy Pass you came to a dead halt entering the tolls so you could start all over again. It was maybe 4 months after being on the road I got good at up and down shifting.

It was maybe 6 months later and I pulled into a rest area. Only parking was on either side. There was one spot between 2 trucks and I parallel parked. Got in just fine then realized what I had just done. I was like holy #### you super trucker!!!

 

The examiner is being a jerk.

 

Some of you maybe but me, I learned on a GMC with a broken tach cable.