Sage Truck Driving School - Phox

Sages teaches us to do it after everything else for the pretrip. For one thing, you don't want to start the engine till after you check the oil (what if you don't have oil, you'll also be without a running engine :) ) and also for the pretrip you should be checking the kingpin lock and that's something you do while walking around, once you have started that why would you stop, get in do brake test, then get out and finish walkaround.

The way I do things is the standard approach, check for leans, leaks, license plate, then any mirrors I pass by on the way to drivers side door I check to make sure they are secure and nothing is broken, then I open door and turn on hazards and lights.

Then I'll open the hood and check all fluids, hoses, wires, belts, etc... pretty much everything. I touch and grab and tap anything and everything to see if anything is loose or broken. Even if I don't need to I do it anyways cause it only takes a second each and then I know I didn't forget anything. Once I have checked the engine I'll start it up to let it warm up, not needed in San Antonio, TX but it's a habit my school taught me. On our testing truck we also have to turn on cruise set to 1000 cause it has an idle shut off otherwise, this also builds the air pressure to req lv while you're doing everything else.

heading back to hood I close n button her back up while listening for any odd noises from the engine. Then I do my walkaround. Starting with checking all the lights and anything else I can see or touch from the front of the hood, then drivers side, to back of cab, drivers side trailer, rear doors, pass side trailer, pass side cab. Once everything has been checked I get in and make sure everything inside is working up to par, including wipers and fluid (no point in checking the wiper fluid level if it doesn't spray).

Finally I will do my brake test. The acronym sage teaches us is LESS (I prefer LEST). Less stands for: Leaks Electrical Springs Start engine, but I prefer to put a t instead of 2nd S and that's to stand for Tug.

This whole time engine was running and building air pressure. I usually will give service brakes a quick pump just so I can listen and make sure cut out is at right psi (pumping service once lowers the air and lets it build more but without taking an hour as if engine wasn't running). So then I would do my leak test, shut off the engine, but leave electrical on. Release the brakes (I forget to mention after I start the engine for warming up during pretrip, I place my chock(s) down as well, so truck is already chocked for brake test) and let the system settle, then I'll do the 1 min timer, then I do the service brake leak test. I wear a watch so I just use that for timing.

Once both of those are complete I move onto electrical, this is why I said leave electrical mode on. pump the service brakes till low warning comes on... simple enough. I also turn the key off at this point so I don't have to listen to that annoying alarm. you don't have to though.

now spring test, keep pumping the brakes, the parking and trailer brakes should engage between 20-40 psi. on our testing truck they don't engage till the primary tank has about 10-15 psi and secondary tank has around 30. Our other 3 trucks (well 2 of them since I have not driven our red one) they engage around 25-30 psi on any of the tanks.

Then I start the engine, set cruise to 1000 again and go put chock(s) away and listen to the annoying low air pressure warning till it builds up pressure for that to go off.

Once the pressure is back to normal operating range and the gov has make that tssh sound (sometimes our students say "when the system farts") I conduct my tug test. Once again you don't have to do it when I do it, but while the pressure is building I'll push in the trailer brake so I'm all set to test tractor brakes. since those are engaged from spring brake test you're not going anywhere. So shift into 2nd and give it a lil tug... yup tractor brakes work so in goes tractor out goes trailer brakes and I test trailer brakes, give a lil tug, yup they work too. Then if the truck has one equipped and it works I test trailer hand brake (aka trolley brake), same principle as first 2. finally I'll test service brakes, roll forward a little bit and hit the brake pedal... but gently, no need for whiplash :) everything works... theeeeeennn

This concludes my brake test

This is the sheet I found / made (some of it I copied, a lot of it I edited to personal need for easy reading and understanding... for me) to help me use while learning the brake test: http://justpaste.it/qdfg

I have not needed my last 2 tests. the red text is stuff you're supposed to say during driving exam test. you should also say what you're doing for each step of tug test, I just didn't put that in mine sheet. feel free to copy it and edit it to your needs and use it.

