How to Fail Your CDL Road Test
March 23, 2015
Passing a CDL Road Test is serious business. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, and now your life, your career and everything will depend on a passing grade from the CDL Examiner. Are you ready?
Before you get behind the wheel of that 18-wheeler, take a lesson from the unwritten book, How to Fail Your CDL Road Test:
Automatic Fail #1: Hitting a curb
Many drivers are surprised to find out that they have failed the test just because they barley rubbed their wheel against a curb. What may seem like the smallest of mistakes, the “curb check”, is actually a potentially deadly one. The danger to pedestrians makes this unsuspecting mishap #1 on the list of automatic fails.
Automatic Fail #2: Taking your hands off the wheel
When driving a truck, your hands should only leave the steering wheel for essential functions, such as shifting gears. It may seem obvious, however, many people make this mistake unconsciously. They itch their nose, they loose a point. They readjust their glasses, they lose a point. They fix their hair or mess with their phone, and they are automatically failed.
Automatic Fail #3: Forgetting your turn signal
The trucking industry is no place for the absent-minded. If you want to drive for a living, then you will need to use every safety feature at your disposal, and that includes turn signals. Using turn signals can prevent accidents, as well as improve traffic flow.
Automatic Fail #4: Rolling backwards
It’s important to master the art of taking off from a stop, especially on hills and in heavy traffic. If you roll backwards when taking off from a stop during the exam, you are guaranteed to receive a failing grade.
Automatic Fail #5: Losing your cool
The stakes are high. The time, the money, and the effort have been invested. The examiner looks tough, and the pressure is on. That’s the way they like it. CDL examiners want to see if all this pressure will make you lose your cool. Driving thousands of pounds through dangerous traffic and road conditions every single day is no job for the faint-of-heart. They need to know that you are mentally prepared to perform well under pressure.
Failure is a necessary evil. Without it, we would never learn anything. So fail early, fail fast, and fail often. Get in plenty of practice, work out all the kinks. Build your muscle memory, and of course your mental memory. Then, when test day comes, you won’t fail. You will succeed!
CDL Endorsements
April 15, 2014
If you’re taking the CDL exam soon, you may be wondering which endorsements to get. Well, this article from truckingtruth.com makes a very strong case for getting all of the endorsements. You may not think you need to, but before deciding, it’s worth your time (a couple of minutes) and money (completely free) to give this helpful information a quick read. See the full story here:
http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/Article-2329/which-cdl-endorsements-should-i-get
Road Test Time: Will You Be Ready?
April 15, 2014
Here at Test Questions & Answers, we have everything you need to study and ace your written CDL exam, however, the road test will be another task altogether. Do you have what it takes to drive an 80-ton vehicle under the watchful eye of a CDL Examiner? Sure you do! It just takes some practice, patience, know-how, and an ability to remain calm (or at least appear to) in a high-stakes situation. Here are a few tips to help you survive the experience:
Relax. This is the most often-repeated and possibly most important piece of advice experienced truckers give to new drivers. Maintain your composure no matter what. Part of the exam is testing how you perform under pressure, and how you recover after making a mistake. Often, smaller mistakes such as missing a shift or taking a turn too wide can be forgiven if you handle the situation calmly and quickly correct your driving. The examiner knows you are still new to this, and also realizes that your training will continue with your first trucking company. However, losing your composure is a clear sign that your aren’t cut out for this industry and can result in failure.
Check Your Mirrors. Situational awareness is key in the truck driving industry. It’s critically important that you check your mirrors often to know what is going on around you, and especially before changing lanes. In fact, not checking your mirrors properly before changing lanes can result in an automatic failure. For this reason, don’t just glance but noticeably look at your mirrors so that the examiner can see you are checking them.
Watch the Curbs. Hitting the curb can also be considered an automatic failure. For this reason, if you’re unsure about a turn it’s safer to take it a little wide than to cut it short and end up hitting the curb.
Stopping. Always come to a complete stop at stop signs and red lights, and when you accelerate be sure to do so correctly. Don’t forget where your gears are, and if you do, quickly recover before stalling out. Stalling is an automatic failure, and rolling backward before taking off from a stop is another automatic failure because of its safety implications.
Use Turn Signals. Failing to use your turn signal when changing lanes is another reason for the examiner to fail you.
Remember the Basics. There is a lot of information to remember from your CDL license test, however, don’t forget all the basics from your original drivers license test either! Review things such as right-of-way laws and driver safety.
Keep Your Cool. Just to repeat the relaxation mantra again, we’ll wrap up the list of tips with this age-old advice: Keep your cool. During the test, your examiner may be making marks constantly. Don’t assume they are all bad marks… some may be good marks. And, don’t sweat it if you fail because you can always take the test again.
Remember, if you don’t let the pressure get to you then you’re already ahead of the game. Good luck and safe travels!