I think IA still uses DOT personnel.  They travel among the courthouses now, and you can make an appt to take the driving portion of the test.

Not sure anymore about what the manual says re shifting at corners and intersections .............examiner told me that I could shift anyplace I wanted, but she'd cut me a new one if I missed the gears when pulling away from stop signs or in intersections..............so we kept the ground speed slow and rpms just below boiling when pulling away from stop signs......until we were comfortably into travel lane.   :<)

When going across railroad tracks, at that time anyway, CANNOT shift.  I shifted up during exam before the trailer tandems had cleared some RR tracks-----got needled for it.