Passed The Road Test.

I took my road test today and passed. I also took the tanker endorsement test and scored 100. It was a pretty stressful day, awoke at 2 am (couldn't sleep) and didn't get home until after 8 pm. I have pretty much decided to go with Schneider and drive a tanker OTR. I am hoping to start orientation in Dallas on Dec 3. Thanks to TT for everything I have learned here.

CONGRATS RICHARD !!!!! now go out there and start your new adventure !!! And be sure and tell us about it...And..we are still here to help whenever you need us...just cuz we kick ya out of the nest doesn't mean we're movin' the tree !!!

Congrats Richard.....I know the stress you felt...I took mine today also.....Glad that part is over....

I was pretty tired when I started this thread so I didn't not get into details last night. Now that I have had some sleep I want to talk about the test a little more.

My examiner was a young lady (early 20's). Initially I wasn't too excited about that but my instructor told us that previously everyone had said she is fair with no complaints. I felt confident about my pre trip as we had practiced it every day for the last two weeks. Still I stumbled over my words and thought I sounded like a fool. As long as you don't miss any components and say all of the key words (securely mounted, no missing hardware, not cracked bent or broken, not leaking etc)then you will pass pre trip.

Next was backing maneuvers. Compared to the range at school the DDS range is much larger and nicer. It's paved as compared to the gravel lot at school and it has painted lines. This makes backing much easier. I aced straight line backing and offset backing. I had been doing both of those at school with no problem since day one so I had no reservations about them. Then I drew alley docking. I'm not really sure which one of the final maneuvers I wanted as I had had periods of issues with both. The last couple of days of school I had done both without any points so I knew I could do it. I did have to use both of my pullups. When I looked in the mirror after I made my last pullup and saw that I was set up evenly between both rows of cones and all I had to do was back straight up I know a smile came over my face. I still had both of my GOAL's I just had to make sure the rear of the trailer was in the box. I backed in and stopped at what I thought would be a conservative place to stop. I fully expected to use both of my GOAL's and was pleased to see I was only about 6" short of the box. I got back in and backed up about 18". I used my next GOAL and was very happy to see I was well within the box and the truck was straight and pretty much centered in the alley.

Road driving was next. For some reason the examiner seemed pretty relaxed. I wonder if she knows she is putting her life in the hands of a stranger that may or may not know what they are doing. :) Still nervous I made 3 starts with the button up instead of down. I had not done that even once in school so I knew my nerves were in control of my driving. I also missed a gear on my very first shift and had to go back to the gear I was in. Get a grip Richard. The longer the road test went the better I felt. Traffic was pretty light. There is a 2 mile section of I-75 and as most of you know it can have heavy traffic. I came to speed quickly on the ramp and a flatbed driver opened up a gap for me and flashed his lights for me to come over. Thanks driver. There was one section of hwy with a dog running straight down the road. I had to come to almost a complete stop but he escaped with his life. Looked like he was on a mission. There are 2 right turns on the course where you have to go into the other lane to stay off the curve but there was no traffic when I arrived at the intersection so no issues there. We pulled back into DDS and she had a smile on her face so I knew I had passed. What a wave of relief after 3 weeks of hard work is finally over. Now to go to work.

Sounds like you did well sir....Awesome... The button and shifting will improve with time and practice....No biggie....

Congratulations Richard, I know you feel relief to get that passed you. I wish you the best with Schneider. I can't wait until I get that day behind me. All this has been exciting and also a challenge but I'm ready to move on. I got to drive on the road today it was exciting and I felt at home but also realized that you have to be totally aware of everything going on around you.Driving a school bus for the last seven years helped me know the importance of being aware of everything around you. Going down Thornton Rd I think I caught every light but I sure got a lot of downshifting practice. Sure enjoyed it though and just confirmed to myself that I am a good fit for driving a truck. Look forward to hearing your post from Schneider orientation updates.

Good job Richard. Once you start driving for real you will see that every situation you get into is really just a slight variation of what you went through in CDL school and at Schneider orientation. Schneider does a very good job with training.

Feel free to keep sending questions, email or call me. You have my info.

Congrats man!! I passed mine about 9 days ago. Sooooo big of a relief when it was done. I had a kid on a curb step out in front of my during my road test and I had to lock them up. Missed him by a hair. My tester opened the door and yelled at him lol. So I definitely know how stressful of a day it can be.

Congrats Richard!