I just thought this was funny

RJM62

RJM62

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Geek on the Hill
This is a screenshot from an exam page from the AARP online driver safety course.

-Rich
 

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I'm not sure that qualifies as even a multiple-guess question...
 
But the medications and alcohol make me feel calm and rested. Besides, if you're not above room temperature none of it matters anyway...
 
Answers A, B and C are pretty much all the same thing anyway, I don't understand the question.
 
In my online drivers ed course, I was asked on a quiz what that big round circle thing in front of you is.
 
This is the first non-commercial defensive driving course I've ever taken. The previous ones I took were classroom courses for professional or fleet drivers, and were actually rather informative.

Are all the non-commercial DDCs this repetitious?

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
This is the first non-commercial defensive driving course I've ever taken. The previous ones I took were classroom courses for professional or fleet drivers, and were actually rather informative.

Are all the non-commercial DDCs this repetitious?

-Rich
Click to expand...

I took one once. It was pretty bad.

(I've never taken a commercial DDC, and don't have a CDL. I wouldn't WANT one.)
 
Sac Arrow said:
I took one once. It was pretty bad.

(I've never taken a commercial DDC, and don't have a CDL. I wouldn't WANT one.)
Click to expand...

I turned in my CDL because to renew it would have cost ~$400 plus three trips to the DMV and one to the State Police (to be fingerprinted yet again, as if my fingerprints had changed since the last time I renewed) by the time all was said and done.

So I downgraded my license to a Class D. I don't use the CDL any more; and now that they've increased the weight limit for renting trucks with a Class D license, I doubt I'll ever need it again. I easily thought of better things I could do with the four hundred bucks, so the decision was a no-brainer.

I'll take my chances with regard to the small quantities of welding gases I occasionally carry for personal use. Amazingly enough, I have noticed no degradation in my driving abilities even despite my no longer having a CDL, not having provided yet another set of fingerprints (nor obtaining TSA's imprimatur on same), nor passing the same HazMat test I've passed three times already. It's pretty amazing if you ask me.

As for the course, without exaggeration, I think they must have mentioned about 100 time already -- probably more -- that "older drivers" should increase our following distance to three seconds. Okay, I get it. Can we please move on?

Like I said, I've never taken a DDC intended for non-commercial drivers, so I really can't compare it to anything. I suppose AARP's course is no worse than any other -- and quite possibly may be better. It seems to me that the problem is that the state requires eight hours, but there's simply not enough content to fill eight hours; so they just repeat things a lot.

Or maybe they think we're all senile and need things to be repeated.

As for the course, without exaggeration, I think they must have mentioned about 100 time already -- probably more -- that "older drivers" should increase our following distance to three seconds. Okay, I get it. Can we please move on?

Wait a minute... did I already say that? :lol:

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I turned in my CDL because to renew it would have cost ~$400 plus three trips to the DMV and one to the State Police (to be fingerprinted yet again, as if my fingerprints had changed since the last time I renewed) by the time all was said and done.
Click to expand...

Yikes!

Here in WI, it costs me $64 to renew it for 8 years, same as a normal license.

It sounds like maybe you had something extra due to hazmat? I did give up my hazmat, simply because I never used it and I didn't have time to study for the test last time I renewed. I can see them requiring the written test again, it'd be pretty easy to forget all that stuff after 8 years if you hadn't been actively using it or studying it. Repeating fingerprints is pretty stupid, though!

I'll keep the rest active, though, as you never know when a license will come in handy (like, say, my Comm-AMEL did when that Hawker was parked on the ramp needing an FO... :D). I have ABCD + passenger, tanker, and double/triple trailer endorsements on my driver's license - The only things I don't have are school bus (don't wanna deal with the little rascals anyway!), hazmat, and motorcycle (I was cured of wanting that after watching the average driving skill of Americans take a nose dive in 2007 or so).
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Yikes!

Here in WI, it costs me $64 to renew it for 8 years, same as a normal license.

It sounds like maybe you had something extra due to hazmat? I did give up my hazmat, simply because I never used it and I didn't have time to study for the test last time I renewed. I can see them requiring the written test again, it'd be pretty easy to forget all that stuff after 8 years if you hadn't been actively using it or studying it. Repeating fingerprints is pretty stupid, though!

I'll keep the rest active, though, as you never know when a license will come in handy (like, say, my Comm-AMEL did when that Hawker was parked on the ramp needing an FO... :D). I have ABCD + passenger, tanker, and double/triple trailer endorsements on my driver's license - The only things I don't have are school bus (don't wanna deal with the little rascals anyway!), hazmat, and motorcycle (I was cured of wanting that after watching the average driving skill of Americans take a nose dive in 2007 or so).
Click to expand...

The Haz-Mat necessitated the fingerprints and re-test, and accounted for (I believe) $190.00 of the cost. The license would have been, I think, $180.00, and the re-testing fee $25.00. The medical card would cost nothing because I always got it during a regular physical.

The way it works in NYS, based on the last time I actually went through the renewal rigmarole (about six or seven years ago), is something like this:

1. You get a physical and get the DOT medical card. Without that, DMV will not talk to you unless you are a public employee. Public employees do not need medical cards to hold a CDL, presumably because there is a law against public employees becoming ill.

2. You download and print the TSA form. This saves you from having to wait on the "form line" at the DMV.

3. You go to DMV, wait on the renewal line, and pay a fee to renew your license without the Haz-Mat endorsement. If your existing license and/or endorsement are unexpired, you can continue to use both the license and the endorsement until they expire. However, the license and the Haz-Mat endorsement do not necessarily expire at the same time -- just to keep life interesting.

