Legit question about testing now that I failed pre-trip

I say this as a former CDL examiner in Pennsylvania. You get nervous when taking tests and miss things, we all know that. Most folks do not pass on their first attempt unless they had an outstanding instructor.

If the examiner did actually say that you knew enough to pass but still failed you then he was wrong. It is not subjective, you either correctly identify enough items or you don't, not up to examiner discretion. That siad however, if you missed inspecting the air compressor, that is most likely why he failed you. It is a critical component, as are the slack adjusters and push-rod. Miss these or don't know how to properly inspect and it is grounds for an automatic failure.

Your school did you a disservice if they told you most examiners will ask if you think you are done or hint at things. They won't, not if they want to keep their accreditation to perform CDL exams. We are required to be impartial examiners and not allowed to coax or lead a driver to the answer. Further, your school should have drilled a very systematic approach into you.

Do the same process each time, and in the order the examiner has it on their form, is the best way to insure you pass the test. It is laid out in a common sense approach in the CDL manual, follow a routine from front to back and you will cover all the items. Jumping around is an easy way to miss things or fail to mention things. It is also hard on the examiner as they may miss you saying something as they are making notes about the last item you checked.

Many items have several things that must be inspected, and if you jump around the examiner can not easily keep track of each point to make sure you demonstrated each item properly. Example, on brake chambers you inspect to insure it is properly mounted, not damaged (cracked, dented, welded) the slack adjuster is attached, moves freely and within adjustment, clevis pin is in place, no audible air leaks, hose is secure and good condition (no cracks, frays or abrasions). On our inspection form this is laid out as

brake chamber (l/d)___ l-loose d-damaged and the line is for a check mark when properly inspected
slack adjuster (l/d/h)___ l=loose d=damage h=hardware (pin) and check when all 3 inspected
brake hoses (c/a/l)___ c=crack a=abrasion l-leak and check when all mentioned

So, if you bounce around your examiner might miss giving you credit for something, even if you did mention it, or mentioned it while inspecting a different part of the vehicle. Also keep in mind that many states allow the inspector to have you only inspect one side or area of the vehicle and give you credit for a complete inspection. The states that do this form look for a much more detailed inspection than the states that have you walk around the complete vehicle.

 

Just mention EVERY SINGLE THING you see attached to your little catch phrase "I'm checking blah blah blah part for any cracks, bends or leaks" etc etc. Literally do this for every single part you can see with your eyes. Take an entire hour if you need to. Don't forget to mention how you're looking under the truck for leaking fluids as you approach it with the instructor when you're beginning the test.

Using this advice I passed my pre-trip the first time right off the bat but I failed the maneuvers when I bumped a cone during my blind side parallel park. The second time I barley passed on the same maneuver. The instructor took a piece of paper from his clip board and slid it between the cone and the trailer. It was THAT CLOSE. Technically it wasn't touching so he passed me!

 

I will add bouncing around will make the whole thing take longer and make iy appear you don't know what you are doing .

 

no other thing to do but, practice, practice, practice.

you do not know for sure the "laxness" of other sites, but only of "rumors"......

 

Do you live in Ohio?
Which school did you attend?

 

Just curious are you allowed to take along an observer with you while doing the test? How'd you go with the brake test ? Talk your way through it while doing your safety checks, remember you only lose points for failing to do something not for going slow so if you decide to drive 10 mph below the speed limit they won't fail you for it, me on the other hand i gunned the motor once i got on the free way i couldn't wait to fly down the freeway making sure i kept to the posted speed it showed i was confident but then i was already an experienced driver just had to get the US version of a CDL the only points i got deducted was for not looking when i crossed through a traffic intersection on a green light one of my old habits.

 

No observer, just you and the examiner. They don't even want your licensed driver that accompanied you to the test facility to stand outside and watch as they are afraid you may be giving hand signals or some other instruction on what to do.