Comments By Bucket

Remember turn your wheel away from the lane you are going to back into. Put a pen in your pocket. If you are backing into the left lane put the pen in your left pocket. That way you will know which lane you started in. After finding the V and getting straight, if you can't find the cone, pull-up until you see it. Then straight back. If you can practice on the skid plate. The slight up hill will help. Good luck you can do this!

Can't help with your question, but glad to see you are on the road!

Sorry old school, I was able to bank the pre-trip! Passed the skills 90, passenger off-set, but needed 70 for road trip got 68. Then re-test got the 90 again driver off-set, but didn't pass road test. Examiner said I impeded traffic! I was telling all the driving I did for the school not the drive for cdl test. I was surprised I couldn't pass a 15 mile drive after all the miles I drove during training. My shifting is good, I signal, know the sign I just passed, didn't pull out with any traffic within quarter mile, performed an emergency stop. I test again July 13!

Toonces, wish I had known you were on here when we had lunch at the antiques and more cafe! They throw a lot at you but if you have studied cdl training on this site you will easily ace the tdt class work. I'll be back for finally cdl test. I get to practice July 7,8,11,12, and test the 13! Mr. Mcmillan was my instructor. I'm thinking the examiners are extra tough on me because of my age. Can't prove that being I'm the only witness! Don't let the pre-trip get to you. Just get the verbiage down. Metal not bent, cracked, or broken. Rubber no abrasions, bulges, or cuts. Glass not broken, cracked, or missing. If it has air or liquid that it isn't leaking. I made 98 on my tdt pre-trip test, I missed the light in the middle of the trailer, and didn't say the compressor operating range was 100 to 120. I also passed the 90° twice, had to do both driver and passenger off-set, and two straight back for 170 feet. But pointed out on driver side parallel. Sure glad I found you. Central Tech is a great school! Even though I haven't passed yet I know I've got the best training possible. And best of all they are giving me one more chance. That's something many don't get. Sorry you will be gone before I get back.

Sounds like you may some new info. I'm sure learning to drive a truck is a big job. I just finished a 240 hour truck training, and drove a bit over six hundred highway miles. Half those were loaded miles and another hundred was at night. With all the research I've done I haven't found, or read any school that does that much training. Only two students to a truck. The highway miles required me to drive through OKC, across DOT scale, leave a divided highway with posted 20 mph with clover leaf, then immediately exit to reverse direction so I could make a left turn, at a traffic light. That left turn led to an active railroad crossing. Only enough space between light an track for one truck and trailer. Plenty of space but if a truck is there you can't turn until light and space are both available. The drives also required two lane through small towns with traffic lights, and some four-way stops. Then after these accomplishes I can pass pre-trip inspection, skills that involved alley dock, straight back, and driver plus passenger side off-set. But have been denied the cdl. The school instructors are giving me the good driver grade. Grade is poor, fair, good. I've driven with five different instructors. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

I too thought you was with Swift! What is this new company offering that Swift doesn't have? I remember a few weeks back I mentioned XPO but you went with Swift, best fit for you. XPO would have sent you forty fives miles from home. Drumright tdt @ Central Tech. Hope you haven't made any bad decisions! Please keep us informed.

Hey Lemmy_lives, great read. Sounds like your getting good miles. I was wondering about Flatie haven't seen her post in a while. Just wanted to let you know I'm still reading and enjoying your journey.

Hey, good luck. I too have checked XPO and they sound ok to me. Will follow your post. Thanks in advance for info.

Yes, test is with empty trailer. Tuesday is skills practice day. Upto date I've logged almost five hundred road and city miles. I feel pretty confident I'll pass Wednesday.

Thanks Errol, I just returned with a 35000 lb load on a 140 mile road trip going east through Tulsa. Had lunch in Big Cabin. Then back through Tulsa going west. In a school truck loaded with junk. Mostly pieces of concrete. Great experience, tomorrow another road trip west through OKC. West to Elk City, then back to Drumright Ok. Then two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday of night driving. Wednesday will be a road trip with the loaded trailer. New test day Thursday 6/2/16. If after these road trips I can't pass the driving portion, I'll fire myself! LOL