Comments By Michael B.

Thursday 13 October 2022

I passed my CDL exam! Yay hooray! I am so happy! The second time was the charm for me, because…

Things did not go as planned on Tuesday, my original test day. My nerves got the best of me and I became completely lost trying to do the air brakes portion of the pre-trip inspection. I even started over to try to sort things out. That made it even worse! It was heartbreaking being told I did not pass, and would have to try again in 48 hours.

I spent Wednesday at the academy, practicing the entire pre-trip inspection one-on-one with an instructor, and doing the air brakes portion twice just to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing. We found out that I did. I sincerely appreciate the school dedicating an instructor to me. Their commitment to my success never wavered. I also got to go through the backing maneuvers a couple of times on Wednesday. That extra practice on my offset and parallel was much needed and super helpful, as I found out this afternoon. Today's setups were not perfect, and I had to “fix it” on offset and parallel. Somehow, I figured it out, and I nailed them.

Excited KINDA begins to describe how I feel. It’s way more than that, though. I am eager to learn this trade, and to see the Lower 48, and to face all the challenges ahead with an attitude of “can do, will do, have done.” Thanks to all for following along!

Hi G-Town! Everything is OK now

:)

Update to follow.

Michael… what’s going on? You’ve gone silent. Everything okay?

Congrats Jaybird! I am happy for you! I test finished my Swift Academy training yesterday here in Phoenix and am scheduled to take my CDL test on Tuesday. Exciting times!

Daaaaang, Donna! Pearl is a beauty! Congrats!

Friday 7 October 2022

And that’s a wrap for academy training! We spent our final day on the range by fine-tuning our pre-trip inspections and practicing backing maneuvers. I finally nailed an offset back entirely on my own. I shouted “That felt GREAT!” as I pulled the brakes. I am getting better at parallel parking but still have not done it completely on my own. I’ll likely spend Monday on that skill, and be ready for my full CDL exam on Tuesday.

My training experience at Swift’s Phoenix academy has been solid. I’ll recommend it to anyone who asks. There were ups and downs, as there are with any month-long experience. The ups were the delight of meeting fascinating people, and celebrations of new experiences and new knowledge. The downs were mostly self-inflicted, when I let doubt creep in and began to question my ability to succeed. I had plenty of opportunities for self-reflection and to adjust my attitude back to one of “beginner’s mind.” When learning new things, it’s wise to stay teachable and positive.

Thursday 6 October 2022

Today was another good day for me at the academy. It was 10 degrees cooler than it was our first week on the range, a welcome change. I was able to complete the pre-trip inspection twice today and am feeling really good about my ability to perform it well when I take my formal CDL test on Tuesday.

We took our final road drive today, and I feel confident I can do all that is expected of me on exam day. Today’s trainer had me pull into a gas station that has some diesel lanes so we could switch drivers. It was a challenge to wiggle in there, but we made it.

Two out of three backing maneuvers continue to challenge me. I’ve got the straight line backing down, but the offset and the parallel are still mysteries to me. I know how to begin them, and I know what I am supposed to see on step three to know I am “set up” correctly. What I’m still struggling with is how to fix it if I am too tight left or right to execute the next move. I need equal or nearly equal spacing on both sides to proceed. I’ve crafted some impressive tractor-trailer origami by proceeding when not set up correctly. I am still learning how to “fix it” when my spacing is not correct.

I get to practice offset and parallel tomorrow, and even on Monday, since I don’t test until Tuesday. I hope everything “clicks” for me tomorrow and that I get to spend Monday practicing my backing skills with some degree of confidence.

It’s hard to believe tomorrow is our final day of class. Four weeks flew by, likely because of our intense focus. I feel a sense of family among my classmates that I think will endure. We are all very positive and supportive of each other. I bet we all stay in touch.

Hi G-Town, thanks for the clarification. It makes sense every state would have that expectation. I clicked through to the study links you included and they were all helpful. I appreciate you following along and sharing your experience and insight. Trucking Truth, and you specifically, have been instrumental in helping me prepare not just for my CDL exam, but for life as a truck driver. Thank you for being here.

Michael reports:

I studied the air brakes portion of my pre-trip inspection. Here at Swift, missing anything on the air brakes portion of the pre-trip on exam day is an automatic fail.

Not just Swift, every state CDL test require the same on the in-cab air brake inspection; cannot miss anything and the exact order must also followed.

Not sure if you ever seen this, might help you study:

• Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
• Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
• Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
• Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions

Thank you George. I will take your advice, and I will update here on TT when I pass the exams.