Also my drive today went VERY well.

instructor took me on all 3 possible DPS test routes, my test should be on thursday and only one of those 3 is used on thursday tests. but just in case examiner changes something or I get scheduled for friday instead he showed me all 3.

The thursday route I did everything perfect, even the stupid turn road that isn't designed for trucks. no curb checks at all. I even did my parallel park just fine too, think tractor was a little further away from curb than supposed to be but everything else was fine.

2nd route I did everything ok, but the parallel park was a bit of annoyance cause you are back up hill and the road you do it on has plenty of traffic coming through and once you turn that trailer towards curb you can't see them anymore... not really an ideal place to be having students do that. no curb checks that route either.

3rd route everything was mostly the same except they throw in a couple zingers, like they have this dirt road that the examiner will tell you to pretend is a railroad crossing and a train is coming. so standard turn hazards on and stop 15-50' away. it's hard to do that when you don't have actual tracks. there's also an area where the examiner will have you pretend your truck has broken down and wants you to demonstrate what you would do once pulled over. also the route was exact same as #2 but part of it was other way around. I did everything fine except part of it I had to make a turn and I could not get the bloody thing to down shift into any gear no matter how much revving I did or anything and next thing you know it's a snowball rolling down a snow covered hill... I'm coasting to far in netral, grinding gears, not able to get into any gear.... annnnd I did a curb check while making the turn... so much to go wrong at once. most of that would have just been lost points except the curb check which is auto fail. so if I get that route I will be taking all my turns extra slow and careful :)

I have been with same instructor for all of my last 5 drives and he says I'm only 1 of a very small handful of students he has seen able to start from a stop in 4th, most have to do it in 3rd cause they don't let clutch out slow enough. I am able to start in 4th without stalling truck or making everything shake too much. he also said something I take as a huge compliment, if he was still driving he trusts my driving skills enough that he would team with me if I needed someone. that is an extremely large compliment when an instructor says that to a student. obviously he's teaching at the school and I really don't want to team anyways.

Bravo, Phox!!! I've been following this thread since you started it, and I get the sense that your commitment to professional driving will take you far. Your instructor said as much by complementing you on your driving skills.

Regarding the pre-trip, thank you so much for taking the time to share your procedure. I can only hope that I do close to as well as you!!!

So, with that, I hope your success continues and that you're out there on the road soon, in your own truck. I look forward to another installment of your daily adventures.

Stay safe!

I'm glad my posts have been of interests and help to you.

Today I had my final two practice drives with my school. My 10-2 drive was with the teacher from aussie. He wasn't as funny in the truck as he was in the classroom. Lot more serious in the truck and very strict. but I still did everything well... turns out I WILL be doing the 2nd route for drive test so we went around that route about 5-6 times or so. I only hit one curb and it was with left steer wheel... I didn't start my turn soon enough because instructor was distracting me... did that a lot and a couple times I wanted to tell him to shut up, but I didn't. all the other complicated turns and stuff I did just fine even the uphill parallel park.

Once we got back to the yard I had a little break then a different teach went out with me and did a skills evaluation to see how well I have learned the various tasks involved in driving a truck. he didn't make me do the reverse serpentine, said that was optional so I didn't do it. everything else I did just fine, even parallel parked with just a red line... no curb or cone for reference haha. finished everything about an hour and a half early, talked with a future student a bit, told him what I have learned and what he can expect, he even got a free lesson on cuppling and uncuppling the truck... but since I was done with everything teacher said I could ask him any questions or practice anything I felt I needed to practice, he said I did everything just fine though so since I was tired anyways and had other stuff to do I just called it an evening after asking a couple questions. so I was done by 5.

Now I just need to pass my driving exam, which is scheduled for 8:30am tomorrow morning, although I have to be at DPS office by 7:30 for the pre exam pow wow examiner has with the testers. Test should only take about 25 min or so. I see no reason I can't pass, if need be I'll hold up traffic so I can make my turns with perfection... they can kiss my lily white butt if they don't like it cause i'm not gonna auto fail cause they want to get someone a little sooner. I also plan to find out everything that can auto fail me before I start so I make sure not to do any of that.

