Taking my skills test

Stop worrying about it. That's my advice. By now you should already know what you need to do to pass the test....you have practiced, studied, watched others....you got this. Get some rest and drive the truck with confidence, that's what the testers are looking for. Please remember, the testers want you to do well.

 

Don't run over any signs, I don't care how many times someone who lives near the sign has told you it's been hit.

Just trust me on this one.

 

I worked in house at a mega for several years, have trained a couple hundred people to get their CDLs, was friends with some of our examiners. They usually decide within the first 10 minutes, or the first few turns of your drive, whether you can drive that truck or not.

If you're pretty decent operating it, that gear you grinded just a little bit may or may not be a point and that turn signal you cancelled just a little bit early may or may not be a point.

However, if you're starting off on your drive and there's some hard braking going on, and some weird jerky actions to get the trailer around a turn, and tunnel vision going straight down the road, yeah it's really easy to find 31 points and make you get more practice.

So basically this: If you feel you can drive the truck adequately, then don't even sweat it man. Be cool, they will know and you will pass. If you fail, then it's either because you did some bonehead HV (I did this) that you wont do on the next day, or they are doing you a favor and you need more practice.

 

Me: my test day in the 80's

Three hardened classmates drag me out behind the truck school the morning of test day at the DMV. They threatened valid violence should I fail considering the rodeos we had been pulling competing with instructors in a variety of games with 18 wheelers.

Failure is not a option. Blood is a certainty. Now that we got that out of the way, let's all trip and travel tralalala to the DMV to take the wrinkled old clipboard testing person for a nice beautiful ride in a rust bucket 18 wheeler through the worst of the constructions. A wall here and a wall there. Don't forget your gears. Start driving. Enjoy!

Mr Wrinkles noted I made a slip into reverse at a light and dinged me 2 points off a 100 total. He commented that I corrected the problem fast before he failed me for moving back more than 6 inches towards the row of cars tucked under my trailer there.

Mr Wrinkles was a great passenger. Quiet. Just that pencil scratching. One of the best. No stress no worries.

 

Thank you for sharing your covered wagon story. It sounds like Mr. Wrinkles knew you could drive and wanted you to pass. Which means it was the same in the 1800s as it is today: If you are competent, they'll pass ya, no sweat.

 

you should be a little nervous beforehand, its normal

deep breathing is my recommendation for calming down

 

I remember I was so nervous I had to **** so bad the lady kept asking me what was wrong... I wanted to say I got a freakin turtle trying to come out that's what's wrong...
Just stay calm and relaxed. Everything will be ok

 

Stress when being tested, learning new things etc is normal.

Now if the trailer came around filling your mirror while trees fills your windshield on sandstone with cars going under everything well.. that kind of stress is a form of fight and flee and is normal. The thing is not to let it take over your mind. Make your decisions and follow through for better or worse.