im takeing my cdl road test in a couple weeks just looking for any tips and tricks

Sweet! That's what my test consisted of.

My trick was it rained the night before so I had some puddles to drive through that gave me a indication where I needed to be when I backed up. LOL, I know not everyone will get that little bit of help.

Offset was my only hangup. I remember becoming so frustrated with it I said to my instructor, "In real life I'm just going to pull that thing up at an angle and back it in." He looked at me and said, "Smart girl. But that's the real world. Florida doesn't give a ##### about the real world."

I had to take the test twice because I thought I had it in the box and ran over two cones and a line. The first time I had parallel parking, the second time I got alley docking.

I love alley docking. I could do that all day long.

 

In all seriousness, Florida gives you two get out and looks and two free pull ups on the range test per test you have to do. If those are offered to you in your state USE THEM.

Get out and look. I mentioned before my hangup was Offset. You better believe I was out there the second time I did the test making sure I was lined up properly. I was also out there looking when I was half way in the box to make sure I was still there.

If you pull up, pull all the way up and straighten yourself out. Don't pull up a few feet, that's where I lost it the first time, pull all the way up.

When you do your road test do a drive around to where your route will be. We drove around a 3 mile area, up on I-4 got off at the next exit and did downshifting. I was doing that route before I did the test.

Always remember to flip back to 2nd after stopping or you might stall out. Stalling is an automatic fail here.

Make sure you stop at stop signs, not over the line.

Remember the distance to stop at the railroad tracks if you think you might be going over some. Don't shift there either.

Make sure you are looking in your mirrors. As someone said before don't glance, look. Your instructor is looking at you.

Be sure you know how to turn in the intersections. Not too soon and not too late.

If you can't change gear while trying to shift, don't panic. Go back to the last gear and try again.

Also, relax. Don't over think the test and you will be fine. The worst thing you can do is panic.

Try not to hit any buildings. Someone in my class did. Enough said.

 

The first thing is - relax. If you don't you'll start to forget things.

Aside from the obvious idiotic comments there is some good advice already given.

Don't forget your traffic checks. Look left-right-left at every intersection. Look for traffic at every cross street and driveway in case someone is stupid enough to come out in front of you. And check your mirrors every 10 seconds or so.


One really good piece of advice is to learn the test route so you know exactly what you are dealing with. My school has us practice most of it, but they can't show us all of it. But we are warned in advance of one tricky part.

Even so, the guy that tested before me almost got hit by a bus when he thought he had the right-of-way and didn't. Needless to say, he will be taking the road test again.

That wasn't even the tricky part, which was, to make that right turn without hitting the curb you have to pull out into the left turn lane past the double yellow (but not going into the through-traffic lane).


You'll see the tester marking the sheet. DON"T PANIC!!!!
I saw him mark something several times a minute, and I had racked up all of 3 points. They mark when you do something wrong, and they also mark when you are doing things correctly. So focus on your driving and the instructions you are being given, not on the tester marking his sheet.

By the way, I failed my first road test because I went over a curb. I retest on Tuesday. But that first failure has actually calmed me down. I know what I did wrong and why, and it won't happen again. I am more relaxed behind the wheel now, and even my down shifting has improved. All because I am more relaxed.

 

that is dependent on the state testing rules. in Mass for instance, the students CAN GET OUT up to 3 times, as well as do up to 3 pull ups PER MANEUVER, and NOT FAIL.......

so in a way, BAD ADVICE was NOT given

 

Virginia they can't.. School I am going to teaches for the VA DMV. North Carolina doesn't allow you to get out either.

 

ok, but for you to have said, "not nice" to chompi's posting of getting out and looking, you SHOULD have said instead, "we can't do that in VA", rather than to say he was (basically) giving bad advice.....understand...????

no one is going to know every states testing procedures......

 

Do not panic! Use your head and your training. Do not rush!

 

In CA, if you blow the horn before you complete the skill test, it means you require assistance. Also, if you exit the vehicle for any reason, you fail.