Rookie Adivse?
Topic 2985 | Page 1
When I was in school I made copies of the pre trip cheat sheet and carry it around in my pocket. I would go over it few times throughout my day. My girlfriend would test me on it and circle parts I was messing up on. Its all about practice and getting it in your head. Good luck!
Hey Michael, don't sweat it a bit. They're going to drill that pre-trip inspection into you like crazy. You'll have all the time in the world to learn that stuff. Use our pre-trip inspection study guide if you haven't already. That will help you get familiar with a lot of the parts, the terms that are used, and what you'll be checking for. Every school and each state have slightly different terminology and such so you'll learn the final specifics at school.
But don't sweat it. You'll learn it all easily enough.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
I'll confess that the pretrip was one of my biggest fears going into the state test. But if the place you're going to is anything like my school you'll have a hard time forgetting anything on a pretrip. You do so much repetition that it becomes second nature. As far as shifting goes you just need the practice. It sounds like you already know when to shift it's just how. Grab a pillow to use for a pedal and a plunger (clean one preferably) as a shifter and practice the whole clutch neutral, clutch shift while sitting in a chair. You use the pillow to give you some resistance on your foot and to get you used to only depressing the pedal and inch or two. If your a visual guy you tube has plenty of good shifting videos. Hope this helps and good luck!
Hey, check out my thread in the daries section on this forum. The title is Rhoel driver training from start to finish. I just finished my first week of school. Many of the fears you state, I had the same ones as you. The double clutching is tricky but after a couple of days it gets easier. I still miss gears and grind some but for the most part I hit the gears. The pre trip is a lot to learn but we cover it at least twice a day. After a week, I feel it will be no problem. You will do fine.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
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I start my training on the 17th, I already have my CDL A permit (passed first try thanks to TruckingTruth's training course). My biggest fears is the Pre-trip inspection test, double clutching , down shifting and backing, emphasis on pre-trip, I'm afraid that I'll forget a ton while doing the test. I have driven vehicles with standard transmission, but double clutching is definitely foreign to me. When I was a kid my step dad let me drive his truck from a stop, but had me float the gears , which I did well with that (needed to watch the road more than the RPM gauge lol I was 13 then). Downshifting I didn't do much in my cars/trucks, so I will need practice there, and the biggest thing I backed once was a 40ft goose neck travel trailer trailer on a Dodge dually within the parking lot of the RV place I worked at. I was given a tip by one of the salesmen that worked there on backing on how to hold the wheel, and I found that much easier than the way I was originally holding it.
I don't foresee a major issue while going forward, other than up and down shifting. I will need to learn where to start turning while making a right hand turn. I drove a 26ft (no CDL required to drive) box truck for a delivery company so a I have a small concept of turning a larger vehicle.
I'm sure most of my fears I will get over while doing it daily. I guess my biggest question would be, any advise on how to learn and remember what to say for the pre-trip test?
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Float The Gears:
An expression used to describe someone who is shifting gears without using the clutch at all. Drivers are taught to "Double Clutch" or press and release the clutch twice for each gear shift. If you're floating gears it means you're simply shifting without using the clutch at all.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.