Transcription
Are you worried about failing your CDL pre-trip? Well, this is my consolidated video to help you ace it on your first try. My name's Danny, and I have helped over 300 people get their Class A CDL. And I put together this study guide to help you do the same. If you're interested, comment below.
All right, the first of our four safeties is going to be our fire extinguisher, right down here, properly mounted and secured, and fully charged. Then our next safety is going to be our three red reflective triangles, underneath the bunk. Next is going to be our bar electrical fuses, kept behind this panel in front of the passenger seat here. And lastly, it's going to be those light indicators on the dash. So if you need to put your coat in first, you'll put that in, turn your electric on, watch your ABS light come on on the dash and on the trailer as well, making sure that it's showing up on both and it's functioning correctly. We're also going to need to pay attention to our DEF gauge right here, showing that it is showing the correct amount of DEF that we have. Uh, and then we move on to those light indicators: left signal, right signal, high beams, and finally our four-way flashers. And that completes our four safeties.
From there, we can turn the truck on and move into our four functions. Now, our four functions is going to go ahead and start with our windows and mirrors, all properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, adjusted to the driver, and free of any obstructions. Next is going to be our wipers and blades. Pressing the toggle, we will see that our blades are properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken. They are operating smoothly, and those blades are in good condition. Next, we're going to move on to our heat and defrost. We can see right here, we turn to this icon, turn it all the way up, and we need to feel that defrost and feel that heat to tell that examiner they are both working correctly. And that final function is going to be our horns: city and highway. The fun one.
So after that, we can jump right into our air brake test. First thing we need to do before those four stages is we got to push in these valves. That third test is going to be the pop-out valve test, and they can't pop out unless we push them in. Then we need to make sure that we have a sufficient amount of air in the tank. So I'm going to rev the engine to get the PSI well over 105. That's a threshold I like to use to make sure we have enough for that applied pressure test. Next, I'm going to turn the engine off and the electric back on so we can see that gauge, but the air compressor is no longer filling the tank. And the last thing I will do before I start my stages is turn that hill assist off. That way, there is ample air supply to the trailer, and we can really see if there's any sort of leak.
So now that I've got those things done, I'm going to get right into the first stage. The first stage is going to be the applied pressure test. What I'm going to do is fully depress my service brake, wait for my gauges to stabilize, and when they do, I'm going to make sure I do not lose more than 4 PSI in 60 seconds while I'm listening for leaks. At that point, I'm going to press all the way down on that brake. I'm going to watch that gauge stabilize, and as soon as it does, I'm going to ask the examiner, "Will you please time me for that 60 seconds?" At that point, that examiner will start your clock. 60 seconds will go by, he will say, "That's time." You will take your foot off and you will say, "I did not lose more than 4 PSI in 60 seconds, and I did not hear any leaks."
That second test is going to be that warning light and buzzer test. We're going to pump down our brakes until that warning light and buzzer come on at or before 55 PSI. So here we're pumping down, we're watching our gauge, and we can see right there, the warning light and buzzer did come on.
The next test is going to be the tractor and trailer protection valve pop-out test. We're going to continue to pump down till both those valves pop out, which should occur between 20 and 45 PSI. So we're pumping down, we're watching our gauge, and we're watching our valves to make sure that they both pop out. There's one, there's two, and we can see both those valves popped out.
Now, turn that truck back on, complete the final stage, which is getting our air pressure built all the way back up to governor cut-off, between 120 and 140 PSI. That's where we need to get our pressure built up. So I'm going to rev that engine until we hear that sound, and once we hear it, we'll denote it. All right, pressure is built up to right around 135, and there it goes. So that's our fourth test. That finishes the four stages of the air brake test. First, we had the applied pressure, then we had the warning light buzzer, then we had the tractor and trailer protection valve pop-out, and that final test was to get the air pressure back back up to the governor cutout, which is between 120 and 140.
So let's move into our tug test and our service brake test.
Okay, so our tug tests are very simple. You're going to see right here, gently press on the brake, cycle it into drive, push in one of your valves. It does not matter which one. Accelerate gently, and when you feel that tug, denote to the examiner, "Brakes are holding." That tug is good. Then we push in the opposite valve and pull out the other, leaving it in gear. Accelerate gently again, and there's another tug. So we know both of those are working. And finally, we do that service brake test. We get our truck up to 5 mph and then gently brake to make sure the truck does not pull to the left or to the right.
So there it is, guys. That's our in-cab. That's that 4-4-4-2 style. If you build this thing brick by brick, you should have it in your brain in no time.
All right, so the next section here, we're going to have is the driver side door and fuel area. This has four different components. We're going to start first with our mirror and traffic monitoring devices, properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, and clean. Next, we're going to come down here for our battery and box, properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, connections are tight and not worn, there is no corrosion, and the box is latched. Next, we're going to move over here to our DEF and fuel tank and lines, all properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, lines like all lines, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and no leaks. Additionally, no leaks from the cap. Caps are on tight and no leaks from underneath as well. That fourth component is going to be back here, and it's a pretty big one. Now, if we're doing a flatbed trailer, it's a little bit different. If you're doing a reefer or a box trailer, we have to make sure that we're mentioning the frame and cross members for the truck and for the trailer, all properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, no missing cross members. We also have to make sure that if we are with a reefer unit, we talk about the sliding rear tandems, or if this is a flatbed that has a sliding axle, we talk about that also being properly mounted, secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, and pin is in the fully locked position and in good condition. And we also need to talk about this floor of the trailer here, the deck on a flatbed, or the floor of a boxed trailer. We need to say properly mounted, secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, and it's in good condition. So that's our driver side door and fuel area.
