Skills Failed

Guys I’m having a real crappy day. Went to do the skills portion of the test and messed up the parallel horribly. I’ve been doing it fine all week in the yard and this morning it was like I never drove a truck before. I aced my pre trip though so that’s a good thing. Just really kinda mad at myself. This ever happen to you guys and how did you get over the panicked feeling and doubting yourself?

Same thing happened to me and most of us...don't stress (yeah right you're thinking)...Guess what? If it takes you 10 times to pass, you still have the same licence we have....good luck.

Thank you Junkyard for the kind words. I honestly really thought I was just gonna go in and knock it out. I then screwed it all to hell lol

Same thing happened to me and most of us...don't stress (yeah right you're thinking)...Guess what? If it takes you 10 times to pass, you still have the same licence we have....good luck.

Haha don't worry about it man, honestly. You are going to be fine. They parallel is rough. Took out a few guys in my class as well. I'll never forget when an instructor told else "do your best not to get any points on the straight back or offset so you'll have a chance when you inevitable bomb the parallel". Hang in there man you certainly had the right attitude going in and will knock it out next time. Just a minor speed bump.

Shake it off.I passed my airbrake test,pre-trip and backing maneuvers(without using any points),but when I got out on the road,I couldn't shift the damned truck to save my life.Rescheduled the road test a week and a half later and passed(still a bit of trouble shifting,but I recovered quickly enough)

The State Trooper administering the test told me they know we're just starting out and they don't expect perfection,but they look for you to get the basics and not to panic when something doesn't go perfectly.

And remember,parallel parking is just an offset back done in a much shorter distance

Andrew, there's plenty of us out here who failed their CDL tests. Some of us multiple times. It's not a big deal. After years of experience, you'd be surprised at how badly some of us can make it look when backing a truck. Somedays we look like experts, while other days we are praying and hoping nobody's filming us for the next viral "Truck Driving Idiots" video.

You're going to be nervous, just deal with it. Do what you know to do. Guess what? You might be nervous for the next six months! Everyday out here is an exercise in carefully and cautiously executing maneuvers at a slow and methodical pace. Never rush yourself. If you see something is heading south, stop, get out and look at everything, and evaluate what your next move needs to be. Three things that can really mess you up out here are...

1) Overconfidence

2) Rushing Yourself

3) Taking A Shortcut

You all are the best! I feel a lot better after reading some of your stories. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the encouragement

Andrew C.-

Yesterday I nailed the alley dock twice, today it took 3 pull ups before I did it. But the instructor watching said I hit my passenger side line with my drive axle. So, I really didn't get it either like I thought. Today I got rid of my bad habit of resting my right hand on the gear shift when I drive. It is a bad habit. Our head instructor took 3 of us out and I lost only 12 points out of 30. so that was a good deal. I hit the fog line 3 times and downshifted into 6th above 20MPH. and I can't remember what else so, even after 8 and a half years there is still room for improvement.

So don't sweat it just try harder next time. You will pass.

Andrew, I began my DOT exam with the confidence and gusto of a thousand men, and didn’t even get to the skills test... left one of the steps out of the air brake test during the pre-trip and that ended my day and my life, or so I thought. I’m being a little over-dramatic, but not by much. I re-tested 4 days later, passed, and began my career as a truck driver. As Junkyard Dog aptly pointed out, you are a driver if you pass that test on the 1st or 10th try. It’s like the cliché, “What do they call a guy who finishes last in his class at medical school? Doctor.”

Don’t worry about it; relax, you got this.

Andrew, I failed my test twice and air brakes once, you will get your rhythm, If I can pass ANYONE can pass. Good luck driver

Dank