Tips For Passing The Pre-Trip Inspection Process Of Your CDL
When it comes to passing the CDL license exam, one of the more complex components that you'll need to master is that pre-trip inspection process. There are many little details to that inspection and it can be easy to get overwhelmed when you're just learning. Don't let the inspection process overwhelm you, because it isn't as challenging as it seems initially. Here are a few tips that may help you to get the whole process down before your exam to improve your chances of passing.
Devote As Much Time As You Can to Studying
While this may seem like a practical recommendation, it's easy to dismiss studying when the test is a few weeks off. Don't allow yourself to fall into that cycle, because the more you study the inspection process, the easier it will be for you to commit all of those steps to memory. In addition, it makes it easier for you to develop your own rhythm with the inspection cycle, reducing the chances that you'll miss something.
Spend a little bit of time studying every day to help improve your chances of retaining the information. You may even find it easier if you break up the whole process into chunks according to the section of the truck those parts are on. That way, you can master inspecting one part of the truck at a time.
Active Practice Is A Key to Retention
Reading about the process and studying the inspections is important, but physically doing those inspections is equally important. Doing the inspection routine on a truck repeatedly allows you to develop a sense of muscle memory, which means you're physically reinforcing the information in your brain.
If you're practicing and you miss a step, go back to the beginning. That way, you commit the entire process to memory without any flaws instead of just moving on. When you go back to the beginning, it gives you a greater reinforcement of the entire process the way that it should be.
Tips for The Testing
When the test day arrives, you'll be juggling the inspection, the truck handling and the paperwork requirements as part of your exam. It can be a lot to balance. Make sure you're working through all of it slowly to reinforce it all. Go through the motions of the paperwork required for your pre-trip inspection every time you practice that inspection. This associates the two, helping you to remember those steps when it matters.
Some of the things to remind yourself of as you go through the test include tips like checking for leaks anywhere there's fluid flowing, checking all of the brackets to ensure that they are stable and validating that all of the emergency equipment operates as it should. It's always better to check extra things than to miss something required. For more tips, check out companies like the Center For Transportation Safety.
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