Dealing with trucking frustration

it's like dating.

you try, try try.

it's like marriage

you try, try, try.

it's like taxes

you pay, pay, pay.

then there is death.

you can only do that ONCE.

hang in there, if you are rushing it, and i suspect that you are due to your frustrations, you'll only get to a point of remorse you even wanted to drive.

take your time.

like sex, if you rush into it, you only get satisfaction for a minute, at the most.

slow down, and enjoy the learning experience.

 

Slow down, listen to the engine, learn the different vibrations on the truck. And for the love of Odin, get out and look!

 

"Father knows best"

 

They key is understanding the shift pattern then the rpms of 1300 to 1500 when shift. Like anything else in life the more you shift it eventually becomes 2nd nature. Once you Master that then you will Master the down shifting as well. I suggest relaxing and enjoying the learning experience because before you know it ..there will be a time that you are laughing how difficult you once though it was but it became super easy.

 

Go by feel not by trying to memorize exact way to do it.

 

How many gears u got ? ... roughly 500 rpms in between gears. Shift at 1500 to the next gear .. When going down , ur next lowest gear is gonna be 500 rpms more. So if ur 1200 then u know u need to rev to 1700 to get the next gear... just keep practicing the rhythm of it and eventually u will get it.

 

Watch your gauges.

See how the engine responds to fuel, see how fast the rpms drop without fuel, etc. As you watch your gauges, listen to the engine, feel the presure on the fuel pedal.

The other thing is to make sure your seat is set right. I always advised my guys to sit as far back as possible, so they had to stretch their left leg to get the clutch to the floor. This made it less likely they would go too deep into the clutch AND seemed to give them better control over the fuel pedal.

Instead of working all the way thru the gears - shift up, hold it in that gear for 30 seconds, then shift down. Hold for 30 sec, shift up. Shifting is about having control over your body and the truck, not frantic motions. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.