3rd Party Testing Vs. Dept Of Driver Services

Which is a better way to gain cdl license , I'm having a conversation with a few people and they agree that 3rd party testing is better.

I'm a third party examiner in Mississippi. We have to go by the same exact grading criteria as the state examiners, but people do seem to be more relaxed when testing with us...

My coworker said it's a lot more relaxed

Our instructor will also be our examiner. No dmv b.s.. much rather have a 3rd party examiner.

In my state, exams are only given by DOT officers. Lol talk about nervous.

I don't know that there is a better way. In the end you're going to have one person with a pen and a clipboard giving the test and grading your performance. That person's mood, their approach, their circumstances will all dictate how they handle the testing. You get the right person on the right day or the wrong person on the wrong day and it's going to have an effect on the outcome to some degree.

I don't know that there is a better way. In the end you're going to have one person with a pen and a clipboard giving the test and grading your performance. That person's mood, their approach, their circumstances will all dictate how they handle the testing. You get the right person on the right day or the wrong person on the wrong day and it's going to have an effect on the outcome to some degree.

I completely agree with Brett. Something like 75% of all CDL exams in Missouri are conducted on Prime's test pad. They test seven days a week, 15-20 exams every day. They usually have four examiners on the pad. They're third-party testers, but since they test so many students, the DOT and/or Highway Patrol is almost always out there shadowing one or more of the examiners to make sure they are doing it right. I actually took my test with a Federal DOT guy who was inspecting them that day.

I've only had two students test so far, but I can tell you that they (and me when I tested) were a little anxious, even though they were third-party examiners. It would be the same if it were someone employed by the government, since you have to pass the test, and the test is the same regardless of who is grading you.

I have interacted with most of the examiners there. I like most of them, but I don't click with a couple of them. But when you're testing, none of that matters. It's a checklist and they all score pretty much the same.

My brother got his CDL in another state at a community college. His examiner was also one of the instructors, so I think he had a comfort level there. He sailed through his test. But imagine if you're in that situation and your examiner is one of the instructors you didn't get along with? That would magnify the nervousness you'll naturally feel on test day, I think.

Bottom line, I wouldn't make a decision on the route to your CDL solely based on whether the examiner is third-party. It doesn't really matter.

Keith W How can I contact you?

I took my test with a third party tester. We were told that typically these were retired commercial drivers or bus drivers. The very first thing he did was create conversation with me. Doing that made the atmosphere much more relaxing. We had 4 people testing that day (including Jolie R.) who is/was a member at TT. We all passed with room to spare.

There are many states, that have done away with skills testing at the DMV altogether. All testing is done by a third-party tester's, certified by the state to give the exams.

My instructor, at the county school I went to, was one of the half dozen examiners in the state that certifies third-party examiners. He holds a class every three months, to educate and certify these folks.

I sat in on one of his classes a few months ago, for a few hours. Most of the people taking the class, we're working for various trucking schools. A couple of them work for large companies, that do their training and testing in house.

This relieves the states of potential liability, for mishaps that might occur during testing. It also shortens the backlog, of being able to schedule tests.

Rick