Signed up for a 1-week 'school'

It also is different if you are using a third party examiner or one of the people who actually work for the state. The state people do not have to have a CDL and are really listening for THEIR code words (so to speak). If they do not recite the correct phrasing, then they could very well not get credit for the item discussed. We trained to the Wisconsin standard and we were third party examiners.We knew what the correct phrasing was and we trained every day using that terminology and only that terminology. The main thing I am talking about is that someone trying this on their own could be failing and have NO idea how to appease the examiners. We knew what they were looking for.. the person off the street has no ###### idea what they are looking for. Some examiners will coach the applicant AFTER they fail on what they were looking for and or what the driver failed to say.. but some will not. There are more failures on the pre-trip than any other portion of the skills tests. The in cab portion claims more people than anything..

 

She is not BSing... you can pass without knowing a #### thing about the parts you just have to regurgitate bent, broken, cracked, missing, or damaged 99 times along with cut, ripped, torn, frayed or something or other...

Make sure you study air brakes until you are blue in the face.
I watched 8 of 10 people sent home that went before me on the pre-trip inspection the day I went in.

 

I don't know if I'd go that far.. you can fail for not describing the specific items potential defects correctly.. I had to knock a guy for describing all the things on an alternator 100% correctly.... because he was pointing at the AC compressor..

 

Any body been around long enough to rememeber these “flares” long before triangles?
Actual fussee type flares ( the type that burn) have been required in trucks for 70 years.

 

This set is in bad shape and one is missing. Trucks came with steel mounts for a set of 3 inside the cabs new from factory back in the day. This one is next to drivers seat in my ‘51 Diamond T. My 67’ Pete has one mounted in the under the passenger seat toolbox.

 

Tough to get hired these days without the 160 hour certificate.

 

Exactly.. Is the system "rigged"? Kinda! But the fleets got really sick of people showing up with absolutely no idea what they were doing. The trainers nationwide are "iffy" at best and the industry for the most part doesn't train trainers well if at all. People need to take this serious.. but between the money required and the time.. they just somehow believe that they can flip a switch and they are instantly able to drive a 70 foot long truck with some sort of competency. I have seen both show up at companies. Drivers who were well prepared and of course STILL needed training in real world situations and on the carrier's system.. and drivers who could not and did not have the slightest aptitude at all. We had a dude show up from Chicago area who even with a CDL could not drive AT ALL. He was offered training as a option to get hired. In a three week course, he never acquired the skill to leave the secure training area nor even hook a trailer to the tractor.