Virginia CDL Written Exam Has At Least Two Errors.... Or Poorly Written Questions.

Hey all,

This is my first post. I'm retired from one industry and gearing up to start a second career in trucking. I am still deciding between an indy school or company training. In the meantime I have my DOT Med card and just took and passed my CDL written using the TT training here. (Thanks TT!) I got 89 of 95 correct giving me a score of 94%. However, two of the questions were squirrelly.

I don't remember the exact wording but the questions in question were like this:

One was about braking and two of the four choices were definitely wrong. The other two were so close that they needed some thought. One of them referred to emergency braking and the other to emergency breaking. I chose the braking as the correct answer but the state said emergency breaking was correct. I really hope I never have any emergency "breaking!"

The other question asked which followed the "widest path": the drive axles of a bobtail , the axle of a 28' trailer, or the tandems of a 53' trailer. Simple. The power unit, and its drive axles, go wide and the tandems of the 53' trailer take the shortest path possible. That's offtracking and simple geometry. I got it wrong. Virginia's correct answer was the 53' trailer following the widest path.

I'm new and have yet to even sit behind the wheel of a tractor. Am I correct in thinking the state is wrong or maybe just gramtically challenged?

Thanks!

Tab

Welcome Tab O...thanks for stepping out of the shadows with your first post.

You wrote this:

The other question asked which followed the "widest path": the drive axles of a bobtail , the axle of a 28' trailer, or the tandems of a 53' trailer. Simple. The power unit, and its drive axles, go wide and the tandems of the 53' trailer take the shortest path possible. That's offtracking and simple geometry. I got it wrong. Virginia's correct answer was the 53' trailer following the widest path.

I'm new and have yet to even sit behind the wheel of a tractor. Am I correct in thinking the state is wrong or maybe just gramtically challenged?

Not sure... The first question you referenced: "braking or breaking", without the benefit of the text, difficult to determine what they were asking or why.

Second one (in quotes above) is far simpler and easier to explain (and you might be over-thinking it a bit). When Bobtailing (sans a trailer) I can almost drive it like I would a pickup truck. Add the trailer, and you absolutely must compensate for the length and the pivot points of the 53' trailer. I know it may be difficult to visualize this, but the trailer axles always take the widest path (arc) through the turn, the tractor is just compensating for the trailer. We have a saying; you don't drive the tractor, you drive the trailer. This concept of widest path is very easy to see when watching an experienced driver setup at a dock for a back. Many times a tight, full 180' turn is performed and if its a warm day, the tires will mark the pavement. By far, the trailer tires always leave the widest arc.

Another way of thinking about it is in a straight line...on a highway. Holding the lane is an important skill for any driver, especially so for a tractor trailer driver. While travelling at highway speed in a straight line, adjusting the steering direction ever so slightly, either left or right, the trailer will drift much further than the tractor will from one side to the other. Again, we drive the trailer and spend almost equal parts of time looking forward as we do looking in the mirrors. I had an instructor, and although it's been many years, I still remember him barking at me in his Southern Drawl; "Watch your wagon driver, watch your wagon". Truer words were never spoken, or never forgotten.

To demonstrate this, you might want to purchase a small diecast tractor and trailer toy. 1/48th scale is a good size, Walmart or Amazon is a good source. Try different things with it and you will see exactly what I am trying to explain. This toy truck will also come in handy as a tool to help you set-up and learn how-to back.

Good news? You passed...a touchdown is 6 points, be it a yard or 99. Congratulations and best of luck for what's next.

Thanks G-Town! I really appreciate the explanation. That helps a great deal.

Yea, I don't recall enough of the breaking question to give it better context. I'm a former editor so I tend to automatically redline spelling glitches. A local TV station once attributed a bus accident to failed breaks! I guess those are the brakes. :)

Thanks again.

Welcome Tab O...thanks for stepping out of the shadows with your first post.

You wrote this:

The other question asked which followed the "widest path": the drive axles of a bobtail , the axle of a 28' trailer, or the tandems of a 53' trailer. Simple. The power unit, and its drive axles, go wide and the tandems of the 53' trailer take the shortest path possible. That's offtracking and simple geometry. I got it wrong. Virginia's correct answer was the 53' trailer following the widest path.

I'm new and have yet to even sit behind the wheel of a tractor. Am I correct in thinking the state is wrong or maybe just gramtically challenged?

Not sure... The first question you referenced: "braking or breaking", without the benefit of the text, difficult to determine what they were asking or why.

Second one (in quotes above) is far simpler and easier to explain (and you might be over-thinking it a bit). When Bobtailing (sans a trailer) I can almost drive it like I would a pickup truck. Add the trailer, and you absolutely must compensate for the length and the pivot points of the 53' trailer. I know it may be difficult to visualize this, but the trailer axles always take the widest path (arc) through the turn, the tractor is just compensating for the trailer. We have a saying; you don't drive the tractor, you drive the trailer. This concept of widest path is very easy to see when watching an experienced driver setup at a dock for a back. Many times a tight, full 180' turn is performed and if its a warm day, the tires will mark the pavement. By far, the trailer tires always leave the widest arc.

Another way of thinking about it is in a straight line...on a highway. Holding the lane is an important skill for any driver, especially so for a tractor trailer driver. While travelling at highway speed in a straight line, adjusting the steering direction ever so slightly, either left or right, the trailer will drift much further than the tractor will from one side to the other. Again, we drive the trailer and spend almost equal parts of time looking forward as we do looking in the mirrors. I had an instructor, and although it's been many years, I still remember him barking at me in his Southern Drawl; "Watch your wagon driver, watch your wagon". Truer words were never spoken, or never forgotten.

To demonstrate this, you might want to purchase a small diecast tractor and trailer toy. 1/48th scale is a good size, Walmart or Amazon is a good source. Try different things with it and you will see exactly what I am trying to explain. This toy truck will also come in handy as a tool to help you set-up and learn how-to back.

Good news? You passed...a touchdown is 6 points, be it a yard or 99. Congratulations and best of luck for what's next.

Ha! I just drew it on a napkin at a Ruby Tuesday's and see it clearly. Maybe I should keep napkins and pens handy. 😀