Question:
I've decided to post some observations and thoughts as I go through my training to obtain my CDL and then out with my trainer. We started out Monday 6/14 with 10 people in class, 8 male and 2 female. We were told we had to obtain our learner's permit within 4 days. We would begin driving on Friday and couldn't do so without it. Our time was spent primarily in the classroom going over the various tests we would have to pass before being licensed with emphasis on the portion we would have to pass to get the permit. We also went out every morning and observed as other student groups did their pretrip on their truck.
One of the 2 female students quit showing up after the second day. On Thursday one of the guys got a note to call USA. He was told his drug test came in positive and had to leave class. Friday we went out to start driving. One of the guys had a ticket in another state that hadn't been taken care of. He hadn't been able to get his learner's permit because of that so he couldn't drive. We started out with 3 in our truck and 4 in the other truck. The morning was spent driving around the "rodeo track" as they call it. Our goal was to learn to double clutch and hit each shift. We are limited to 6th gear on the rodeo track. When we got back from lunch break there was a note for one of the guys in our truck to call USA. Turns out another drug test showed positive. The afternoon was spent refining upshifts and picking up downshifts. The clutch is quite a bit heavier than I expected it would be. Turns out it's a heavier than usual clutch to stand up to student drivers.
More to come.
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Students do tend to be a bit hard on clutches. Then again I have seen some veteran drivers who never seem to learn to be nice to them.
Doesnt it just amaze why people who like those illegal drugs waste their time applying for jobs knowing they will be drug tested.
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uturn, that's Exactly what I was thinking.

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That's part of the reason they're called "dopers".
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Three or four students per truck is a heck of a way to have to learn to drive. Sounds like you may not get sufficient time behind the wheel. Hope that situation changes soon.
Of course, as fast as people are failing drug tests, you may be the only one left in school within another couple of days or so.

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That maybe so if they are driving only for an hour. We started out about each day and the time increased as the course went on.
One of the instructors had a rule that if you missed a shift you had to take the next exit and do it again. I can tell you where every exit in Montana is. It took me while, but I got all them teeth in the tranny rounded out just fine.
Keep up the log; study and practice when you can.
-JHappy Dwellers Society
Company Driver Division

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that is why i told him he should go to central tech 2 people to a truck hey lebowski i wonder if there is any camel meat at that school
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This week has been moving quickly. It seems we barely get started until the day is over. Today our 3rd had to miss class so there were just 2 of us in our truck and 3 in the other truck. I'm with the remaining female. She isn't picking up on things. She hasn't even made it into high range yet. She makes somewhere around 3 out of 4 shift attempts. Her husband is a driver and she wants to be but I don't know if she's going to make it or not. She tries but it just doesn't come to her.
I drove all the road miles today. Lots of turns and some on a very narrow road that has 90 degree curves you can't go around without taking both lanes. A couple times through we had to stop and wait for the other traffic to pass. There's about 2 or 3 inches clearance on either side from the tires to the middle yellow line and the side white line. During an hour or so while we were out someone in a truck drove WAY over the curb and took down a stop sign. There are LOTS of trucks through, not just student trucks, so we don't know who did it but we sure wish we did.
Curbs are in less danger now than they were yesterday but it's still not safe for them to let their guard down. I am getting my lines and angles down pretty well but still have a ways to go. I did another straight line back of about 5 tractor/trailer lengths today as well as another parallel park. One nice thing about this is we get to eat at a larger number of places... as long as they have truck parking. We've had Arby's and James Coney Island so far this week and one day stayed on campus.
Well, I don't have much more to post right now. I am planning to keep a regular update going, similar to the trainer thread although I have no delusions I can do nearly as good a job as JoeTruckDriver. I will do my best and leave the rest up to everyone else.
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Just the 2 of us again today. Turns out the prodigal is in New York and may be back tomorrow or else Monday. I don't know how he figures he can miss 3 days out of only 3 weeks class and still get his license but that's his challenge not mine. We had a substitute instructor today. He ran us around the rodeo track a couple of times and then took us out. He's quite brave, or quite something, because he had our female student drive out on the streets. She made over 50% of her shifts out on the street just like on the rodeo track. As long as he told her every move to make, how to make it, when to make it, and what was next we kept going. It is disconcerting to ride with her to say the least.
I drove about 50 miles today on various roads and through various business areas. We had a few challenging turns as well as a couple of sections of challenging road conditions. We also are having SIGNIFICANT rain and that [sarcasm] really made things a lot better.[/sarcasm]
I did my daily multiple length backs and a parallel park. I feel pretty good about my driving so far. I realize I know nothing as far as the real world is concerned however I am good as far as licensing exam goes. I expect to start really getting real world level improvements once I get to orientation and a trainer.
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Today the weather was somewhat bad. We've had a LOT of rain. There was high water scattered all around the area of the school, curb deep or just a little higher. I drove this morning. One of the other guys was in the hot seat but he stopped about 1/4 mile outside the school and told me to take over. I drove maybe 10 miles or so until they radio'd us to come back in.
I was the only one there today from my truck so I rode in the other truck. One of the 3 guys in that truck told their instructor that I knew how to drive. The instructor told him he'd heard I drove better than the 3 of them combined. That was good for some joking. I did well though and afterward 2 of them commented on how well I drove.
Two more days and then we test for our driver's license on Wed. Unless I fall apart I should have my official license next Wed. I'm enjoying this but really want to get to the next phase and start the orientation. More as I think of it.
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I'm glad I never had to go through truck driving school and the trainer routine.

