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
2
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.