Dealing with trucking frustration

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Mr. EastCoast, Oct 15, 2020.

  1. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    Takes practice.

    These are all new sensory inputs to your noggin.

    Takes awhile to get your muscles and nerves in synch with what the noggin is telling them.

    This is muscle memory.

    You want to go very easy and light. The bigger the machine the lighter the touch.

    Most importantly-
    You must learn the way of the nudge.
    You nudge the clutch.

    Right now you're going way way too deep on the clutch. This messes everything up.

    Then the noggin gets angry and you lose you're light touch on the shifter.

    Nudge. Nudge. Just nudge the clutch.
     
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  3. shaker521

    shaker521 Bobtail Member

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    I was in school and having a REAL bad day shifting. I was going to quit! Teacher had me relax and be patient (easier said than done, if course), but it was the best advice ever. Learning to be patient is one of THE toughest parts of learning driving, but SO important. Hope this helps. Good luck.
     
  4. Hegemeister

    Hegemeister Road Train Member

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    At some point your subconscious mind will learn to shift without you even having to think about it. Just be patient, practice, and relax.
    A good idea might be to learn in an open area with no traffic. This way you can focus.
     
  5. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Most of us didnt get it all at once. Alot of us are learning as time permits. Just be willing to keep learning. When in doubt, ask.
     
  6. flybynight12

    flybynight12 Medium Load Member

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  7. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    There are certain things in life that you cannot do until you learn the rhythm. You don't see rhythm, you hear and feel rhythm.
    ALL manual transmissions have a rhythm. There comes a certain point when accelerating, that the engine noise increases but acceleration slows. Upshift when you feel the rate of acceleration beginning to slow. As soon as you pull the stick out of gear, rpms will drop. If you have the shifter at the next gear, you will feel that higher gear stop. Push the shifter in gear. Don't force anything. Accelerate slowly until you have the rhythm into muscle memory.
    Close your eyes and listen for the rhythm in this video.


    Luck in battle.
     
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  8. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

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    The best part when you get that rhythm is right after you upshift to 4th and can really start to make the turbo whistle. Range button up, hit 5th and then you can really make the turbo sing.
     
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  9. sventvkg

    sventvkg Light Load Member

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    i'm in school now killing it with Manual. Easy for me. Best manual driver my instructor has ever taught so he says. He recommends most people learn on an automatic now because all major companies are automatic and ALL will be within the next few years. He's right but I wanted the challenge. So, switch to Auto and don't worry about it man.
     
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  10. tarmadilo

    tarmadilo Road Train Member

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    All the posts saying that you need to develop a feel for it are mostly right, except that I found it really useful (and still find it handy) to know shifting by the numbers.

    Understand, your situation may be different than mine, depending on what engine/transmission/rear end you’re using, so I won’t try to tell you exact numbers, but you ought to be able to come up with the right numbers for your rig. With the trucks I’ve driven, I wrote down and memorized RPM and speeds for shifting up and for shifting down, and then drilled until I didn’t have to guess or try to remember. This is incredibly useful for downshifting in particular, I can look at my speedometer and KNOW what gear to shift into, and how many RPMs I need to do it. It’s a numbers game, and you need to know the numbers!
     
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  11. Isafarmboy

    Isafarmboy Road Train Member

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    You'd be surprised how much difference seat position makes. Position it so your arm reach is comfortable. Use only fingers and thumb...not your fist.
     
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