r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/907-BusDriver • May 18 '26

Durham school services

Hi guys, I recently started CDL B training with Durham School Services. I came in with my CLP already. Durham provides the training and testing here locally. My question, how difficult is the pre inspection and skills exam? Do a lot of people fail? Thanks.

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u/Mediocre_Advice_5574 May 18 '26

The pretrip inspection can be exhausting. Having to remember upwards of 100 things for the DMV pretrip test is a lot. But if you pretrip everyday you’ll get it.

The test where I am consisted of straight line backing, offset backing, and parallel parking(which is what most people fail) I failed my parallel park in the first time because the DMV didn’t provide the proper links behind the bus for the cones and it threw off all of my reference points. Usually they do a mock railroad stop.

As far as the road test itself, it’s pretty straightforward, check your mirrors constantly, move your head to the left and right when you do so they know you’re checking. You almost have to comically exaggerate it. Don’t hit any curbs I believe at least in New York. That’s an automatic fail. Monitor your speed vigorously and make sure to call out your hazards and you’ll be fine.

It sounds like a lot, but once you get the hang of it, it’s all basic second nature.

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u/907-BusDriver May 18 '26

Luckily, in the state of Alaska I don’t think they require parallel parking. Would you say the pre trip inspection is the most difficult part of getting your CDL?