Profile For Michael P.

MA has a three got out and three corrections which is reasonable for parallel parking driver and blind side, forward and back, and alley dock, plus inspection and airbrake which you have to pass before the road test. The problem is the automatic failures:

Inspection- If you don't have the keys and clock the wheels right off the bat, or in my case fail to turn truck completely on, you fail. Airbrake-If you don't say the correct order of words, you fail Maneuvers--Looking out back cab window, getting out without 3 points of contact, mirror over line, you fail Road Test-- the rules of the road fail, which is almost anything in the book, plus all the other automatic failures that they take to the extreme.

And the state troopers have the nerve to complain that they are coming on their days off and there is such a long backlog. They are getting paid detail work which is like $40-$50 an hour to sit in a car for a couple of hours which really the tests take maybe a half an hour total. Most of the day they are spending going to get coffee at Dunkin or just waiting for their next appointment because they failed everyone, and getting paid the whole time. Imagine getting paid for 8 hours at $40-$50 an hour and not really doing anything for half that time. And then having the "I don't give a sh_t" attitude and complain these student drivers don't know anything and getting mad at the instructors for bring them and wasting their time. Hate hate state troopers.

Just wondering if it's like that everywhere or just MA??

I know I'll pass but if anyone asks me if it's a good idea to get a CDL in MA I would definitely say no. Too much money, time, and stress to get a $17-$20 job that will probably run you down because they don't have enough drivers because they can't get any because no one is passing. Heard that it's becoming such a problem in MA. That all the companies are working together to force the state to start changing the test to a point system to make it easier. Unfortunately this will not be in my testing time. When you see OTR drivers with years and years of driving failing then something is wrong.

So just wanted to know if anyone else had taken the CDL exam in MA. Because from what I've seen and experience it's ridiculous. After going four times I've still not see anyone pass except guys that used automatic trucks. I've kept a log of what I've seen and done in the dairies section under MA CDL A exam state troopers".

Just wanted to know if it is this why everywhere or just in MA. I've seen alot of guys, me included, have breakdowns because everyone keeps failing for the smallest things. Seems to be that 99.99% is failing and you have to be 110% correct and say exactly what they want to hear or fail.

Please just looking for some reassurance that after putting 6 months and over $6000 of my own money into this it's worth it. Because the feeling of coming home and having to tell the wife and friends I failed again is just mentally degrading. I can see how someone that puts so much effect into something and knowing they can do it and just continue to be told they failed would drive someone crazy into depression. Thank god I have a job and not like other guys that are unemployed and can't get work because state troopers are living up to stereotypes.

Went Monday to the Dartmouth lot for the driving test. If anyone been up there they know that there's a bunch of construction and redrawn lanes right at the lot. I know that I was going to have a problem getting out of the lot due to a small steep downgrade to get out, then alot of traffic that will not let you go, and then worst of all due to construction instead of two lanes and two emergency lanes on the edges they cut the road in half. So now all that is left is 1 1/2 lanes that they somehow made into two tight small lanes. Instructor told me to make a wider turn because there was a curb close to the edge and if you go over it it's an automatic failure.

So I go down the downgrade entrance and of course some DOT employee in this little car cuts into the lot right infront of me which I have to slam on my brakes, then at the entrance I have to wait till some kind of gap in traffic opens just to start to get in. I finally get this little little gab and start taking the turn making sure to go out little more because the curb is right at the edge. And of course some ass in a truck doesn't want to let me go and speeds past me in the other lane that I'm creeping into to turn onto this road. So right off the bat I already know I failed because this ass that doesn't want to let me turn is such in a hurry squeezes by me and almost hits me. Statey says I went into the other lane too much, even though he says it's tough with one lane down.

Other than that I did the rest of the drive test fine again. But I already know I failed right off the bat. Was hoping I would get a chance because the other guy was an ******* and didn't want to stop which made it look bad because he had to squeeze around me and had no room because of all the traffic cones cutting the road in half. So now another $350 and five to six weeks of waiting to go again. Hopefully if anyone reads these they get a hint of some of the things to watch out for.

On a side note I saw we were the only company using manual and all the other drivers came back that passed used automatic through the whole test. Wanted to slap them because they were all ****y saying they had no problem. I thought there was a restriction on the license that if you take the test using an automatic then you can only legally drive an automatic truck. Which the statey says currently is not the way, but will be soon.

Thanks, I'm going Monday 6/22. Hopefully everything goes ok and I don't psych myself out and do something stupid that they can fail me on. Another student failed his driving part last week because he didn't stop before the white line at the stop sign completely. He needed to move up to see around a bend that had trees so he crouched the truck out pass the line to see better and the statey failed him. Statey said he should have stopped completely before the white line and then crouch forward to see better around the bend.

