Got my CDL class A, but can only float gears,

Every state has different laws, it isn't federally regulated how to test for a CDL. I cannot speak for every state, but when I took the test in MS it was "required," but you can't fail just because of floating. In Mississippi, it takes 30 points to fail the road test (unless you hit a curb, run off the road, etc and automatically fail). They count a point off everytime you scratch a gear and a point everytime you don't double clutch. However, they can only count off 5 points for each, for a maximum of 10 points off, it takes 30 to fail, so you shift however you feel most comfortable. The school I went to told us to do exactly that, shift how we felt most comfortable, so I have always floated.

 

I haven't double clutched since my drivers license test. Every company I have driven for was fine with me floating during their road test.

Keep in mind that probably half of these people giving you the driving test for your potential employer have never driven a truck and don't really have a clue what the difference is. Just make the truck go smoothly.

I even stalled the truck in an intersection during the test for my current employer, but the tester was on the phone the whole time, concentrating on some kind of problem back at the office, and either didn't notice or didn't care.

 

There is no law, never was but there are teaching standards setup by PTDI. To be exact, the FMCSA has been behind in this issue and it is up to the individual places of learning to set their own standards or follow what the PTDI has done.

The states have to follow a uniformed patter of testing, which means that there are key points that they can ding you on when it comes to the road test.

Personal opinion is that the OP has lost out because of the ignorance of the instructor and should go back to the place to get a refund. If they have one instructor in a 200 plus hour course teaching like this, I can imagine what the quality of instruction really is and how it seems to be another "we teach you just enough to get your CDL" place.

 

Both of my employers had written policies that required double-clutching. However, on both road tests everyone floated and everyone passed. At my current employer, someone asked the examiner whether we could float. His response was "I don't give a #### as long as it goes into gear."

 

At my last job I did a lot of road tests when the boss wasn't able to. If you couldn't shift smoothly without touching the clutch, you didn't get hired. Period. Heavy trucks and lots of horses need a fair amount of finesse, especially off road, and jerking around trying to double clutch gets you stuck and/or broken.

Nobody seems to care where I'm at now. I asked when I took my road test, and was told to do whichever I did best.

 

All companies are different. Mine wants drivers to float. I learned and was tested with double clutching. I prefer to float now.

 

When I started driving, I had heard the term before, but I didn't actually know what double clutching was. Then I read about it somewhere.

 

When I tested Friday here in Kansas we had to know double clutching, I was nervous enough about everything else going on that I didn't pay attention to my shifting and hit the gears better than I have ever done.

 

Get your money back