Is it true CDL examiners at DMV don't have a CDL themselves?

I've never really understood the way the US bases license classes off of GVW. I kinda think it makes more sense to base it off of the vehicle itself. Having to get a CDL just to run a single axle straight truck over 26k is retarded.

 

so you know about the failure rates and reasons for them?

peach case of a failure (with some exceptions) seem to fall onto the person taking the test.

this isn’t getting your pilots cert.

seriously the examiner should know the exam material and the procedure to test but all they are doing is making sure you are safe, have very very basic skills to operate a truck and a very basic knowledge of of the truck itself.

see the quality of driver isn’t determined by the exam pass or fail.

it doesn’t to most of us here.

when I was first licensed, it was 10 questions and that was it. Simple test questions like how far do you stop before a stop sign.

 

Gainesville where I had mine done. Young Latina examiner

 

You don't have to have a CDL to obey the guidelines the state gives the examiner to judge a CDL applicant. You can quite easily monitor the applicant speed, position in the lane while driving, position of the tractor and trailer during cornering, plus all of the backing stuff with just a list of the requirements. If you've ever been at a truck stop or a customer with multiple trucks present you will know having a CDL does nothing about preventing driving badly, etc.

 

I was both.. The state I was in had all scores checked for accuracy and if they thought there was a problem, they would send a state examiner to ride along with you and score the test as you did. Of course this was soon after the state to the south got caught selling CDLs. We had our certifications through the state.. it was ours.. I'm sure there are cases where some of these nitwits passed people who they shouldn't have, but the OP was worried about a non driver scoring them harshly when they themselves could pass the same test.

 

Makes far more sense to base a license system off the vehicle itself, rather than an arbitrary weight limit. Like needing a Class A license to drive a pickup with a trailer over 10k lbs.

So glad all we have to do in western Canada is just go get a heavy trailer endorsement added to the license. Waste of time going through all the BS of a CDL when you're literally driving a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup.

 

It's how we do things here in the states. But it's not just weight, it can be cargo. Carry enough hazmat in a 1/2 ton pickup and you need a CDL with haz mat and placards.

And considering we have channels like "boneheaded truckers" on youtube demonstrates how well our system works.

 

For us, its just a couple hours to take a TDG course and we can handle hazmat as long as we have all the neccessary documents and placards. No CDL needed. Thankfully everything I have to haul around falls under the "Welder's Exemption."