Mass has automatic failure if you don't follow the rules of the road which I'm all for when that means going excess over the speed limit, dangerous driving, or anything else that is real is bad driving, but not coming to a complete stop before a white line of a stop sign is so small of an infraction that it's insane to fail on. Like the instructor says they're not looking for what to pass you on but what they can fail you on. Hopefully I'll get a job that will have some kind of tuition reimbursement so I can get some of the money I've spend on training and testing. Now I've spent more time on going for testing and waiting than actually training in the truck.

I've heard it from alot of old timers say Mass is so ridiculous at the things they fail you on. It's no wonder that all you see around Mass is not just job posts but huge highway billboard signs asking for CDL drivers, because to get one in MA is so fn hard. I've never heard of anyone passing the first time and most take 3-4 times to pass at $350 a pop. I'm going for my fourth time and here is some of what I've see personally and experience:

1. First time around I did my inspection perfect the state trooper said got almost every single item on the list, but he had to fail me because when I went in the cab I only turn the truck to electronics to display my gauges and test lights. BULL

2. First time failed the airbrake test because I said after releasing my parking EBrakes I'll wait till the needle stops and time it over a minute and shouldn't lose more than 3 PSI over that minute. Forgot to say that I lose 5-15 PSI when I release my EBrakes. Bull

3. One guy finished his airbrakes and was done with the airbrake test and just shutting down the truck and pressed on the brake while the EBrakes where on. Failed the airbrakes because state said he was compounding the brakes. Bull

4. On my alley on one pull up I slipped into fourth which gave the truck a jolt so I tried to put it in second and it slipped into reverse for a second and it made the beep, but I didn't move. So I just get into second and continue the pull up. State trooper counted that as two pull ups because he was in his car just listening for the reverse beeps and not watching. So when I got almost in the alley and was just looking to straightening it out before backing up I failed for going over the pull up limit.

5. Seen guys fail the maneuvers because they didn't get out of the truck using three points of contact. Trooper was telling people that they weren't driving the truck in a safe manner and some other bull which made no sense how getting out of a truck effects the way you complete a maneuver.

6. Same trooper fail people for looking out the back window. Which make no sense when in the real world you will use everything you can to do the maneuver safely.

7. The reason I'm going for the fourth time. I failed at the every end when I say every end I mean the every every end. Took the trooper out on the road and was a piece of cake even told the trooper if I pass (which I assumed was) I had a job interview right after for a driving position and I would finally have a job. Told him I was paying out of pocket for everything and the bank account was getting real low with $350 a pop. So completed the road exam and trooper is telling me I did great. We're in the parking lot, I'm at a complete stop at the parking space, I put the EB on, put it in low gear, and go to switch off the ignition, and my foot comes off the clutch and the truck stalls. Trooper looks at me and says I just failed for the truck stalling out. Which left me a grow man almost breaking down knowing now I don't have a job and running out of money to pay for another test because at the every every end while I was parking in the parking lot my truck stalled instead of shutting down. The trooper just got out and said "O well you drove great you should have no problem the next time". Even my instructor was looking at the guy like the biggest ******* the trooper was. I was so in shock I stood in the truck for awhile thinking about if this guy was just joking. The instructor even tried talking to the trooper about it because it wasn't so ridiculous. But that's why people absolutely hate state troopers because they're not human. To fail the driving part of the exam on something that was not even driving and was so minimal. So now I'm at around $6000 in to this and now I got to wait 4-6 weeks to get another exam date and hope to pass that.

All of this is why every single person there at the exams including the instructors are getting fed up with it and the things they are failing there students on. While the troopers are complaining about coming on their days off and the huge backlog of guys trying to pass. Had a guy that drive OTR for 14 years go for the test with me because he let is med card expire and he even failed for the same reasons. Mass is a joke

Went with the per lesson package which costs $150, but allows me to train in the truck for a whole two hours by myself. I went with this plan because I didn't know how to drive manual and the biggest thing I've ever drove was a UHaul moving truck. In my opinion it's a real good option if you have already an idea of drive a truck or a manual and depending on your skill. It beats the hell out of contracting for the lessons which puts you in a group of 4 to 8 guys waiting your turn over a four hour day which ends up only being maybe 40 minutes truck time. Sucks for does guys in the cold snow and rain. There's no protection to sit under.

First I thought about NETTS and even had them come by to get some information so I could pick the right place. As for that experience it was like a used car dealer experience. The guy was all nice and explaining everything. He even tried to explain why it would cost $11,000 and take 6 months. He said that most people would get some kind of financial aide from the government but I know better, that meant I would get a few government pell loans that I would have to still pay back.

Thank god I read up on this place and it's scams because once I said I was just looking for information and wasn't signing up that day and just handing them $50 applicant fee everything changed. The guy got ****ed that he was wasting his time and ended the presentation without answering any more of the things I was looking for and just got up and left. From reading up on NETTS that $50 is those guys bonus pay so they try to just hustle as many people to fill out the application and collect the money and then you'll never hear from them again. While you get doped into a unneeded 6 months of training which half is spent in class watching driving movies like you did in driver's ed.