4. You wait on another line and take an eye test. This is just in case the doctor who gave you your DOT physical didn't know how to administer an eye test as well as a DMV clerk does.

5. You wait on another line to be photographed.

6. You wait on another line for someone to look at your completed TSA form, scribble something illegible on it, and give it back to you.

7. You take the TSA form with the illegible scribble to the State Police, pay another fee, and get fingerprinted.

8. The State Police scribble something illegible on the form and give it back to you.

9. You take the form from the State Police with the illegible scribbling back to DMV.

10. You wait on a line to hand the form from the State Police with the illegible scribbling to a bureaucrat.

11. The bureaucrat scribbles something illegible on a receipt and gives the receipt to you.

12. You go home and wait a week or two until you receive a DMV notice that they have received a TSA notice (to confirm that your fingerprints haven't changed since the last time you were fingerprinted, I guess).

13. You take the DMV notice that they have received the TSA notice back to DMV and wait on a line to pay a testing fee.

14. You wait on a line for a terminal to be free so you can re-take the Haz-Mat test.

15. You then wait on a line to get a paper Haz-Mat test because the testing terminals are down.

16. You wait on a line to turn in the paper Haz-Mat test.

17. You wait in a big, windowless room with the permanent odor of perspiration for the paper Haz-Mat test to be manually graded.

18. When your name is called, you wait on a line to receive your grade.

19. Assuming you have passed, you wait on line to have the endorsement re-added to your license.

20. You receive a temporary, paper license with the exact same privileges as the permanent one in your pocket. (The renewal permanent one will arrive in the mail).

-Rich
 
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RJM62 said:
3. You go to DMV, wait on the renewal line, and pay a fee to renew your license without the Haz-Mat endorsement. If your existing license and/or endorsement are unexpired, you can continue to use both the license and the endorsement until they expire. However, the license and the Haz-Mat endorsement do not necessarily expire at the same time -- just to keep life interesting.
Click to expand...

Only one thing I can say to that: :crazy:

4. You wait on another line and take an eye test. This is just in case the doctor who gave you your DOT physical didn't know how to administer an eye test as well as a DMV clerk does.
Click to expand...

:rofl:

12. You go home and wait a week or two until you receive a DMV notice that they have received a TSA notice (to confirm that your fingerprints haven't changed since the last time you were fingerprinted, I guess).
Click to expand...

Wow... Here, it's still a single trip.

20. You receive a temporary, paper license with the exact same privileges as the permanent one in your pocket. (The renewal permanent one will arrive in the mail).
Click to expand...

Huh... Another thing we have better here: They'll hand you your new license before you walk out the door.

Being exposed to this sort of thing is part of why I've moved to the center politically. I've lived in Wisconsin all my life, and we're a very purple state. More often than not we'll have a Republican governor but Democratic senators and blue (but pretty close) in the Presidential races. Seeing what goes on in places like MA, NY, and other traditionally-blue states where liberalism runs amok has made me a bit more cautious. So, these days I taxi with my right main on the centerline. ;)
 
RJM62 said:
The Haz-Mat necessitated the fingerprints and re-test, and accounted for (I believe) $190.00 of the cost. The license would have been, I think, $180.00, and the re-testing fee $25.00. The medical card would cost nothing because I always got it during a regular physical.

The way it works in NYS, based on the last time I actually went through the renewal rigmarole (about six or seven years ago), is something like this:

1. You get a physical and get the DOT medical card. Without that, DMV will not talk to you unless you are a public employee. Public employees do not need medical cards to hold a CDL, presumably because there is a law against public employees becoming ill.

2. You download and print the TSA form. This saves you from having to wait on the "form line" at the DMV.

3. You go to DMV, wait on the renewal line, and pay a fee to renew your license without the Haz-Mat endorsement. If your existing license and/or endorsement are unexpired, you can continue to use both the license and the endorsement until they expire. However, the license and the Haz-Mat endorsement do not necessarily expire at the same time -- just to keep life interesting.

4. You wait on another line and take an eye test. This is just in case the doctor who gave you your DOT physical didn't know how to administer an eye test as well as a DMV clerk does.

5. You wait on another line to be photographed.

6. You wait on another line for someone to look at your completed TSA form, scribble something illegible on it, and give it back to you.

7. You take the TSA form with the illegible scribble to the State Police, pay another fee, and get fingerprinted.

8. The State Police scribble something illegible on the form and give it back to you.

9. You take the form from the State Police with the illegible scribbling back to DMV.

10. You wait on a line to hand the form from the State Police with the illegible scribbling to a bureaucrat.

11. The bureaucrat scribbles something illegible on a receipt and gives the receipt to you.

12. You go home and wait a week or two until you receive a DMV notice that they have received a TSA notice (to confirm that your fingerprints haven't changed since the last time you were fingerprinted, I guess).

13. You take the DMV notice that they have received the TSA notice back to DMV and wait on a line to pay a testing fee.

14. You wait on a line for a terminal to be free so you can re-take the Haz-Mat test.

15. You then wait on a line to get a paper Haz-Mat test because the testing terminals are down.

16. You wait on a line to turn in the paper Haz-Mat test.

17. You wait in a big, windowless room with the permanent odor of perspiration for the paper Haz-Mat test to be manually graded.

18. When your name is called, you wait on a line to receive your grade.

19. Assuming you have passed, you wait on line to have the endorsement re-added to your license.

20. You receive a temporary, paper license with the exact same privileges as the permanent one in your pocket. (The renewal permanent one will arrive in the mail).

-Rich
Click to expand...

Huh. Out here we just tell the sheriff that if he writes us a ticket we won't vote for him anymore. Lot easier.
 
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