Hi Ariel and everyone else here at EO. I've been lurker here for sometime, just reading, learning and storing away useful information. You guys have a great community here! Ariel has touched on a topic that gives me an opportunity to contribute. I've been a trainer/driver developer for FedEx Express for some 15 years and have guided many folks through their CDL tests in the states of MA and RI.
Ariel, what gotta go says is dead on the money. When you are doing your pretrip you want to exhibit confidence. I tell my folks to walk, talk and touch the things that you are inspecting. This shows the inspector that you know what you are doing. If you come to something that you forgot the proper name of, just keep going. You can always come back to it. Don't look to the inspector for answers. He won't have any for you.
While I'm not familiar with testing procedures in GA this is the way it usually goes. Paperwork examination, Pretrip, Brake test, Skills Test and if you get past all of that, the Road Test.
It's the little things that will do you in, so be mindful of the details. Ensure that all of your paperwork is in order and that you have everything that GA requires. This includes the trucks paperwork, your own paperwork and your sponsor's paperwork. This should be listed in the GA CDL manual.
First thing you do is put both wheel chocks down. One in front of the left rear drive tire and one behind it. Yes, two wheel chocks are required. I've seen many a prospective CDL holder get sent home because they had no chocks, one chock or simply just forgot to put them down.
Remember to pick up the chocks prior to doing a Rolling Brake Test. If the Brake Test is done before the Pretrip make sure you put them back down again and then remember to pick them up again before going into the Skills Test. Each time you exit the vehicle remove the key from the ignition. Whenever you are in the driver's seat put your seat belt on and if the inspector is in the passenger seat ensure that he/she has theirs on. If they don't, ask them to put it on.
Each state has to meet certain standards for testing to satisfy FMSCA requirements, but they all have their little idiosyncrasies. It will be in your best interest to find out what these are as they pertain to GA before you go. Examples are in how retesting is done. In MA if you knock over a cone, the test is over and you have failed. In RI if you knock over a cone, points are deducted from your score. You can continue until you either pass or exhaust your point allocation. In MA all testing is facilitated by the State Police but RI all testing is done by CCRI (Community College of Rhode Island) who hires retired drivers to carry out the testing. They do a great job down there.
Try to find out ahead of time what the retesting procedures are. They differ from state to state. In MA you either pickup where you left off or just do the maneuver you failed. In RI you start from scratch. If you have to go for a retest don't be discouraged. Many people don't pass the first time out. Look at it as a learning experience. You'll do much better the second time around.
Lastly, take your time and try not to get rattled. If you find yourself getting rattled STOP, take a breath, think things through and try again. Try not to think of it as a test, but just another practice session.
I wish you the best of luck.
Craig
