Failed A Pre-trip Test Today. :(

I failed my pre trip but at the same time I got everything right.

I finished my air brake test and right after the final service break check I let off the clutch and stalled the truck causing me to fail. I failed after I finished, it sucks. Now if I fail my road test or final backing test I fail out if the swift academy.

The tester is just a scary nerve racking guy. He is a former marine sniper and he just makes you nervous when he's around. Oh well I will reset Friday and pass it and stay on school.

I have to admit, I know exactly how you feel sitting next to this guy. I received some training in the military from a Sergeant Major in the Army who had been a combat sniper most of his career. At the time, he was the most decorated SGT MG in the Army, which we all knew meant he'd whacked a lot of people. Just standing anywhere near him felt scary, even before you knew anything about him. But knowing that in a face-off with this guy, you, on the other end of your weapon, would lose ...and he did not care. Those guys are loners, they spend days and weeks alone without human contact and then the closest thing they come to contact with others is when they pluck the enemy out from afar without anyone knowing where their shots came from. They are a psychopathic bunch for sure. They like precision and they are mean. And I'm talking not just tough. They really are mean inside. Detached from humanity.

Here's what you can learn from one of these guys. No one is more aware of his surroundings than a sniper. Watch how he conducts himself every moment he's awake. He will know everything that's going on around him, above him, behind his back, beneath his feet, in all directions. He uses all his senses at the same time. His ears are tuned in to everything and he has eyes on the backs of his horns. (I do mean horns) These are good qualities to have as a driver (except the horns) Be aware of all things around you. Keep your eyes moving like a scared wild animal. Left mirror, windshield, dashboard, right mirror, windshield, dashboard, left mirror. I'll bet his eyes dart all over the place, all the time or they stop and size-up what they're looking at and move on. When you do this, (move your eyes around all the time) your reaction time shortens. You're keener. I'll bet he's cool as a cucumber, too. Cold as a snake and never gets his feathers ruffled. This is another good quality to have as a driver. When you're under pressure or something dangerous happens in front of you, you have to have nerves of steel to get through that situation without hitting anything or getting hurt. Learn as much as you can from him. Ask a lot of questions of him. He has a ton of knowledge and military guys love to teach. Stay firm, confident, respectful, but ask questions. Snipers don't talk much, but you can draw him out a tad.

My point is, while he's creepy as heck, he'll also show you respect when you stand up strong towards him. Believe me, back in the day, when he was training in the Marines as a young man, he made big boo-boos too. Hold your ground, use a command voice when doing your pre-trip in front of him, stay sharp, act sharp around him, keep your posture really straight but allow your mind to remain steady and cool. Stay really focused.

If you have to, for a brief moment, allow yourself to picture him wearing some pink Victoria's Secret under-things. That should put him into perspective. You never know. He might just be a closet panty-wearer. Maybe he's mean around you guys but a putty-tat at home, around his wife. He may not want you to know it but he is still human. His heart doesn't pump cool-aid, it pumps blood, just like the rest of us.

You can even say things like "OO-rah" to him when you're pumped up about something. He'll appreciate it.

You know what though? You'll never make that mistake again. Shake it off.

Good luck. You'll do great.

-mountain girl

Good luck. Has anyone else had problems with this guy or mentioned their concerns to the school?

Good luck. Has anyone else had problems with this guy or mentioned their concerns to the school?

Quite honestly I doubt they accidentally put that fella in that position. They want to put some pressure on people to make sure they can handle the pressures they'll face out on the road. If the thought of testing in front of a former marine sniper is scary, imagine the thought of killing someone on the highway with one moment of inattention.

Trucking is full of high-pressure situations. You have to keep your composure and think clearly at all times. It's not easy for anyone, but it's really not an option either. You have to remain confident and trust in your ability to get through it.

Take a deep breath and get back on the horse. My son busted his first road test near the start when a jackwagon cager passed him during a left turn and blew his horn while coming down the passenger side of the truck. It didn't help that his evaluator was texting his GF at the time. He u-truned back to the school and prepped for taking the exam again the next day. No problem then and it was definitely a different evaluator.

Just relax the guy I had that gave me my test said we don't want you to fail but will fail you if we need to so they are there to make sure you know what you are doing not scare you or try and stop you from becoming a trucker.....what I did when I started my air break and pre-trip just took a deep breath and said everything that came to mind....my instructor told me to stop cuz I had finished my tests lol

Good luck. Has anyone else had problems with this guy or mentioned their concerns to the school?

EVERYTHING says the same thing the other instructors say the hear it all the time. He is creepy

I know the pre trip. Like I said I finished the test but stalled after and he failed me. It's OK I'll Di it again Friday no worries. It's just funny no-one wants him doing their tests cause he just puts you on edge. He told me if I had stalled 2 Se ones later he would of already checked me off as passing.

The 2 others on my section failed as well enough erroneous he tested on pre trip failed today. One got sent home as it was his second failed test.

Ok auto correct sucks. Everyone left in my group failed the pre trip cause sniper guy tested us. One was failed out of the school as it was his second failed test.

Don't let him be the excuse of why anyone fails the test. There's a ton of other more nerve racking things in trucking than a former marine sniper.

The examiner isnt the culprit, and even though it sucks about what happened it was still technically a fail and he's doing his job.

Get back on the horse and don't let this guy bother you. He shouldn't be an obstacle to begin with, you'll do just fine tomorrow.

I failed my pre trip but at the same time I got everything right.

I finished my air brake test and right after the final service break check I let off the clutch and stalled the truck causing me to fail. I failed after I finished, it sucks. Now if I fail my road test or final backing test I fail out if the swift academy.

The tester is just a scary nerve racking guy. He is a former marine sniper and he just makes you nervous when he's around. Oh well I will reset Friday and pass it and stay on school.

Man that sucks. They get so many people through there that they don't care about good 1 on 1 training it seems. There are other comanies like Prime and Roehl who offer probably better training programs, so if you don't make it it's not the end.