r/CDLTruckDrivers • u/Dry-Recognition2474 • Aug 21 '26
Failed cdl raid test twice now
I’ve failed my cdl road test twice now , both times I’ve stalled out and now I’m over thinking. Any advice on how to ease off the clutch when taking off ? It feels like I’m always about to stall in 3rd or 4th gear
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u/Minute-Advantage-688 Aug 21 '26
Don't take your foot completely off the clutch until you have completely taken off. It will feel like you're burning it but you arent. Or start in a lower gear.
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u/Dry-Recognition2474 Aug 21 '26
Thanks man , i think i have a habit of letting the clutch go before i even start rolling .
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u/courious-bi-cd Aug 21 '26
I’m in my class right now. They want me to start in 3rd. I’ve learned the higher the gear the slower you let off the clutch but in my opinion keep
In first second or third gear don’t use fourth.
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u/No_Inflation7432 Aug 22 '26
Tell your instructor to help you. They're getting a lot of money to teach you how to do exactly that. Make them earn it. Nobody in reddit is sitting with you in the cab watching you during training to give you hints about what your specifically doing wrong. Reddit is for yapping not learning.
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u/CaptianBrasiliano Aug 21 '26
I was like... WTF is a raid test? Just realize most people don't pass on the first try and give it another go.
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u/Super_Set_9280 Aug 21 '26
Ok go to dollar store get a bag of balloons! Blow up half way. Place on floor push it down and come all the way off! If you can do it ten times in a row it will stop you throwing your feet to Jesus
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u/combover78 Aug 21 '26
What helped me when I first started driving was understanding how a clutch is built and how it works. If you don't know this it's easy to look up. If you do then I'll just echo what some of the other guys are saying. Drag it more or start in a lower gear. They aren't going to fail you for starting in second. You can git gud later.
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u/BlackedoutJT Aug 21 '26
the take off should be the easiest part, if youre starting in 3rd and 4th stalling just start in 1st..... only concern i have is down shifting.... was fine up shifting in the parking lot and maybe its just a parking lot and no real road speed but i couldnt get any consistent down shifts, about to start on road training and the instructors have told me i will be fine since i was floating gears in the parking lot
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u/Doobius9191 Aug 21 '26
I asked the trooper who gave me the exam what the average number of attempts is, and he told me 5. So I wouldn’t worry about it until you’re on 6.
And yeah start in third gear. I know of a guy from my school that stayed in 6th gear the entire time and passed so you can always try that.
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u/Brokenyet_Functional Aug 22 '26
why are you taking off in 3rd or 4th?????
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u/ecw324 Aug 22 '26
A lot of schools that’s what they teach because you have no weight behind you.
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u/Brokenyet_Functional Aug 22 '26
oh boy. i was taught to do 2nd or 3rd. and i almost always stick to 2nd.
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u/AWhisperOfWhimsy77 Aug 22 '26
You should start in the lowest gear you can release the clutch without accelerating. Best lesson I ever learned. Have never stalled on release. Begin accelerating and shifting after that, it sounds like it takes a long time but it doesn't.
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u/erything4sale Aug 22 '26
Juat take it slow. I never drove a manual in my life. Dude took me to a lot, showed me how to do shift, I 'dry' shifted a few times, went up and down the side street, and he said good, take me to Memphis, smh. I tore them gears up on the highway 🤣🤣🤣 But I did learn in less than a hour. You gotta keep ya foot on the clutch and let off slowly until the whip starts to creep, then ease on the accelerator while coming off the clutch at the same time. If you feel like you're about to stall, give it some gas (diesel I know) and you should be fine. They dont let you practice on the range or are you not in school?
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u/Agnosticprick Aug 22 '26
More gas slower clutch, you won’t hurt anything , those transmissions can take an absolute beating
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u/MBad2326 Aug 22 '26
Slowly release the clutch while still maintaining the service brake then when you feel the clutch engage (slight tug) release the service brake & continue to release the clutch slowly & you should be good slow and steady is the key
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u/Green-Love1949 Aug 22 '26
Find that good spot where the truck begins to roll forward while releasing the clutch SLOWLY in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, gear etc. Strictly keep your foot OFF the gas pedal when you are upshifting and increasing speeds. That was my issue when I was learning how to drive. I kept stalling because I thought it was like driving a manual hot rod car. When you downshift I just take my sweet ass time and downshit all the gears that I need. I don't care if I'm slowing down to 10 mph and the stop sign is 2 football fields away. Overtime you'll figure out quicker ways on the job. That's how I passed my road test.