Wishing you the best of luck. Dont overthink it. Just relax and go with it. You will pass. Keep us in the loop, Driver!

Wednesday 5 October 2022

Today was pre-trip inspection, range time to practice backing maneuvers, and even more pre-trip inspection. I was up first for the pre-trip inspection, and I did better than I ever have. I am starting to understand all the systems I am checking and how they relate to each other. I now feel confident I can do the pre-trip inspection without missing any “parts” of the truck, and I couldn’t really say that yesterday. I like the repetitiveness of the suspension, brakes, tires/wheels on the steers, drives and tandems. Three cheers for five axles, but only having to talk about three!

During maneuvers, I was hit and miss again. Straight-line backing is still solid, thank goodness. It’s a relief to feel confident about one of three backing skills. Offset was going well when one instructor helped me set up, but went south when another instructor took over for them and obliterated my train of thought with their different expectations of how perfect a lineup should be. My efforts to start over failed over and over again, and eventually, the instructor gave up, told me exactly how to back it into the box, and we broke for lunch. "Go study your paper," they said. I felt just like I did during the first two hours of the left-turn road driving: Horribly stupid. Lunch was a much-needed break to reset mentally and emotionally. It worked.

After lunch, I did the maneuvers with a different instructor and it was not perfect, but I had a chance to see what I was doing wrong and received instruction on how to fix it. I know I am not as far along with offset and parallel as the school wants me to be, but I will get there. Not everyone learns at the same speed. Some in our class are already doing all three maneuvers completely on their own. Some are still getting there. I’m with the latter. Frankly, my immediate concern is the pre-trip inspection, because if I don’t pass that, the skills and road test won’t even happen.

Our test dates and times for early next week were posted today in the break room. Some of us will test Monday, and the rest of us will test Tuesday. I am scheduled for Tuesday morning, just before lunch. I was surprised to see my name on the board, because in all previous weeks I've not known a single name written there. And I was even more surprised to not feel panicked about it. I felt relaxed and relieved, like this is finally coming to an end. All the hard work will pay off on Tuesday morning, or more likely, early Tuesday afternoon. And I'm gonna really tug down on that air horn when I get word from the test proctor in the passenger seat when they say, congrats student, you are now a driver!

Tuesday 4 October 2022

Today was Erika’s turn to do the pre-trip inspection. She did really well! I am proud of her. Tomorrow will be my turn again.

After the pre-trip inspection, we spent the morning on the range, practicing the three backing skills that will be on our CDL exam. Straight backing I feel I understand, and I can perform that skill with no need to pull up. All thanks to well-adjusted mirrors! Offset backing is getting better. I’ve done it once without assistance, but all other times have required some help. Parallel parking I have not yet done without assistance. The academy teaches six simple steps for offset and six simple steps for parallel. Well, it’s simple on paper. While we continue to get better at offset and parallel, sometimes we get lost in the six simple steps, and the trailer does not go where we want it to go. Constant practice brings more familiarity, and eventually, I know the steps will “click” for us. Our instructor, April, said some students don’t “get it” until the final day. We hope to impress her before that.

This afternoon we took a truck outside the wire. We practiced our commentary driving, our right turns, and our left turns. For the first time, we got on the freeway. Has anybody ever been Westbound on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Los Angeles? Well, that’s where we were, Westbound and down! Man, that was amazing! But only for a couple of exits. We soon took the junction to Arizona Loop 101 Northbound and got off that freeway at the very first exit, Thomas Road. But that freeway time was great while it lasted! I think I’ll like freeway driving more than city driving. Today’s trip outside the wire was much less stressful than Friday’s on-the-road episode. I remembered to “close the door” when my tandems cleared the corners. I think it’s that familiarity thing I mentioned earlier.

While Erika drove, I studied the air brakes portion of my pre-trip inspection. Here at Swift, missing anything on the air brakes portion of the pre-trip on exam day is an automatic fail. I don’t wanna do that. Their study aide for the air brakes is ALSAPS, which identifies the six tests we must perform: Air Leakage Test; Low-Pressure Warning Test; Spring Brake Test; Air Gauge Test (then, after you remove the wheel chock); Parking Brake Test; and finally, Service Brake Test. ALSAPS. Knowing the six tests is my first task, and memorizing the verbiage will come second.

I feel less worried today about my ability to master what I’m learning in time to test early next week. We have three days to practice what we’ve learned. I believe I will be ready in time.