As you prepare to take your CDL Skills Test, you may be wondering what exactly will happen during the road portion of your exam. First of all, you’ll have to follow certain government standards that ask that the driver:

• Drives in 2 lane streets
• Drives in 4 lane streets
• Drives on the highway
• Drives on the interstate
• Cross railroad tracks
• Make right and left hand turns

Be sure that you shift gears properly and obey the basic rules of the road (which you should already be aware of from driving a regular 4-wheel vehicle).

Make sure you don’t impede traffic during your exam. You may be nervous while taking your CDL Skills Test, but you should drive just like you would any other day of the year.

Obviously, you want to make sure that you can actually drive the vehicle you’ll be testing to get your CDL for, whether it be an automatic or a manual. And hopefully you can rest easy knowing that the state CDL examiners will most likely grade in a similar way to the driver’s license examiners you interacted with when you were taking your driving test at age 16.

The state CDL examiners will grade on things like:

• Do you check for oncoming traffic?
• Do you keep your eyes moving? (Are you checking your mirrors? Are watching your surroundings?)
• Do you keep both hands on the wheel?
• Are you aware of the traffic on both sides of your truck?
• Do you actually stop at stop signs, or do you just yield?

Oh, and… don’t hit the curb! In some states, that’s an automatic failure.

A lot of the road portion of the CDL Skills Test is common sense. Do you know how to drive a regular 4-wheel vehicle? Do you know to stop at red lights and obey the speed limit? Then you’ll probably be OK. You won’t be expected to perform the road test like you’ve been driving a tractor-trailer for 30-something years. If you’ve practiced driving and you’ve studied the pre-trip inspection, you should be well on your way to getting your Class A or B CDL.

Do you have additional questions about taking the CDL Skills Test? You’re in luck! eGears is offering a new resource — “Your Guide to Taking the CDL Skills Test.” To receive this new guide, just fill out the brief form below!

Post By amandabrown (21 Posts)

Amanda is a blogger with eGears and has been working in the trucking industry for a year. Her goal for this blog is to inform you of industry news, product information, and the truck driving training aids available on our website. You can connect with Amanda on Google+ here

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