Trucking school troubles and struggles... :o(

I know what you mean. Before school I never heard of Double clutching let alone friction point or clutch brakes. I have to admit it did not seem natural and took a lot of getting used to.

 

Hello,
Are you driving the Eaton 10sp? If you are there is a good video on you tube that will help you....

 

Dont let anyone hurry you, that was the first thing my instructor taught us, dont let ANYONE hurry you, its your ##### not theres, so take your time, be in no gear higher than fifth when you are ready to turn and maybe sixth and modulate the clutch some and you will be fine, it all comes in time......

Stay safe and relax

Peterbilt79

 

Just calm down, and get focused. The stuff you are doing in school is the easy stuff. Just relax, and hit those shift points right. Then learn the next part. It isn't a hard thing to do if you take it one step at a time and stay ALERT.

 

Glad to hear today was better. Honestly when I started school I thought this was going to be a peace of cake. And then the Oh s%$& moment! It all looked so easy from the passenger seat. It really helped me when I calmed down and started paying attention to the tach. Got to shift at the right rpm's. To fast or to slow equals trouble. Try to do it by the numbers. As I got more experienced it became easier. Then I was able to judge when to shift by sound of the engine as well as speed. It also made it easier to keep my eye's on the four wheeler's. Lord knows I had a few choice words for them on several occasions. And the first week of driving I received the I am the number one sign more than once.LOL! You will get better. Just give it time. I look forward to reading your post this time next week.

 

You're not stupid, just human. When I went out driving...it wasn't pretty, let me tell you! I think my biggest problems were with shifting. I would push the clutch in too far, which would stop the tranny. I got the idea of double clutching ok...as long as I don't push in too far. I did have a couple runs thru the gears that were pretty good, then I'd blow it again. Two problems I did have was shift points, I was told to shift at 1700 rpm's, I'd shift closer to 2000 rpm's. I know, not good. I would also goose the throttle on the upshift, which I was constantly told not to do. It was just a reflex. Downshifting was ok, except that I didn't do it fast enough. The instructor said I needed to be in sixth when I came to the stop, in case the light turned green and I could go. I never made it lower than 7th. I need 3 feet to do this: one for the clutch, one for the brake, and one for the throttle.

When we first started doing the backing manuvers at my school, I was really frustrated with myself. I couldn't get it right even with the instructors walking along beside us telling us what to do. But after a few days I started getting the idea of what to do. Now, I'm able to do most of the manuvers fairly well without help. I'm not perfect at them, but I can get the trailer back into the postions without too much embarrassment. The 90*/alley dock is still giving me troubles, but it's coming around. Just need practice.

The same can be said for the road driving. The first time out is going to be far from perfect. The way I see it, I made it back without killing anyone, crashing the truck, causing anyone else to crash, or knocking down any power poles or street signs. In my book, that was a good trip. Instructor said I did alright, and will most likely do better the next time out. The key is to just relax and take it easy. It will come to you (us) in good time.

 

I just finished school and got cdl in April. One of the problems I had was the more I thought about what I was doing the harder it was for me to do. The instructors kept telling me I knew what to do so just do it.

 

Congratulations Livethelife! Job well done. I know it's a good feeling. You my friend will sleep good tonight. You have every right to be proud of yourself.