Comments By Steven B.

Oh yeah, here it is: State CDL Manuals

I know it's an obvious thing to bring up, it just sounded odd that you were going out of your way to record an oral talk through, when it's all outlined in the book.

By the way, are you reading your state CDL manual, or whichever one you are testing in? Ohio refers to this as a "cdl testing model", and that would be the most specific information (especially for pre-trip wording): http://www.publicsafety.ohio.gov/links/hsy7605.pdf

Mine seems to be the only one called DOL (based on the department name here). Somehow people don't seem to be aware of this guide (or mention it here). Perhaps the site owner could include a link to each state's official cdl guide, if not posted already (just a suggestion, as that's what they test on, it should be no secret). The information here is great too, although tests are specific to each state manual I suppose (mine were).

Or CDL manual, as they call it (seems to vary state to state as for specific wording):

CDL Manuals

Remember also that there are some points emphasized as an automatic fail if you miss a step. These are outlined in the DOL manual (so it is a pass/fail in some respects).

I just took a picture of everything and rehearsed it at home, while concentrating on the driving as much as possible at school.

If you are studying to get the permit, in particular, that's just the general knowledge test (and it's also probably best to complete the DOL guide and other tests upfront). Four weeks would be well spent on the skills practice alone.

Typically the pre-trip inspection involves the most memorization (and is not a multiple choice test), so that's maybe a third of your study time.

Not that my tanker endorsement means much more than a skateboard license at this point.

When I grow up I'd like to be a truck driver (age adjusted for experience level).

What do you mean by "but at least it has brakes!"?

The tanker as opposed to the skateboard (wheels... mine didn't have brakes, or tread to run over rocks without stopping).