4th Attempt Failed. 99 Degree Strikes Again

Its just something about that 90 degree, I am simply not getting it, doesn't register, does not click, does not compute, does not like me. I have practiced as much as i can with the time i get and even rented a trailer.

I can straight back and do an offset with 0 encroachments only using the 2 required pullups given.

I even got hung up on a curb, i admitted my fault and apologized and the examiner was gracious e ought to look the other way while i did my pull-ups and such to get it off the curb, but I still failed.

I have one more try under oregon law and then I have to wait a year, if that happens doubtful I can afford to come back to trucking, just being realistic this has eaten up a huge chunk of my savings and I have a 3700 loan out for the school I attended.

I am starting to think I should have paid more attention to this forum and done the paid company training, there are some aspects of all of this that dont sit quite right with me.

Anyway. I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for your support. I dont think I'll be on the forum much this week for the holiday.

Thanks again, hopefully I'll have better news in the future for yall

Moe

I went through Truck Driving School. It was 4 weeks. I DID NOT GET 90 ALLEY DOCK AT ALL. It was the day before my test day. A random instructor I had never worked with I just asked him what he does he showed me. I got back in the truck and it just clicked. when people say that light bulb will come on it will. Dont give up. I encourage you. Maybe look at it a different way then you've been trying. BEST OF LUCK YOU CAN DO THIS!

Thank you, honestly I have nothing more to say about it. I am at that point where I am so angry all I say is Just get the gawd d@mned phucking thing, then it will be over.

No more embarrassment in front of my friends, no more listening to the negative yelling and nagging from my negative and emotionally abusive phucking mother who can only see the end goals of any struggle in life and just yells and yells and yells when things dont go the way as planned....gee you cant tell what conversation I just got out of right?

Its been great, real great, a nice life....

Of course none of this helps, hopefully I'll get it ...

I went through Truck Driving School. It was 4 weeks. I DID NOT GET 90 ALLEY DOCK AT ALL. It was the day before my test day. A random instructor I had never worked with I just asked him what he does he showed me. I got back in the truck and it just clicked. when people say that light bulb will come on it will. Dont give up. I encourage you. Maybe look at it a different way then you've been trying. BEST OF LUCK YOU CAN DO THIS!

Did they spray paint the dots on the cross member of the landing gear for you and spray paint all the dots on the ground to help you to pass the 90?

No, they did not. This is Oregon, the whole state is weird..no they did not.

Sorry for my sarcasm, i really need to get off the webs, im not in a decent mood right now.

Did they spray paint the dots on the cross member of the landing gear for you and spray paint all the dots on the ground to help you to pass the 90?

Your probably just the victim of a terrible instructor. Him telling you wherever you point the trailer is where it will go is not very good advice. Someone on here please tell him how to cheat on this test. I can’t remember exactly how to tell it. You should be able to pull up to a certain distance from the box. Cut the wheel all the way to the right until your drives are at a certain amount of inches inside your landing gear leg. Then stop and straighten up. Back up a certain amount of feet. Stop. Cut it all the way to the right again until the outside drive is lined up with the center of the cross member. Cut it all the way to the left and follow it in. Something like that. I can’t really remember what the guy told me at the truck stop last night on how he cheated the exam. Someone who teaches this on here can help you better. This is just what I think I remember This guy tell me. Honestly my memory of this conversation with this guy is very vague. You really need to be in the perfect spot when you start this maneuver for it to work so if you could get a tape measure and lay it all out while nobody’s around that’s what I would do. Just hit the ground with something inconspicuous for dots. You will need to get these dimensions from someone who teaches this technique. It’s considered cheating by the department of transportation. So for anyone to admit to teaching this technique good luck. This guy told me the best place for the dot on the ground is at the center of your steps just next to it and there might of been another landmark on the ground. I just can’t remember what he said.

The best advice I can give you, without knowing the problem you're having, is that you have to watch what the trailer does with your steering inputs. What we all do when new and for a long time is over steer. Try to stay close to your sight side, where you can see. If you can keep the trailer about a foot from those cones and parallel to them you are good. Your trailer is 8' 6" wide, I think your Lane is 14 feet wide.

If you are starting from straight and have to "bend" the trailer into the hole, turn the wheel hard right. As the trailer starts to turn, turn your steers straight. The trailer will keep bending. Hard left to straighten, steers straight or slight right to bend.

Hope this helps.

Robert Duck, it's really hard to blame the instructor. In fact, I re-read through Moe's post from yesterday where nothing about his instructor came up. And it doesn't matter any more.

I was in a similar style to Moe's shoes when I went for my CDL test. I feel I truly lucked out at that time, but it still took another 18 months before I felt comfortable.

Moe, remember what you wrote yesterday:

I'm re dedicating myself to seeing this through to the end, getting my CDL , even if I fail, I wont stop. Even if i need to use up ly fifth try and maybe approach this a different way.

Now you've had FOUR practices at the real CDL skills test. I know it's tough to relax when your job is on the line, but that's what you will do. Focus in the immediate situation: it's another 90. Watch the tandems , control how the trailer moves. When you get the tandems in between the cones at a decent angle, you're home free.

Use any pull ups you have to make an adjustment. Also, stop backing more often than not - stops themselves don't count against you. So roll, stop, look at your trailer, roll back some more, stop, repeat as needed.

Oregon CDL examiners take their jobs very seriously. There are no cheats or shortcuts allowed. I know several good drivers who failed their Oregon CDL test.

I know an Oregon driver who failed his CDL test TWICE then he decided to try something different. Like you, he spurned company-paid training. He didn't want to be, "locked in". It's funny because he now works for a company that offers company-paid training. Don't think I don't bring that up every time I see him. He paid a company $300/ a day to get more time driving a truck. He did this for three days. This gave him the familiarity and comfort level he needed to PASS THE TEST on his next try.

Some might say, "He paid an extra $900 he didn't need to". I'm pretty sure if he didn't he wouldn't have gotten his CDL and his $3,500 investment in tuition would have been a total loss. Instead he achieved his goal and now has a better, higher paying job.

What worked for him may or may not be what you need. My point is he identified his problem and did something to fix it. I've got two questions for you:

1) How bad do you want this?

2) What are you going to do differently this time to get a different outcome?

Oh Moe!! I feel your pain sir, I truly, truly do...

If I've had 20 times to try the 90, I've gotten it in 3, maybe 4, times, and failed the other 16-17 times... As well, I've been practicing on a daycab... which was stolen over the weekend and now I'm having to re-learn it on a sleeper - and my testing is in a day and a half...

I totally commiserate with you. Deep, deep breaths... and maybe a beer tonight... Thanksgiving, time with your kin... then retry for #5 or shoot for your plan B... do you have a plan B? If not, consider paid training now. That's my Plan B, or Plan C... one or the other...