What should I expect from a company taking me for road test?

just to update ... i wasn't able to do it on friday supposed to be tomorrow at 2pm....

 

If it is the owner of the company then it is a small company (my guess).
Most of these do not have any real trainers, and will maybe have you go with another driver for a few days, but that is it.
I have done several of these with small companys over the years. All very minor tests. Just to see if you can drive or not. Go down to a shipper, check in, back to dock and get loaded. Drive back to yard. That is what I would expect at least in that situation.
I have had several companys that did not test at all. They required at least 3 years of driving, and they expected you to be ready to go. Maybe have you ride with a driver for a day or so to learn how the company operates, but no real test.

 

Most companies would probably prefer that you use the clutch, anyway. The last road test I took I floated the gears like I normally do. But then the safety director who gave me the road test is about 6'5 and I had like four cups of coffee in me so I figured why risk doing anything different than what I've been doing for so long and only screwing up anyway? The truck had a stupid 10 as well, which I hadn't driven in several years so it got a little interesting.

Exaggerate your movements a little more than you normally would. Not saying wave your arms around like you're hailing Sputnik, but when you put the turn signal on, make sure the person giving you the test can see what you did. When you check your mirrors, make it very obvious thats what youre doing. Don't jump in the dude's lap, but maybe crane your neck a little more. That sort of thing.

 

Yeah... its a small company.....i feel pretty good about the driving its just the different tranny thats bothering me and the backing into a doc... which we didn't do much of in school... or not as much as I wish I could have done. As long as they dont care that you have to pull up a few times then it shouldn't be a problem. I just get nervous about any type of test hopefully I will be able to come back tomorrow and say I got a job.. or maybe you all dont hear anything else from me for a few days because I am out on the road.

Stupid 10 lol... I have heard you either love it or hate it... I just hope I can shift it good enough to get the job. I dont know if its good or bad but my instructor nick named me eagle eye one for seeing all the signs and watching all the people around and the dmv tester said that I watched my mirrors "very well" and the only complaint that she could say would be that I might have took my right turn a lil wider than she would have liked me to but it was better than hitting the curb...


wish me luck

 

Hey we can't all be perfect, right? Good luck!

 

thanks kwray

 

If I was testing a new driver I would not care how many times they had to pull the truck up, as long as they did not hit anything.
Get your angle and the space you need.
If you are not sure you have the hole then get out and look. Watch the swing on the trailer, and if you have room ask if he minds if you slide the tandoms back all the way. It is a very easy way to keep your blind side safe in a tight hole, though if you have the room to back a trailer in with the tandoms back you probibly had the room to pull it up and around to at least a 45 degree angle, and if you have that it is easy anyway. But the tandoms really help if the hole is tight.
If it is a flat you can dump the back axle for backing on most trailers. Though again, you will need to watch swing then.
Backing for a road test is normally just making sure you can safely get in the dock.
With the small companys you have to watch more though, because normally they will want you to be on your own in a couple of days. That can be problematic unless you had a really good school with allot of drive time.
Good luck

 

I got a little over 1600 miles... most of which was on busy city roads and back country roads too... one road Im really surprised that trucks were allowed on in the first place... lol...

The guy told me that as long as I did ok on the driving test that I would be with someone for about 2 weeks and then I would be assigned to a truck and follow someone for another 2 weeks or so and then as long as everything was going ok I would be on my own...

 

Darn, that is some mighty fine trainin that company offers lol.
Much better than I expected. Hopefully everything will go fine. I know if I was new and they did not offer to have me ride with another driver for a week or so I would be worried.

 

My Co flew me in to talk about a job, got to the yard and the OPs Mgr threw a set of keys at me, said to hook to trailer so and so, did half of a walk around, he did the other side, got in and drove out per his directions, on the freeway and back to the yard,hit a dock and park the truck, I was sitting in his office and he got a call to pick up a empty rental and drop it at a customers dock and bring a full one back to the yard, After making a couple of calls , he looked at me and grinned, "If you take the job, can you run this for me?",He told me what the wages were and I said yes, havent looked back, been there four weeks and only had two days off, hard work but the pay is great and the money is in the bank every friday, by the way, did I mention that I had been off the road for 26 years and just got my cdl back in May, I consider myself lucky to have gotten this job.