Well I work part time with a local DPW. I am being encouraged to get my CDL Class B because they are thinking about rehiring a 5th worker (the part time guy usually gets first dibs). It's all local traveling through the town or to the quarry but they are mainly used to plow/salt the roads so they are all standard transmissions.

i hate automatics....when im 80,000 pounds i want 100% control over what gear im in and what gear i want

try doing it with a mack twin stick front load truck into a uphill can now that sucks.

as for the test, a trick a old timer taught me is find out where on the body tells you at your rear end is 6" from the "wall" or w/e. i used a ford f800 flat bed, it was halfway up the bed. also, 13-letter **** spreaders are cake to shift, dont double clutch em.

How's everyone else's training / testing coming? My brother passed his Class A last Saturday at Bakers Basin with flying colors. He said the DMV employee didn't even follow him to watch his pre-trip, he just stood at the back of the truck and waited for my brother to finish.

- Justin

Im shocked, that's usually the thing they are sticklers with

I'm still practicing driving at this point... getting more and more comfortable. the only time I have is about 15 minutes every few days during my lunch break when we eat at the shop.

Got the shifting/downshifting and braking down, just a little hung up on the high and low splitter.

split before shifting, im sure they told you that, also notice the speed and RPM for the gear your in before you shift, will help come downshifting

knowing what gear you need to be in is key, always split before the shift, only time will make you better at it all as a whole, its like when you learned how to ride a bike, only theres a lot more things to pay attention to.

i finally got my cdl 2 weeks ago....was going for the A, but push came to shove and if I didnt pass this time i wouldve been kicked out of my apprenticeship so i settled for the B...ill upgrade next year

keep practicing, what about driving after work/weekends for seat time?

-brandon

Passed my CDL class B with air brakes this morning. Man was I nervous. I was hired full time with the local Department of Public Works pending I passed the test!

The truck I am going to be plowing with (and the one I learned to drive on) was damaged in the storm. I had to use a 2007 International... I had about 3-5 hours of practice in it lol. My truck has a synchronized transmission so it was a totally new feeling to me.

It's a good feeling. My pay nearly doubles and I get a good health care package now. Oh and I'm eligible to join the union now ;)

Funny, i just took someone for their test today also. They passed btw. I should be a instructor by now....

Good to hear it!
I messed up on some minor things but I was able to justify why/how I messed up to the instructor and he actually liked my logic. Like for instance, in the book it says "When stopping at a sign or red light, you must be able to visibly see the pavement under the tires of the car in front of you"... unfortunately the guy stopped at a yellow light and I knew I wasn't stopping in time so I quickly raised my air ride seat to the ceiling while he wasn't looking. I saw him mark in his book that I had stopped too closely so I said "hey, is their a physical distance I should be behind the car in front of me or just a suggested visual distance". He asked what I meant and I explained that he might not be able to see the tires how he was sitting but from my view (the difference in my height standing at 6'4 and my seat sitting higher) my head was touching the ceiling. My line of sight was higher and therefor I could see more of the front of the truck then he could at his lower position in the seat. He smiled, slid up higher in the seat and looked at me and crossed off what he had written in the book. SCORE!

I challenged quiet a few of my mistakes before he told me what I did wrong and he liked my logic on most of them. I think more than anything he liked how I noticed what I did wrong before he could tell me.

I was a little disappointed that I wasn't allowed to use the jake brake, I had learned to drive using it so it changed my shift points and shift timing.

Congrats on passing, man!