Pre-Trip Study Question For Upcoming Schneider (CDL Holder) Training

Quick one, especially for those who had their CDL prior to attending Schneider training...

As it's been about 9 months since I got my CDL and about 6 months since I last drove... and when training with JB Hunt pre-trip was "real world" not "license test" (not being critical... just the way it was)...

How much of a "test like" pre-trip inspection should I be able to do vs. (what I am calling) "real world"? Not saying we didn't do a thorough pre-trip... we did. But it was NOTHING LIKE what it took to get the license. Checked all the "important" stuff... but did not do it the same way.

Just wondering if I need to brush up on the "get your CDL pre-trip" stuff or if just knowing what to look for, when, how, why, etc. is enough. FYI... I never did a LABS test after test day!

Not saying we didn't do a thorough pre-trip... we did. But it was NOTHING LIKE what it took to get the license. Checked all the "important" stuff... but did not do it the same way.

Please elaborate. Only difference between the pretrip for license and what you should be checking daily is not verbally saying what you're looking at. If some parts weren't important you wouldn't be asked about it for your state test. What were the important things you guys checked,? Quick kick of tires check lights and get rolling? Not doing a good pretrip will eventually catch up to you whether is being broken down on interstate or OOS after an inspection.

You never tested your braking system??? I'd say that wasn't a thorough pre-trip. But honestly, I don't see hardly anyone checking for leaks, alarms, brakes. With these newer freightliners that have brakes that squall like a dying cat, I find they don't sound as bad if I've bled down the system to make sure the brakes will set when air is low because doing that adjusts your automatic slack adjusters.

In my opinion there's no difference in what you inspect in front of a test examiner and for your daily pretrip.

The difference is in what you do & say. For the examiner you must say a belt "has no cuts or frays and has 1/2 to 3/4 inch play", and so on. But daily you simply take a look (checking for any cuts and frays) and wiggle the belt to check the tension - all of three seconds.

For the examiner, a full headlight to taillight inspection takes upwards of 45 minutes, while you can daily do the whole thing in 5-10 minutes, with a cup of coffee in your hand.

The real secret is that if you're inspecting the same truck & trailer every day you are really looking for differences from what you saw yesterday compared with today. But the inspector needs to hear the whole ball of wax.

Since safety is Schneider’s #1 core value, you can expect THEY will EXPECT YOU to do a thorough pre-trip every time.

When I went through their orientation in early 2015, they gave us a laminated card (8x11) AND you can use it anytime you’re being observed.

When Schneider put me in an automated manual, they supplied chocks.

Schneider doesn’t require you to memorize everything, but they expect you to do what is required.

Follow their instructions, work to build a good relationship with your DBL and you should have great success.

I hope this helps.

Marc, when I went through the Schneider Academy last year, we had just one classroom instructor, but 3 different road trainers and then, finally, the training engineer that I went out with "real world" for two weeks. Each one was different about pre-trip inspections and LAB tests. However, it was random. We never knew when we would be asked to preform the entire test procedure or just part of it. So, it's wise to be safe and make sure you know the entire thing just as you have to for the State CDL exam. Remember, repetition is the mother of retention, so I would recommend you practice it repeatedly before you start training. Then you will have no worries and can concentrate on all the other things you will be taught, like "work flow" and tablet training.

Thanks Everyone! EXACTLY what I was looking for.

OK, so not THAT thourough! More like we looked at brakes and did a tug test (when it came to brakes)!

I will review the AWESOME Pre-trip My Way (here), my cue cards (made for class) and maybe an online video I liked.

Should help refresh my foggie mind!

Daniel B has a pretrip guide on here that is awesome.

Errol said it very nicely. I’m in the same truck everyday. Everytime I walk to or from it I am visually scanning looking for anything different. And I always have that cup of coffee in my hand will inspecting, lol

Schneider also gives you papers explaining what parts to check during a pre-trip and how they want you to do it, brake test and what not, since this is the real world and not a CDL tests. You can even use these during the tests and they recommend it since they want you to pass.

Schneider also gives you papers explaining what parts to check during a pre-trip and how they want you to do it, brake test and what not, since this is the real world and not a CDL tests. You can even use these during the tests and they recommend it since they want you to pass.

Thanks Jamie. So will I be tested on this?

(I have my CDL and endorsements).