Comments By Joshua R.

Dont worry, you will want the experience.. I got a local position right out of school and wish i had more experience. There are alot of situations that i get into in the city areas that are hard to cope with. Especially when your by yourself. I am worried constantly about screwing up and hurting someone, very sttessfull. I enjoy it when i get to go on longer runs to other cities as i find it easy to drive on the freeway so it way less stressfull.

Dont go to walmart. You can get a better one at your local truckstop. I did the same thing when i went through school and it helped me so that is a great idea.

I just started at a window manufacturing company, I am fresh out of school. It's a local P & D ordeal, I come into the terminal around 6, couple to the assigned trailer that's loaded with glass to be delivered, then I leave to do the deliveries around my area. I unload the windows and glass at either new buildings or places like pro build. Not a bad job, pays well, lots of overtime, benefits, etc. Unloading the heavy windows gets tuff. What everyone is saying about driving and backing though is spot on. Lots of blind side and really tight spaces. Traffic sucks lol. Power lines and cable/phone lines everywhere. ItS difficult but so far I'm fine but hey its only been a week.

Im fresh outta school, I applied to a local company sunday, had my interview wednesday and today I do my road test with them. I start monday if all goes well today. That I believe was fast. I guess depends on the company.

So, I finished school and I recieved my CDL, I went to an interview for a local company here in washington and I exceeded expectations. Now I have an offer of employment pending a road test. Im not sure why I am nervous, they know im new and are fine with that. I passed recently with the DOL grader with not to many issues... Aside from shifting I was good and did everything safely. I know I can drive the truck just fine but worried nevertheless. I just hope that its not like getting my license all over again. What experiences do yall have with the company tests?

Passed the test!!!!

I live near Seattle and I dread the time when I will have to drive a truck there lol. Guess I will find out when I finish school and start driving.

Also if I get nervous or something happens and i have to shift quickly I sometimes forget to switch from high to low....

Well, tuesday I take my CDL A test with a 3rd party tester and I am a bit worried. Throughout the entire school we drove sleepers on the road. I finally got shifting down, learned my turn radious and got used to it. We practiced skills in day cabs but never drove them on the road. Saturday I drove the daycab as that is the truck I will test in. My shifting was not good, it is way different in the day cab. My instructer said he ran out of blocks on his grade sheet for that lol. Everything else was fine and he said that he would pass me but im worried about the tester. I hope I dont fail over something like that. Shifting these trucks takes practice but it seems even though the dol knows you will be with a trainer for awhile starting off they cut 0 slack. Wish me luck I guess. Hopefully I start my career by the end of tuesday. Otherwise I will have to wait the 7 day period to retake the test ugh.

General Qualifications to Drive a Commercial Motor Vehicle.

A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she is qualified to drivea commercial motor vehicle. Except as provided in §391.63, a motor carrier shall not require or permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless that person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle.

Except as provided in Subpart G of 49 CFR 391, a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle if he/she:

Is at least 21 years old;

Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records;

Can, by reason of experience, training, or both, safely operate the type of commercial motor vehicle he/she drives;

Is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in accordance with Subpart E — Physical Qualifications and Examinations of 49 CFR 391;

Has a currently valid commercial motor vehicle operator's license issued only by one State or jurisdiction;

Has prepared and furnished the motor carrier that employs him/her with the list of violations or the certificate as required by §391.27;

Is not disqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle under the rules in §391.15; and

Has successfully completed a driver's road test and has been issued a certificate of driver's road test in accordance with §391.31, or has presented an operator's license or a certificate of road test which the motor carrier that employs him/her has accepted as equivalent to a road test in accordance with §391.