North Shore Driving School Ltd
    Car Division: 1821 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, BC V7M-2J8  Phone: (604) 988-1138 Toll Free: 1-(866) 988-1138
    Truck Division: 2990 Norland Ave., Burnaby, BC V5B-3A6             Phone: (604) 689-0110 Toll Free: 1-(888) 571-5777
  Serving Greater Vancouver Since 1961

Truck Driver Education Practical Course Content

This page contains the core content of our practical training for Class 1, 2, and 3. These are the various topics we will cover with you during our training courses.

If you have any questions; please do not hesitate to give us a call at 604-689-0110.

Class 1 & 3 Practical Training Outline

The following is a general overview of the "On-Road" portion of the core program for Class 1, 2, and 3 training.

Total hours of practical training will vary depending on your chosen course.

Orientation to Vehicles

  • Instrument and control familiarization

  • Vehicle pre-trip inspections

  • Pre-trip documents and log books

  • Brake adjustments

Operation of Vehicles

  • Starting combination vehicles

  • Moving forward at slow speed

  • Basic shifting and clutch control

  • Stopping at various speeds (air brake control)

  • Basic turning with and without a trailer

  • Basic backing with and without a trailer

  • Steering, curves, corners, and lane positioning

  • Observation of traffic and highway laws

  • Trailer coupling and uncoupling

  • Post trip inspection

  • Make final log book entries

Driving in Urban Traffic

  • Visual search: collision avoidance techniques

  • Speed management: stopping distances, planning and timing

  • Space management: blind spots, blocking for corners, space cushion driving

Proper Engine Operation

  • Gear selection

  • Peak torque ranges

  • Shift points

  • Progressive shifting

Highway Driving

  • Visual search-pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, animals

  • Speed management

  • Advanced shifting, gear splitting, clutch blending

  • Space management-crossing, joining, leaving, traffic blending, communicating with other traffic

Mountain Operating Procedures

  • Mandatory brake checks

  • Starting on hills

  • Uphill and downhill shifts

  • Use of retarder (Jake brake)

  • Brake and speed management

  • Proper gear selection