Clutch knee?

I'm 64 and just developed arthritis in my left knee.Don't know why,but it maybe clutch related.

 

I came into this job with a bum clutch knee. Most days I walk without a support cane, but with a bit of a limp. I learned quickly how to float and judge the lights so I wouldn't have to clutch in. Yes my knees can push in the clutch, I just minimize it to avoid the pain. A 13 spd with it's splitters seemed to be easier than a 9 or 10 spd.

Now if I ever own my own rig, I may move to an auto-shift or full auto just to keep me on the road longer.

What I found to be a killer was the rigs without adjustable steering wheels and arm rests! Ripped my left shoulder up! I can't see how those old school guys did it in those beasts

 

Don't use the clutch only to pull out

 

Look away if sensitive or don't want to read another "exercise is good" post...

You may wanna do some squat-like exercises if you think it's an issue. Hell, why not starting exercising anyway, even if just a little here and there. If not, and you drive all day you will one day wake up and notice you park as close as possible to the truck stop restaurant door and cursing the day it takes you more than 88 steps to get to the buffet. ...You'll soon notice you need (another) new belt as yours has shrunk (again) and you contemplate using suspenders. The breathing is more labored as you walk and you start to wheeze on occasion. You notice a certain "waddle" in your walking, all 22 seconds of it before you need to stop for just a moment. Chips and jerky keep you occupied between the meals. Someone giggles, you might notice, as you try to get into your truck without looking as though you have ten 25 lb plates attached to your suspenders. High blood pressure, diabetes, CHF, some know it as "metabolic complex" and his completely preventable. Oh, and the arthritis that accompanies knee/hip/spinal joint abuse as a result of being huge, which leads me back to the original idea of the thread - knee pain and muscle strength as it relates to exercise or lack of it in regard to being able to tolerate using a clutch in a 'big truck'.

 

I always float the gears. I have a super 10 so floating is even easier.

 

Super ten here as well the only time I use the clutch is starting and stopping with a trailer and to go from 2-4th when bobtail everything else is floating. I still don't understand why so many people hate the super ten, personal preferance I guess.

 

My cousin Ugene was missing his left leg from the knee down, and drove a truck before he passed away, not to worry, Aint to bad

 

I guess if you never used one before it might be a pain to learn. Fortunately when I drove for Pepsi, we had some old dog Ford F700's with 5 speed/2 speed axle setups so the basic process of the Super 10 was familiar to me. Mine is a top 2 and I've come to appreciate the automatic shifting on the rolling hills of NM and Texas.