Shifting killed me on my road test {FAIL}

Are you at the Swift Academy?

 

finding a gear in a truck is no different then looking for the gear in a car.

once you get used to the speed for the gear.

 

LOL funny story right there..

My experience with Freightliner truck with 10 spd at school.

At complete stop, start in 2nd gear, release clutch slowly until you feel clutch grab the gear, then lightly step gas pedal. That will give you smooth take off. Look at your tach, 1700 rpm, step clutch, put gear in neutral, release clutch and step clutch again, put in 3rd gear. Repeat this process til you reach 9th-10th speed.

downshifting- look at your tach, at 1200, step clutch, put gear in neutral, step lightly on gas pedal, put rpm to 1700, then step clutch, put gear in right number. Failure to raise your tach downshifting will result gear grinding and you'll be driving "out of control" truck. Good luck.

Oh btw, the gear shifting is not the same as pickup truck or car. it's different ballgame. I drove '87 f250 4 speed and '94 f150 5 speed for 16 years and I can tell you that you can't shift like you did in your personal vehicle on 18 wheelers. Please learn how to shift first safety before you start hauling real load. For your safety and everyone else too. Good luck!

 

1500 rpms is a good spot to pull the gear and move on to the next.

 

Start out in second then it is a simple clutch neutral clutch gear that fast say it to yourself not out loud so the safety instructor does not hear

 

Eaton 10: Take off w/unloaded trlr on flat road in 3rd or 4th gear
10 to 15mph - 5th
15 to 20 - 6th
20 to 30 - 7th
30 to 40 - 8th
40 to 50 - 9th
55 up - 10th

See the pattern? When you reach the speed break it down for the proper gear choice (example-@25mph 2+5 = 7) (@45mph 4+5 = 9)
You should be shifting at 1200-1300 RPM'S..rev between clutches to 1500-1700 and drop it in.
If the truck starts lugging due to slight braking or hills, bring it down a gear till you get your speed back up to the posted limit.

 

I think some spend too much time trying to boil up-shifting down to a bunch of numbers and boiling down-shifting down into a bunch of numbers ... focus on listening, sensing, and feeling what needs to happen. Shifting should be as natural as breathing, and the sooner, the better. Understand that if you try and make it about numbers, you will quickly find yourself "lost and out of touch" once you get into an unplanned situation where you have to skip 1 or 2 gears to resume.

 

Shifting an Eaton 10 is not like shifting in a car at all. Cars have synchronizers in their manual transmissions. You don't have to do anything with rpm to shift a car. An Eaton 10 does not have synchronizers, and cannot have them because they couldn't handle the torque. As for developing feel, it's a catch 22 for the new driver. It takes experience to develop feel. The new driver isn't given the time for that before being pressed to get a CDL. The new driver needs to know the tach numbers, and the road speed numbers.

 

STOP talking about NUMBERS every truck/transmission/gear ratio is different and requires shifting@different rpm's times etc--w/out getting into 2 much detail--u need 2 learn to LISTEN &FEEL ur truck will let u no when to shift--remember u shift to match the speed of the transmission to the speed of the motor--and if u must talk about #'s w/todays high torque low rpm motors u should be shifting progressively and never get near 1700 rpm...
But the key like most other things is 2 relax don't overthink it will come w/time and practice--and while I do not say this in a mean way--U may find that failing is a blessing i disguise it doesn't mean u can't it means u just need a little more practice and training--so don't get off the horse!
Just my $.02