Georgia Class A CDL Training

In your first week of training you can expect to get right to work. This week is classroom. There will be a little bit of adjustment for you since most Daly’s students haven’t been in a classroom setting since they finished high school or college.

Your timeline for being ready to pass the permit test is 5 days.  During this time you are meeting all entry-level driver requirements under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for entry-level driver training in accordance with 49 CFR 380.503. You will also learn about “Highway Watch”, which has been described as: Homeland Security’s program that “uses the skills, experiences and road smarts of America’s transportation workers to help protect this critical infrastructure and the transportation of goods, services and people.”

Your primary objective during this week is to become familiar with the Georgia CDL Manual.  While all the sections of the CDL Manuel are covered our focus is the sections of the Manuel dealing with General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combination Vehicles.

For full time students you will usually train Monday thru Friday and test on Saturday for your permit.  If you are a weekend student you usually train for 2 weekends and test the following Saturday for your permit.

You now have your CDL class A permit.  This allows you to continue forward with training.  This permit legally allows you to get in a truck with a licensed instructor at our school and drive in traffic. They are experts on the required maneuvers.

You now have a permit and are ready to begin the hands on portion of the training.  The pre-trip inspection is first.  You must master this to move on. The most important thing to remember when you’re preparing yourself for this part of the training is to listen to the instructors.

The Pre-Trip inspection you will be learning at Daly’s will involve an almost 35 to 45 minute walk around of your vehicle.  You will be going over your truck with a fine tooth comb touching and identifying parts of the vehicle you didn’t know existed. Your concern here will be the safety of the vehicle.  Do the brakes work?  Are the tires ok?  Do you have enough fuel?, et cetera.  When you actually take the Georgia CDL test, and begin your pre-trip inspection, you will be so glad you decided to attend Daly’s, where the inspection process is thoroughly covered, the way the state of Georgia expects it to be done.

Next, you will cover maneuvering. The 6 maneuvers you will be mastering are:  straight line backing, Offset driver and passenger side, site side parallel, blind side parallel, and alley docking.  During days 6-10 you will do these maneuvers over and over until you are proficient at them.

The first two days of training on the road involve clutch and shifting only.  Our instructors will take you to a nearby shifting park where you will learn how to operate an unsynchronized transmission.  The advanced shifting pattern is probably different than anything your driven and is thoroughly explained .This is followed up by 3 days operating a Class A Commercial Vehicle in traffic and continuing to improve your driving skills.

On your 17th day of training you will be tested on your road skills and your ability to pass the Department of Driver Services state exam requirements. In most situations you will actually run the state road test as it will be administered by the DDS.  Assuming you are able to pass our tests we will allow you to take the State Exam.

Assuming you have passed your tests at Daly’s Truck Driving School you will get to take the skills test with the State of Georgia.  Daly’s Truck Driving School will prepare you for all components of this test.  Class A students typically take their road test 15 miles north of our training facility at the Gainesville Testing Center. Class B students typically take their road test 15 miles west of our training facility at the Cumming Testing Center. Daly’s Truck Driving School will provide the test date and the vehicle for you to take your exam outside of the public testing system which can delay this process.