CDL Day
OK to catch up a little.....
Monday
Sam, the yard trainer who is also a city driver, was covered up all day making deliveries. So we took turned in the yard truck practicing for the skills test. By the end of the day I figured I could run the course with my eyes closed (See Skills Test below)
Tuesday
To make up for Monday we spent most of the day running around town in Sam's truck and going through the driving test portion of the test.
Wednesday
We spent the first half of the day driving around town and then ran the yard truck through the course. Sam said there wasn't any need for us to drive around for the rest of the day and waste fuel (there was also an ozone alert for Nashville so we were doing our part) and let us go about 3.
Thursday (Otherwise known as The Big Day)
Skills test.... Coming up to the stop line I hit the brake too hard and stopped about 10' short. I screwed up the parallel park worse than the first day we were there. I did manage to get it in but cut way too late and ran than bumper out the back of the box. I still passed and could have run over 6 cones if I wanted to.
Pre-trip... This went surprisingly well considering that 3 days ago I was sure I was going to fail it. I passed.
Driving test.... This was fun. Sam had taken us on the course twice and told us what to expect and exactly how to deal with each corner. So we're (me and the tester) running up the road to the first right turn and they've got the road blocked off working on the sidewalk. She looks at me and says "Have you ever been through the town square?" and I say "Yep, but only bobtail". So we drive up to the town square which is perfectly adequate for the wagons that were rolling through town when it was built but a little on the tight side with a 200+"wheelbase tractor and a 45' trailer. Particularly, since none of the people going around the square when I was through there had any idea what that little lever on the left side of the streering wheel is for. I managed to make it through without crushing anything or anybody and we ran back down and picked up the last of the test circuit. I passed.
After I got back to the yard and got my paperwork and test scores I was released for the rest of the day to go to DMV and convert my permit to a CDL-A. While I was there I took the Haz-mat test and passed it. I do have to admit to a moment of concern when I missed there very first question. I answered the next 24 right, so it all worked out in the end.
Tomorrow is orientation and then we're assigned to a road trainer and hit the road.
Monday
Sam, the yard trainer who is also a city driver, was covered up all day making deliveries. So we took turned in the yard truck practicing for the skills test. By the end of the day I figured I could run the course with my eyes closed (See Skills Test below)
Tuesday
To make up for Monday we spent most of the day running around town in Sam's truck and going through the driving test portion of the test.
Wednesday
We spent the first half of the day driving around town and then ran the yard truck through the course. Sam said there wasn't any need for us to drive around for the rest of the day and waste fuel (there was also an ozone alert for Nashville so we were doing our part) and let us go about 3.
Thursday (Otherwise known as The Big Day)
Skills test.... Coming up to the stop line I hit the brake too hard and stopped about 10' short. I screwed up the parallel park worse than the first day we were there. I did manage to get it in but cut way too late and ran than bumper out the back of the box. I still passed and could have run over 6 cones if I wanted to.
Pre-trip... This went surprisingly well considering that 3 days ago I was sure I was going to fail it. I passed.
Driving test.... This was fun. Sam had taken us on the course twice and told us what to expect and exactly how to deal with each corner. So we're (me and the tester) running up the road to the first right turn and they've got the road blocked off working on the sidewalk. She looks at me and says "Have you ever been through the town square?" and I say "Yep, but only bobtail". So we drive up to the town square which is perfectly adequate for the wagons that were rolling through town when it was built but a little on the tight side with a 200+"wheelbase tractor and a 45' trailer. Particularly, since none of the people going around the square when I was through there had any idea what that little lever on the left side of the streering wheel is for. I managed to make it through without crushing anything or anybody and we ran back down and picked up the last of the test circuit. I passed.
After I got back to the yard and got my paperwork and test scores I was released for the rest of the day to go to DMV and convert my permit to a CDL-A. While I was there I took the Haz-mat test and passed it. I do have to admit to a moment of concern when I missed there very first question. I answered the next 24 right, so it all worked out in the end.
Tomorrow is orientation and then we're assigned to a road trainer and hit the road.
posted by lojak at 4:05 PM
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