That is awesome.

You will do great on the test. Get a good nights rest.

Stay safe

I did it! I pass my CDL driving exam!!!!

Took quite some time before I got my chance. was told to be there by 7:30 for pre test pow wow... examiners didn't come out till like 7:45-7:50 and pretty much gave us a quick run down of things and gave us our test sheets to hold till it was our turn. There was 2 other companies testing, our local bus service with 2 buses and roadmasters with 2 trucks, then my school with 1 truck. so with 5 examiners you don't want paperwork getting lost or mixed up between trucks and companies.

then the examiner for my school's truck had us all do brake test one after another, first guy had to do a small pre trip (just a few basic, lights, safety equip, etc). Once all 4 of us did our brake test then we one by one did our road test. first guy passed, he said just barely(didn't tell me his score), but a pass is a pass. Then I got my turn... finally at about 10am... yeah was scheduled for 8:30, didn't get to do it till 10...

I scored a 78 on mine. There were a few things she took points off that were not very fare, such as she said I was supposed to use turn signals when parallel parking... ughh that's not what my school taught me and every trucking video I have seen any kind of backing maneuver you use your 4 ways. that was 2 points, she took points off for upshifting and down shifting (both of them... separate things) for the control category... two time I had a little trouble getting it into gear but I still did, just not as smooth or soon as it should have been and I only had trouble with 1 downshift the whole time but I fixed it really quick, that was like another 4-6 points for those 2 things. she didn't like that I didn't turn my head both ways while actually going through intersections... come on lady if i'm already in the intersection there aint nothing I can do if someone is gonna hit me then so looking at that point is pointless, I did look before hand and she acknowledged that... so I lost some points there too. She also didn't think I looked enough when getting on freeway... scuse me but i aint turning my head when I got people merging in front of me, slowing down in front of me, etc... my eyes and that mirror did just fine n dandy. honestly except for 1 or 2 things most of the point deductions were her just being nit picky cause she could be. the thing that bothers me is that most if not all of these examiners don't have a cdl of their own... how you gonna test my ability to drive a truck when you can't even drive one. she did say overall my driving was really good and thinks with time and practice I'll improve even more. like I said the grade doesn't matter as long as it's 70+ and I got 78 so I'm good. went inside and got my permit changed to license... course now i'm back to a paper license cause Texas is slow and mails your plastic card... which I won't be in town for for a couple weeks haha.

Once all that was taken care of I went back to the school, got the graduation paperwork taken care of and got my picture taken with one of their trucks:

In case you're wondering, no that's not the truck we test in... that was still at DPS being used. However though, this was my personal favorite truck to drive of the 3 I drove for class.

Phox -

Congrats dude!

Well, Monday my boss called me and said the navy pulled my funding for my billet. So putting house on the market and moving to UT. I will be attending SAGE in Sandy UT either right at closing on the house and shortly before. Pulling some of my retirement to have enough to live on for my first year on the road, use my Veteran benefits for school too. I was "planning" for this to happen until middle of the year, but apparently God has his own timetable for me.

Who are you going to try and drive for?

Phox -

Congrats dude!

Well, Monday my boss called me and said the navy pulled my funding for my billet. So putting house on the market and moving to UT. I will be attending SAGE in Sandy UT either right at closing on the house and shortly before. Pulling some of my retirement to have enough to live on for my first year on the road, use my Veteran benefits for school too. I was "planning" for this to happen until middle of the year, but apparently God has his own timetable for me.

Who are you going to try and drive for?

Us Xpress, already had pre hire for about 2-3 weeks now. I start orientation this monday.

I did it! I pass my CDL driving exam!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have done well, Phox.

I hope your experience with US XPress is as equally rewarding.

WTG Phox. USX will gain a good, new driver. Remember, pay attention, and remain teachable, and gain as much knowledge as possible in the short time you will be with your trainer. I know that USX likes to encourage teams, is their training team style, or "true trainer" or a combination of both?

Stay safe