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Today we drove one of the courses used for license testing. It's not a bad course except for one right turn that's an over 90 degree right. We also did some driving out in the county. Between yesterday and today I drove upwards of 100 miles. It's really not difficult as long as there are no surprises. I don't know how to float the gears but I can double clutch them and rarely scratch.
Today I had an instructor I've never had before. I asked him for an honest critique at the end of the day. He said I'm ready to test and doing well. He also said he wished the other 3 were half as good. I'm not sure that isn't a slight exageration but I'm definitely doing better on shifting. I can skip shift down through the gears easily but the others can only single downshift with some difficulty.
There's a truck stop next door to the McDonald's where I stop for breakfast on the way to class. On the way in I see a woman walking out to a car from the station. She was dressed very explicitly. She walks up the the car but doesn't get in. She goes to the passenger side and looks in the outside mirror to primp. Then she walks out past the car lot to the truck section. I don't know for certain but I suspect she was a lot lizard.
Driving tests have been pushed back to Thursday because the DPS wouldn't see us tomorrow. That's ok though since it gives another day of driving before the test.
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Today I passed my parallel parking and straight line backing tests. Tomorrow I go for my road test. My orientation is set up for next Tuesday. Our original group of 10 is down to 4 now with the 5th being the girl who had all the challenges. She has been put with the class following ours which adds 1 more week in class for her. I haven't heard how things are going for her since the move. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have to post that I passed the driving test.
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LDB How did the road test go? Im sure you did well.I hope everything goes good for you in your job and that you like it and all.

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Unfortunately the road test didn't go. Our appointment for 1 o'clock apparently was a mistake as they don't test between 1 and 2. Around 1:45 a woman came out and made it very clear from her body language and tone she didn't want us to get tested. She got her wish because sometime between pre trip this morning and testing one brake light burned out. Now we have an appt for Monday morning at 8:30 and hopefully will get right in and out. I'm really somewhat annoyed at the choice of testing centers as it's far from the school and the busiest one in town. We should have gone to Alvin or Baytown. They are both maybe 15 miles or so extra if that much and MUCH less busy. Anyway, I hope in around 60 hours to be licensed and on the way to Arkansas since I'm scheduled for orientation at 6:30 Tuesday morning.