Help a trucker wannabe out!

I appreciate those who are reading this thread. When I started out, I was considering this as a career and now you are all joining me on my journey and giving me some great advice along the way (believe me). So here's my update over the last couple of days:

Yesterday was our first official day in the yard. We got in the yard last Friday only because our class finished the written curriculm quickly. We started out with a pre-trip inspection, and one of the guys was a mechanic and really knows the pre-trip like the back of his hand. In fact he'll identify so many extra parts on the truck he's a sure in when he's tested on pre-trip material.

You'd think I would be most concerned with driving the truck (and believe me I am), but what has worried me the most has been the pre-trip. So this guy is naming all of the parts, and what needs to be checked with each part as he goes along, and I'm trying to keep up and failing miserably. Fortunately the instructor understands that this isn't easy for me, and that this is really my first time with a truck so he's far more understanding about my needs to go through the pre-trip slowly, and to break each part down for me. I feel that once I get the names of the parts down I should be fine, but my first official pre-trip was very frustrating.

After a very long pre-trip, we practiced straight-backing for the rest of the day. It was good to be in the truck for that time because it was about 101 degrees out with 60% humidity! I figured I'd be able to do a straight-back on my first attempt but I was very wrong! I understood the concept of turning my wheel in the direction the trailer is drifting, but I either wouldn't turn the wheel enough to correct the drift, or I'd over correct, or worse I'd over correct and then not put the wheel straight in order stop from turning and would over correct the over correction (if that were possible). One time my trailer was partically at a 45 degree angle with the cab.

After my first three times of failing, I really became motivated to do this right. I really concentrated, and made sure I was looking through both mirrors. I heeded my instructors words and corrected my drifts as quickly as I could pick them up, and kept that trailer nice and straight. I did a perfect straight back! I thought I had it mastered but my next two attempts were failures and then I got in one more straight back.

I wasn't happy with my first day straight backing but I felt better that I was able to do it properly twice. What's funny is today my instructor let me know something. He told me that he purposely didn't mention yesterday that I was backing up the hard truck and trailer because the trailer is only 45 feet, and very old with uneven ware on the tires and suspension. Today I would be using the 48 foot trailer which apparently is easier to straight-line and also a pretty new trailer. Sure enough, I did three straight-backs and each was perfect.

Just like my instructor said, let the truck do the work, correct my drifts early, look in both mirrors, and when I correct a drift get behind the trailer (meaning straighten out), and it worked perfectlys. The other team had a tougher time then I did with the harder trailer, and I think that had to do with how easy it was for them the first day. Go figure, it's easier to back up a larger trailer when going straight. Who would of thunk it?

After practicing straight-line backing, we were introduced to shifting. In order to pass the course, we need to do each up shift and down shift with a double clutch. So on a down shift we need to go clutch, neutral, clutch, rev to proper rpms, gear, as an example. Well heck, when looking at this stuff on the board as we went over it in class, it seemed darn near impossible.

So our instructor took us out and showed us how to do it. What's funny is the guy is used to floating gears (which is a very easy concept for me, as you'll see). So after a few missed shifts, he got it back down and basically showed how double clutching was a very quick action very similar to pumping a break. He also showed how we could get it into gear very easily without having to force it into a gear.

I was up first with the shifting, to my surprise. What was more surprising, I shifted from first to second without a problem. What was really surprising, I did it with only using the clutch once, and did it flawlessly. The problem was, I wasn't DOUBLE clutching, and according to my instructor, that meant the transmission/gear was now worn in which is why I was getting away with it. So my first serveral shifts were either with a very slow double clutch technique, or accidentally clutching only once. I also floated gears a couple of times when I had to upshift quickly just because it was second nature, but completely the wrong thing to do.

Anyway, after awhile I got the double clutch technique down for upshifting, and while I was doing it, it was slow and it wasn't pretty to watch. But I was no longer grinding gears, and my shifting was smooth for the most part. Down-shifting, especially DOWN a small incline was pretty darn hard to start out with. Like with up shifting, I understood the concept of downshifting, but I started by being too slow. I would correctly rev the engine, but I'd hold it in rev and out of gear and run the RPMs too high before clutching and engaging the lower gear.

My instructor had to stop the truck a few times and demonstrate to me how quick the action was. Then the other guy in the truck took over (the mechanic) and did a bit better then I did, and then we had lunch when all was said and done.

Now here's the cool part. When I sit back and relax and think things over, I can somehow pick up on things on my second attempt. I have no idea why my brain works that way but it does. The mechanic was up for the second round before I was this time, and really had a hard time. I wasn't in the truck with him and neither was the instructor, but he was going very slow around the yard and I could hear him missing gears. In fact, he was having a harder time then I was on my first try which really made me feel better about my own efforts.

So I get in the truck and bam! I upshifted with perfect double shifting technique, and I was hitting 2nd, 3rd, 4th gear. I was shifting around turns (something I couldn't do well at all on my first time trying to shift), and I could do some pretty darn good down shifts. I was still having an issue at times when I would forget what gear I was in. So if I was in 4th and i wanted to downshift to 3rd I would sometimes forget what gear I was in and by the time I remembered, I'd have to check the speed since it now changed, and forget about it....that's too long and I'd be screwed and have to stop the truck and start from the beginning. But after awhile, if I had that type of brain fart, I'd learn to forget about 3rd and go down to 2nd instead of stopping. That's when I really started to feel empowered because I rarely had to stop the truck as I went through upshifts and downshifts. If I messed up and missed a gear at least I new how to recover.

So what's the thing that I really don't have down yet with shifting? When the truck is stopped, I really suck at putting it in first. The reason is I'm so used to not having to engage the clutch to the floor that when I try to start out now, I have to remember to put the clutch to the floor. Also, I need to release the clutch a little to push her all of the way into first, and I'm just not doing that well. So basically, putting her into first while the truck is stopped doesn't sound pretty right now.

Overall, I'm really happy with how I did today, and I feel like I've gone from rookie to novice as far as shifting is concerned in only one day! I'm pumped!