WINNEMUCCA - Nevada Department of Transportation employee Amanda Heuett earned her class A commercial driver's license May 10.
This would not usually be news, instructor Butch Gordo said, except that Heuett is 23 years old and has still never driven a "stick shift" car.
According to Gordo, who is a designated certified operator for NDOT and also does highway maintenance, the CDL course consists of four parts. It's his job to get drivers prepared for the test. Each requires a passing score before moving on to the next.
The first is a detailed written exam, memorizing the DMV commercial manual. Then there is a pre-trip inspection, where the applicant must identify and inspect 90 different items on a truck-trailer. The basic skills test requires precisely maneuvering the rig between and around cones and pavement lines in reverse.
Finally, if all previous test have been passed, the examiner will invite the applicant to drive the truck-trailer downtown and on the freeway, smoothly double-clutch shifting the big rig while observing all traffic laws and "driving for conditions," Gordo said.
CDL examiners are notorious for catching every little error, Gordo said.
Needless to say, Heuett was a little overwhelmed with the magnitude of this project and inexperience with standard shift equipment, Gordo said.
But in some ways that was an advantage - no bad habits to break. A lot of hard work went into her training, with everyone on her crew pitching in to help. On the day of her check ride she was ready, Gordo said.
The pre-trip sets the mood for the rest of the day and she only lost six points. For the skills test she drew offset parking, one of the easiest maneuvers, and conventional parallel park, one of the hardest.
If you think parallel parking a car is hard, try it in a truck-trailer, Gordo said. But she was on top of her game and barely missed, acing it by encroaching a line, for a loss of four points.
Full of confidence, she headed out into traffic. Here, her inexperience came through and she lost 20 points out of an allowable 30, but it was a pass, Gordo said.
Heuett is now a fully certified interstate CDL driver. "We are all very proud of her," Gordo said.
Her plans for the future include learning how to drive a stick shift car and getting her training to plow snow next winter on U.S. 95.
The Commercial Driver Course is not easy but with hard studying and lots of practice, anyone can do it, Gordo said.
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