having trouble shifting

I've been trying to shift at 1800, and 1200 (think the tac shows pegged at 2200, I cant stand the sound at 2000, I am not pegging it out, winding it up. tho one truck, it sounds wound up to me at 1500, and wont shift for anything till around 1900). the speed of going from gear to neutral to gear is not the same for all the ones I'm driving it seems, and I am not getting a rhythm down at all. one you pause while in neutral, two I haven't figured out at all what the rhythm is, I'm either to fast or not fast enough, the pause that works on #3 doesn't work at all in either of them. one truck is more like half a pause, but I can only take that one out when there is no other choice and have to. (I do best with it, it's a plain 8, but the guy who claims it makes a big deal about it being his truck, tho he doesnt drive it very often)
when I started here, I did pretty good I thought, but had a fellow riding with, his was a regular 10, no splitter, no major issues about how to use breaks, special clutch issues. haven't been in that truck since. it seems to me I'm getting worse not better.
like the idea of someone riding with and explaining to me, but I have asked, they just laugh at me. I've been here long enough, I should know by now.
I dont know what else to do, listen to the regular drivers complain about how I messing up their trucks on their days off, the mechanics an drivers complain I doing it wrong and and going to tear up equipment, and see what happens I guess.


thanks for the advice. be careful and be safe y'all!

 

some are mack engines, some are not. yes, that info is on visor of the one's I've been in, and the gear pattern thing just below the dash.
I am more confused now then when I got out of that cdl mill school!
perhaps I made a wrong choice? perhaps friend was right and I have no business driving? I just cant figure this out. I want to be good at this, but having whatever truck I'm on in the shop every other day is way discouraging. I know the trucks here are in bad shape, but hard to not take it personal I'm in the shop every week.
not being able to figure out the basics that I should apparently already know really bothering me, and all I get when I ask is "dont worry about it, you'll figure it out eventually, or not" then told story of fellow who was fired because he didnt get it figured out tore up equipment. or I get totally conflicting info, and not sure what is accurate. (shift by sound, skipping gears, range and splitter operations, other basic mechanic skills for basic maintenance, how to operate pump, and so on). I having trouble understanding truck, the pump, and the trailer. maybe I made a mistake. I dunno.

thanks y'all. take care and be safe.

 

I have no confidence or self esteem at all now. I'm convinced I'm the worst chic vacuum trailer driver there has been in this area. I cant say the worst driver, cause I didn't wreck or roll the truck, I know others who have, but they were male.
In the last month I have been taken out of a truck completely and put on the dispatch desk full time. guess I didnt figure it out fast enough. Since I was taken out of a truck, I'm pretty sure I wont be able to get on with another company driving, think blew the idea of driving out of the water totally.
at least I tried. and I have been able to miss both lay-offs, one in March, and the most recent in September. I'm still employed, so I shouldn't complain.

thanks again everyone!

 

Yes I understand is different in all conditions. But I also know I have not been taught, told, or given a hint as to handle those different conditions (hills, loaded/unloaded, sand, mud, dirt, highway, nada). Not something that is covered in the 3 week CDL mill class I took. It is assumed you will learn this when you get on the job and get assigned a 'trainer'. (don't get me started on the fool child they had me ride with for 2 weeks as "training")
I could rant for a page, but that isn't fair to anyone.
I did get a little smoother shifting before they took me out of a truck. But in my opinion, I still was not as good as I should have been, did not get as much learned about the truck and how to drive as I should have.


For those who want the full story: I started this thread back in Jan. In March, following a lay-off, I was assigned a truck. Over all it wasn't bad. I had some trouble but got little better driving same one every day. The truck started having basic mechanical trouble over the summer.
First was alternator, was out of service for 2 weeks. the mechanics told me the alternator was toast, they couldn't even get the pulley off to take it apart, whatever that means. After 2 weeks, they put new batteries in it and I got my truck back.
Second and final was the thermostat. Truck doesn't run more than 1/2 mile without setting off the overheating warning, the gauge pegging out, and if you don't get off the throttle and into neutral, the kill light come on. The odd part, once you get in neutral, she cools off. the gauge will go down, the light goes off, and if you pull over and idle a few minutes, she can make it another half mile before set it off again. The mechanics are now telling me it is the water pump that is out, and we are not ordering any new parts. So she is parked out of service permanently.
I went back to slip seating around the end of July. I will admit, I did not mind going back to slip seating, because the a/c in the truck I was assigned did not work. I did get to drive Leon's truck, it's an 18, and is nice.
At the end of Sept. they laid-off two more employees, and one quit. I was assigned to dispatch full time. If I get called out for a late night call, big IF, that will be the only truck/driving time I get. Or maybe if business picks up and they decide they need another truck running in the afternoons. Or maybe another of the current driver's quits.
I will admit, where I'm working is not good. and it appears they are going down hill fast. 2 lay-offs and I don't have my first year driving in yet? wow.