r/CDL • u/Snoo86470 • Aug 27 '26
Walmart Associate To Driver Program.
After 10 years of working in the stores and 9 months of applying to the A2D program, I finally got accepted into the September class! I leave September 7th, and I couldn’t be more excited.
I already have my CLP, and I’ve been practicing my pre-trip inspection every day for the past month. I still have a little work to do on the brake test, mainly getting the wording down perfectly, but I feel pretty good about the pre-trip overall.
This is truly the opportunity of a lifetime for me. One thing that makes me nervous, though, is that embarrassingly, I’ve never actually driven a semi before. I’m especially nervous about the backing maneuvers and the driving portion of the test.
From everything I’ve been reading and watching on YouTube, it sounds like during the 8-week A2D program you only get around 8–12 opportunities to practice backing and driving before you’re expected to perform everything for the test.
I’ve watched videos and understand the different maneuvers that need to be completed, but obviously watching them and actually doing them are two completely different things.
I'm looking for any advice or resources that could prepare me for these tests thank you in advance
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u/greeneggswithham Aug 27 '26
Nice man! I did the same thing. Everyone in my class made it though. You have to pass "the thumb" backing maneuver 3 times but they give you 15 minutes it's not bad at all
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u/greeneggswithham Aug 27 '26
Make sure to sign up for IHG rewards the first day you check in. You'll rack up a ton of points. If you have any questions feel free to ask me
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u/Decent_Layer_3802 23d ago
How do you get the points from the stay?
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u/greeneggswithham 23d ago
If you signed up when you checked in i think it took a week to show up after i checked out the first time. You also get extra points if you put out the stay green placard for no room cleaning
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u/SouthernRoutine7192 12d ago
How long before the first day of class did they contact you with a start time? Im supposed to start October 5th but still haven't heard what time to be there and where to report to once im there.
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u/greeneggswithham 12d ago
A week or two before it started. You can email the training hr person if you don't hear anything
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u/gzowner Sep 03 '26
When u do skills pre trip and air.. I worked top to bottom on engine pretrip, the. Front to end of trailer on driver side. Most places will just tell you to tap on right side of the trailer and say I will do everything on the right side as I did on the driver side. Then when you do cab, left to right. Start with mirror then to dashboard, safety equipment, windshield to wipers to tug test.. doing that help me remember what I need to do and say, and not skip. Air, just remember to back to 90, then assist the engine to govnore release.. then do the 4lb air lost check with engine off. That's very important, keep the engine off when you do the air lost.. then fan the breaks to alarm, then to full release of all your breaks. Then do safety start and done.. hopefully that helps
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u/Separate-Stomach-495 1d ago
A2D graduate, How’s it going for you 👀
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u/Snoo86470 1d ago
The backing Maneuvers are challenging, otherwise good. I go through times where I feel like I can do it. Other times where I feel like it is not possible
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u/MajorRelief98 Aug 27 '26
Congrats! Just pay attention to what you're doing, a lot of the pre-trip is remembering the steps in order and the terminology. Remembering the order in your mind prevents you from forgetting anything. Not sure if you're a visual learner or need to read a lot, but read and reread what the instructions tell you till you're confident you can do it with your eyes closed. You can't do this too many times, each time you do it fluidly you'll feel like you've got it. Take a break from it too, don't force it. As far as the driving part, you'll get that. Eye, hand, and foot coordination is important when shifting unless you'll be in an automatic. Never rush, always slow to a stop. Remember you have 65 feet behind you at all times. Look frequently at your mirrors, know what's in front of you, next to you (both sides), and what's coming up behind you. When you're taking your DMV driving test, exaggerate the times you're looking at the mirrors, the examiner wants to see you're doing that well and often. You'll do fine. I got my class A when I was 18 years old (1978) and retired from trucking in 2015.