Let's move on to the coupling section. First, you're going to have your airlines, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, not leaking. Next, you're going to have your electric line, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, no exposed wires. And then you're going to have your glad hands, properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, in good condition for those seals, and they are not leaking.
All right, our next three is going to be right down here. First, we're going to have our trailer apron, properly mounted and secure, not cracked, bent, or broken. Right underneath that, pressing against it, is our skid plate, properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, and fully lubricated. And as we can see, there is no visible gap between that apron and that skid plate. Next three is going to be right here. This is our platform, properly mounted and secure, not cracked, bent, or broken. Attached to that is our sliding fifth wheel locking pin and airline, all properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken. The locking pin is in the fully locked position, and that airline, like all of our airlines, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and not leaking. That third one there is going to be the mounting bolts, all properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, and no bolts are missing. So that's our 3-3s.
From there, we can move into our 2-2s. Safety latch right here, properly mounted and secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, and in the fully locked position. Coming back here, we have our landing gear and clearance, properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, in the fully raised position with the handle secure, and an adequate amount of clearance that when we turn it, it does not make contact with that mud flap there. Lastly, we're going to have our kingpin, properly mounted and secured back there, not cracked, bent, or broken, and our locking jaws, properly mounted and secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, and fully locked around the kingpin. So guys, that's our coupling, three-threes, two-twos.
Let's go ahead and move on to the engine compartment. So as we're standing here in front of the truck with the examiner, we're going to say there are no leaks of any kind underneath the vehicle, and there are no leans.
From there, we'll move over to the passenger side. From here, we're going to want to do our passenger side general hoses, all properly secured at all ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and no leaks of any kind, no fluid and no air.
From there, we'll move over to our driver side. Watch your head here. And from the driver side, we will do our driver side general hoses, all properly mounted and secured on all ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and no leaks of any kind, no fluid and no air.
From there, we move into our three fluids. Here we have our coolant, properly mounted, secure, not cracked or broken, filled to manufacturer specifications, and not leaking. Right down here, we have our power steering fluid reservoir, properly mounted and secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, filled to manufacturer specification, and not leaking. And our third fluid is going to be that oil, and right here, we can see it's filled to manufacturer specification and checked with the dipstick.
Next is going to be our two-twos. Starting with our steering gearbox and hoses, properly mounted, secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, not leaking, and like all of our hoses, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, and not leaking. Next, we're going to go into our steering linkage. That's going to be our Pitman arm, our drag link, and our tie rod down here, all properly mounted, secured at all ends, not cracked, bent, or broken, and not missing any castle nuts or cotter pins. Now, that second two is going to be our braking components. First is going to be our brake lines, properly mounted, secured at both ends, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts, not leaking. And now, the remaining braking components, we need to assert that there are no contaminants of any kind, oil, or debris. That's going to include those brake pads, brake rotors, any of that extra stuff. No contaminants.
After that, we'll move into those two different threes. That first one is going to be about our suspension. First, we're going to have our spring mounts, properly mounted, secured at both ends, not cracked, bent, or broken. Then we're going to have our leaf springs, properly mounted, secured at both ends, not cracked, bent, or broken, and not shifted. And then our shock absorber here, properly mounted, secured at both ends, not cracked, bent, or broken, and not leaking. And that final three is going to be about this wheel. Now, our steer tire is properly mounted and secured, no abrasions, bulges, or cuts to the tread or the sidewall. It has been filled to manufacturer specifications and checked with an air gauge. It is also no less than 4/30 seconds of an inch, checked with a depth gauge. Next is going to be this rim, properly mounted, secure, not cracked, bent, or broken, no unauthorized welds, all the holes are round, and they are unworn. And finally, we have our lugs, properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, none are missing, there are no rust trails or powder residue, no shiny studs indicate that it's loose, and there are no cracks around the bolt holes. So that completes our engine compartment.
From there, we can move on to the lights. You're checking four things in four ways, and then you're doing your 5x5s. Now, those four things are going to be lights, lenses, reflectors, and reflective tape, and we're going to be checking them all to make sure they're properly mounted, secured, not cracked, bent, or broken, clean, and illuminated, and amber to the front and sides, and red to the rear. So I have five clearance lights, two headlights, and two runners. And we have a light here, another light here, and here, reflector on the back of the headache rack, reflective tape along the rub rail here, another light here on the back of the tractor. I have two lights, two reflectors, and reflective tape on both of my mud flaps. Continuing down the side of the trailer, I have a light here, another light here. Right here, we have our ABS light, and another light here on the back of the trailer. Light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, and reflective tape on the top and the bottom of the DOT bumper. More reflective tape here, and don't forget this little light here. Another light here. Light, light. And if you forgot the back of the truck, you can do it right there. Light, light. And finally, right here, a light.
The next section of our lights inspection is going to be our five functions at five locations, and this is making sure that when we put signals on inside the vehicle, we can see them outside the vehicle. So you'll say to that examiner, "It's now time to begin my 5x5. I'll be checking my five functions: left signal, right signal, four-way flashers, high beams, and brake light, at my five locations: front of the truck, both sides of the truck, back of the truck, both sides of the trailer, and the back of the trailer. Will you help me, sir, at them?" And after that, they will help you administer that functions test.
And that's it, guys. That's our whole inspection. All five different components. If you're interested in that sheet, reach out to me directly. I'll get it right over, and you can follow this exact same system we just used.