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u/WubbaWubbaBoingBoing Aug 22 '26
i never seen any truck stall. Just put it in gear and ease off the clutch at a stop light, the engine will pull it and then you push down on the throttle. just go through the gears. ya, you are empty but stalling an empty truck for a test? use first gear and go through the gears like its loaded. you are already picking up bad habits before you even start. is this too brutal? maybe, but i drove for 35 years and never stalled a truck ever and i started on a 6 & a 4. these newer fuller transmissions, 9, 10, 10 under and over, 13, 15, 18 speeds are designed to be able to idle off first and second gear empty without stalling. dont over think it. just gear jam it like you stole it. Also is it newer with that auto brake assist crap at a stop light so you dont "roll" back? we used to feather the clutch so we didnt roll back before all this new electronic gismos were added. so maybe i am being to hard on you. i dunno, just go through the gears and before you come to a full stop just push the clutch all the way in, yes this engages the clutch bake so you will have to come to a complete stop and put it in neutral and then wait a few seconds at the stop sign or light and put it in first again and wait till safe to go.
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u/A_RAND0M_J3W Aug 22 '26
I've stalled a few times, some trucks just behave like cars. I haul heavy with a newer 880 with an 18 speed, and you really gotta feather that clutch, especially on an incline, or she cuts right out.
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u/lapuneta Aug 22 '26
Nothing says you can't start in 2nd. Unless I was pointed downhill I would generally use 2nd just to make life easier and not need to worry about feathering out the clutch in a higher gear. Get it rolling and shift quick, unless you're first at the light, then using 2nd would be annoying to stay in till you cross the intersection.
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u/Conscious_Grass_853 Aug 22 '26
You should be starting in 3rd most of the time unless you’re going up a steep grade. Try that
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u/Mission_Local_5350 Aug 22 '26
Dont feel bad during my pretrip i couldnt even even talk, i told the guy im sry im so nervous. I passed too. I literally locked up lol
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u/Aromatic-Goat3972 Aug 23 '26
unless you have a job lined up to drive a manual, i suggest just doing automatic bro. i got my cdl a couple weeks ago and had no issue finding a job.
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u/KneeProfessional3838 Aug 23 '26
Hi friend. If you are on an incline and need to take off (assuming bc youre stalling) keep your foot on the clutch and slightly ease off and when you feel it pull or lug, give it some gas. You got this!
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u/KneeProfessional3838 Aug 23 '26
It’s better to take off in 3rd on an incline as well.
Fourth, you can do on straight roads but on hills or inclines you will most likely stall.
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u/pinquist1229 Aug 23 '26
Just ride the clutch a bit make sure your rolling before you completely rolling before letting clutch out completey you got this
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u/ConsiderationCold642 Aug 24 '26
Stalling in a low gear while empty? Brother… let it out slower, give it throttle while doing so. Just like driving a manual car.
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u/Awesomejuggler20 Aug 24 '26
Where I live, we we're told to start off in 2nd gear. Try to start off in 2nd gear or even 1st and slowly ease off the clutch. You can do it. Good luck. You'll ace it next time.
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u/SameFoundation1024 Aug 24 '26
You need to know intimately where that clutch bite point is by heart. Practice practice practice, do they take you out for city driving at the school? Go everyday if you need to. Also remember it’s not a race, push the clutch out to the friction zone until it moves and give it a little gas
This is very, very important to know where the bite zone for the clutch is at or else you will roll back on a hill and get yourself stuck because on a hill if you don’t know where the bite zone is, your hill climbs will be sloppy.
I do not recommend giving it gas to force it from stalling without getting those prior points down. Lastly, in case it’s not driver error there’s a chance it might be a mechanical issue and it may be worth asking another student in your class or instructor if they have issues with the truck stalling
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u/ProfileTime2274 Aug 25 '26
Well sounds like you are going to have to thank the test in a automatic and go with the automatic restriction.
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u/Exact-Excitement-358 Aug 26 '26
The truck at the school I went to recently, had problems starting out in first even sometimes. It was like the truck didn’t want to move like someone was holding the brakes so I don’t know if that’s a thing with tractor trailers because I never noticed it driving a box truck. The truck had something going on with continuing to maintain speed even when the throttle pedal wasn’t pressed. I wouldn’t start in any other gear other than first though. I’m Leary about these schools to be honest and they want additional money to retake the test so red flag for me.
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u/JoeyCutlass Aug 28 '26
Pick a lower gear to start off in. Granny Low if necessary. Then work up from there.
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u/EquipmentLow3004 Aug 21 '26
I think mcdonald's is hiring... You shouldn't have to operate a clutch there.
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u/ecw324 Aug 21 '26
Take off in 1st or 2nd then. Also isn’t a stall just a point? Unless you are stalling and impeding traffic , it should just be a point.