Today, we did a practice run on all the tests we'll have down in Florida tomorrow. I've passed them all, even if not by that wide a margin. The pre-trip inspection wasn't too hard (I scored 96 out of 104), but one annoying thing is that I lost points for not checking something we were previously, explicitly told not to check. Specifically, in Charlotte, they said we did not have to check the torsion rods for Florida's pre trip, but it turns out we do and I lost four points for missing all four of them. Then, we did the road test... the shifting technique that the instructor down here taught me has helped immensely, and I'm hitting gears every time now. I'm not perfect, of course, but it's a vast improvement over where I was just two days ago.
The backing course, though, still is giving me grief. I kept messing up the 45° and the parallel, so I had to pull forward three or four times, and even then I still lost another point for missing the two-foot target in the back of the box. But... 14 points is passing. I know I'll score one (and only one) point on the straight-line section. I know that I'll score three or fewer points on the right turn; I even hit zero on a few tries. Thus, even if I take five points on both the 45° and the parallel, I'll pass. There's a slim chance that I'll need all five points for both, but knowing that I have them takes a little of the pressure off. That doesn't make it less frustrating when I have to pull forward for the third or fourth time, but at least I know that I can do that and pass.
My test is at 1:45PM tomorrow, so I'll be getting there around 11:30 so I have time to eat and practice before the test. I just hope that I don't freeze up once I get there; if I stay relaxed I'll pass.
The big day is finally here. I'm still gonna be watching the clock and waiting to see/hear how your test goes. Dun forget that a right turn of the wheel sets your trailer to go left and vice versa for backing. Best of luck *hugs* ^_^
ReplyDelete