Getting Started

As stated previously we were supposed to go the DMV today to take all of our written tests for our training permits and endorsements.

Decided to sleep in a bit (7:30am instead of 5:30am) since the DMV down there didn't even open till 8:00am. Once I got going, stopped at McDonald's for breakfast I arrived at about 9:00am.

Amazingly enough I was able to walk right up to the counter without having to wait. Guess it helps that the DMV the school uses is in a town about 50 miles from Dallas ... lol.

After doing the usual paperwork to get started and paying my fee of $10.00 to take the tests and get my permit I sat down and started testing at about 9:20am. I took my time and took all seven back to back and was done about 10:45am and passed them all.

I got perfect scores on everything except the Texas A&B test which was stupid because it included passenger bus questions which I didn't study for. So out of 215 questions on all the tests combined I only missed two. Not bad I think, unfortunately you only get PASS/FAIL records so the actual score is worthless. Not to mention once you get a 80% score on the tests you are taking the thing stops asking questions, so you never actually get to answer all the questions to get a guage for an accurate score. Every one of my test cut off once I got to 80% so, I did well. Except for the two I missed. (The computer tells you if you got the answer right or wrong as you go along.)

Back to class tomorrow, and we are going to start covering logging, mapping and trip routing.
That should be fun

 

Today was very boring, but extremely informative. We covered mapping and trip planning, and daily logging.

I've been using road maps all my life, so mapping and planning was a breeze. And the test we were given was so simple it nearly put me to sleep. However, again the other student in my class just couldn't grasp it. I'm not really sure how a man nearly fifty years old cannot read a map. Especially one as easy to use as the Rand McNally Trucker's Atlas.

All the questions were on routes in Texas, with one that ended in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. All the questions and planning took me about an hour to complete. But took him about four hours, and even afterwards when we went over it he was way off in just about everything.

I'm not trying to knock him to hard, but we are going to have to continue to go over everything more tomorrow for a while before he goes back to the DMV and tries to pass his tests again.

Logging was much easier than I thought it would be once the rules were explained to me correctly. The 10/11/14 and 34 hour reset system is simple, just have to know where stuff goes. Couldn't be any simpler in my opinion. But yet again, it took him most of the afternoon after lunch to get in half way to getting his "test" logs completed. Once I got the test in front of me, took me about an hour to write out the four days of logging that was the test.

Maybe it's just me. Granted I have a pretty decent education and have a very logical working mind, and I've spent plenty of time chatting with him so I know he's got a brain. Guess some folks just don't get stuff.

I really do hope he can get his tests past tomorrow, I'd hate to have to do the next three weeks alone in the driving training part of the course.

But then again, if I am alone, talk about one on one training. I'll put some miles on that truck ... lol.

 

Thanks folks, glad people are interested in reading my ramblings

It's just a stealthy way of upping my post counts ... LOL

 

And I do mean BORING, I was so bored I took my laptop with me so I could surf the net during the morning session.

This morning, the entire session was related to going over just about everything regarding passing the CDL written tests for my classmate. Then at lunch he cut him loose to go down to the DMV to retake his tests. (If you remember he failed 6 of the 7 tests he needs to be able to start actual driving training with the school.)

Today was supposed to be a hands on introduction to the truck we were going to be using, but that ended up being a bust. After he left it was just me and the instructor and he wasn't feeling well.

So, I was sent to the main campus to work with another instructor for the afternoon, and what did I get to do? Do you dare ask?

Backing excercises for four hours ... lol.

Actually, that part was pretty fun. I've got straight line down, 45 isn't to bad. I'm gonna wreck that truck doing parallel I just know it.

Oh well, got a few days off now so I'm gonna take it easy. Probably head down to the truck stop tomorrow evening down by the Crete terminal and listen to the whiners who couldn't get a load for the weekend.

 

I was pretty supprised he let me bring it today, but I asked him yesterday if I could and he said yes. He really felt bad that I was being held back by my classmate. I did some general surfing, but for the most part I spent the morning taking HazMat pretests. I plan on aceing that test as well when I take it in two weeks.

In reality he was trying to get us both into the truck today, and get us going. Monday was the scheduled day, but I was setting a furious pace earlier in the week and wanted to get me as much driving experience as he could muster.

It is a shame that my classmate can't get up to speed. I do indeed hope he passed his tests today, I'd hate to be transferred to the other campus full time. It is too far to drive.