Thread: Going to take my drivers test any tips

I wish I could help,but it has been SO long since I took a driving test that I really don't remember much about it except having to shovel some extra coal in the boiler so I could have a full head of steam.

I took my first driver's test 46 years ago. I imagine things haven't changed much. If you know the laws and obey them no problem. If you are comfortable with the vehicle you're driving, again no problem. The examiner is probably bored to death, so the smoother you can make things, the more they'll appreciate it. All of the above advice is good.

My driving test for my commercial license was great sport. I was 16 and driving a truck ( 18 wheeler ) with two transmissions and powered by a 238 Detroit. Funny thing about those old Detroits was they had NO guts and if you took time to wave at somebody, you were lugging it. In other words it kept you busy swapping gears to get it down the road. It had 6 forwards and one reverse on the main box and a 4 speed auxiliary. That makes for 24 possible forwards and 4 reverses. I got griped at for NOT using the clutch enough to swap gears and for using BOTH hands to cog up the main and the auxiliary as when you go up a gear on the main, you usually have to go down a couple on the aux so you reach through the steering wheel with your left hand and get some gears. I never ground a gear nor missed a shift. She passed me, she'd never seen a two stick set up before and was pretty bumfoozled by all that gear shifting action. Either that or she was ready to get the HELL away from that screaming Detroit and didn't ever want to have to have to plant her ample rear end in that truck again. LOL

You'll do fine.

was that one of those slap stick trannies i have heard alot about from friends

Nope, that was a sure enough 'old school' set up. You don't see set ups like that any more because engines have changed so much and make torque across a lot wider rpm range than they used to, so having a hat full of gears isn't needed any more except in some super heavy haul applications.

Here's a video to give you an idea. It's a Mack with Brown-Lipe trannies rather than Dana-Spicer's. Macks have the auxiliary shifter nearest the driver and are sweet shifting set ups. This old man can damn sure run a set of boxes.

i dont know what was more enjoyable, watching him work those sticks, or looking at that sharp old split window mack, damn that thing is beautiful

lol i appercate the info guys and if i ever decide to get my cdls i have a great trainer my uncle has ran about everythign under the son and ive been with him more times thn i can count. he tought me the basics of driving his western star and the old freightshaker i can bob tail in an empty parkign lot fin i think he never let me try with a trailor (cant seem to blame him for not trusting me with all of his livelyhood lol )

Being able to drive and passing a driving test are two separate things. I would never recommend driving un-licensed (here in Australia I believe it has insurance effects) but I did so for about ten years after I got out of the army. My license simply expired and I didn't bother to renew it. In the end I got so paranoid (even though I'd been picked up for speeding twice and let go) that I decided to get my license back. To do so, I had to go through the whole thing again, theory test and everything. I hooked up with a driving instructor for a few weeks to get rid of bad habits and learn the actual test. I passed easily but found re-learning stuff beneficial. I found you spend 1/2 your time looking in the rear mirror. You need to exaggerate looking in mirrors and looking over your shoulder. You also need to get the sequence right, i.e. look over your shoulder, THEN indicate, then change lanes. I'd say get the parking right but don't f around. F'ing around CAN make you look like you've got no idea.

Remember, there's nothing wrong with failing.

Oh, BTW, you STILL have rights in the army, but when you're a recruit, you'll very much doubt that that is true. I spent two years as a recruit instructor at Australia's Recruit Training battalion. I know very well how to make someone feel that have NO rights whatsoever. This guy looks like he's doing pretty well at that :-)

Originally Posted by EMC45

Drive careful like a robot. Parallel parking? Go take your test in one of the cars that parallel park itsself....

I doubt that would be allowed. Besides, if you can't parallel park, it means you don't really have an understanding of how to maneuver a car.

deerhunter, practice parallel parking in a lincoln continental mk v, damn thing is 18 1/2 feet long, handles at slow speeds like a tank, and if you can parallel park that, you can park anything, TRUST ME. i actually passed one of my tests after parallel parking my lincoln, the trooper was actually younger than i, and i surprised him by parking my boat, when most of the kids couldnt even parallel park mommy and daddies sub compact.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I doubt that would be allowed. Besides, if you can't parallel park, it means you don't really have an understanding of how to maneuver a car.

My SWMBO needs a vacant park either side of her just parking in a supermarket car park BUT it also needs to be within 20 feet of the entrance to the shops, which means wasting fuel driving around aimlessly looking for one that matched those criteria...

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

....snip...
Come to a full stop at stop signs and stop lights, making sure the front bumper comes to a full stop behind the sign or light, even if that means you are not far enough ahead to see if any cars are coming. Stop first, then if necessary you can inch forward

This one is interesting... in some states there are two places to stop.
The first is the cross walk and then there is a second at the intersection
proper.

Pedestrians, bicyclists, grey hairs.... give them a lot of room.