Looking for advice for gaining better control with floor mounted brake pedals

Does anyone have advice for gaining greater control with the floor mounted brake pedals?

I am used to, and good with, fire-wall mounted brake pedals but I have just started driving for a fuel transport company and all of their trucks have floor-mounted foot brake pedals. I am having a terrible time getting used to them -especially when I'm empty. I ask for a little brake and get nothing and then ask for a little more and the brakes slam on!

The mechanics say they keep the brakes wound up tight but everyone else is fine with them so I know it's me.

I have spent two weeks with these and still haven't done very well. Winter is coming real soon and I am not at all confident that I can feather the brakes when empty -I'll be a skiddin' fool if I don't learn real fast!

I tried keeping my toes up at the very end of the pedal on a Kenworth -that helped quite a bit and more practice will help, I 'm sure, but there is this International that has a shorter pedal and I just can't get it.
It has some pedal surface extending below the pivot pin and I am wondering if I should put my heel on there with firm pressure while (attempting) to feather with my toes ... I don't know -it is driving me nuts!
Any advice, please. Thank you!

 

Ralph,
ABS can be great. Some of these roads I drive are pretty dicey though; they are hilly, curvy, some are heavily crowned or banked, etc., etc. ... I am afraid that even if my I could recover my wheels after a skid (get them rolling again) that a little skid would start a sideways slide into the ditch.

 

Taildragon,
Thanks! I will focus on that. The foot wear on the pedal from other drivers seems to be as you suggest. With the hanging brake pedals, my heel would stay on the floor and I would just switch my toes from accelerator to brake. Now on these treddle pedals, my leg is often suspended while trying to apply pressure with my toes and I lose my frame of reference -it just doesn't make sense. I will try as you say!

 

bender,
That is interesting. It has seemed, at times, that when I first press on the brake and get nothing, if I don't push anymore the brakes come on steadily(?). I will try the quick tap thing and see if I don't throw myself out the windshield!

 

I see ... "working properly". I once had the ABS get involed with a quick stop and it felt like stab braking -I guess it wasn't working properly! You're right, now that I think about it, the ABS should cycle so much faster than what I experienced. Thank you.