Will the shifting get easier with time?

Yes his shifting will get better! Keep in mind that by no means are you a professional driver once you finish your schooling. The school is there just to get you your license and prepare you to go with a trainer. Once you are with your trainer over the road is when you will get your real training. He will probably learn more on day one with his trainer then the entire time he was in school!

As for being completely comfortable with everything its going to take a good 3-4 months for it all to sink in and flow naturally.

On the down side, kiss him good bye, because you are rarely going to see him every again...

I highly recommend you get your license and you team together.

 

Relax take it easy I'll come with time thats what the trainer is for to teach and if he's not patient he shouldn't be teaching. I was lucky my trainer was some joker from NJ . CR threw me in truck with him back in 77 had all the time I needed . From salt lake to ca. He got tried of my asking the gear shift pattern , I took a pen and wrote it on the palm of my hand, grind away.After awhile they'll start sliding in.

 

He's got bigger problems ... he needs his own spine. First rough patch and he wants to pack it in and his woman has to step in and push him.

 

My first time behind the wheel of a big rig was just after I got my permit (back in 1977) and my brother said, "Your turn...".... next thing I know I'm driving a 13 speed eastbound on I-84 toward the Blue Mountains and learning the concept of... "NOT using the clutch!????"

Literally, the palm of my right hand was black and blue from trying to shove it in gear after than session. In a way that was a good thing, because the palm of my hand was so tender for the next few days I HAD to try and be gentle getting it into gear.

Each engine/transmission set up is a learning curve for me, trying to figure out the best rpm's to shift, the feel of the throttle, the feel of the stick, whether the gears feel sharp or soft getting in and out of gear, etc... usually takes at least a few days in a new truck to get things going smoothly and then there's at least a few weeks to really start getting comfortable in a new truck.

 

Here's what I did to learn to shift. From what you're telling us, it sounds like my initial experience with a bad instructor was similar to your husbands: When I trained with Prime, I had a bad instructor. All he did was yell when I couldn't shift. He was a nightmare! I got off his truck and went home for a break. I called the company that Stevens Transport used to take their future drivers through CDL School, in Henderson Colorado. I worked a deal with one of their trainers who I met and felt was calm and could really help me. I paid him $200 and within 90 minutes he had me shifting up and down through the gears, when in about a week, this hadn't happened with my CDL instructor. Go find someone and explain what training you feel you need as far as shifting and how being yelled at and intimidated is something you won't pay for. See if they'll help you. Work out a deal with them. Pay up for it. That was my only option and I did it and it worked... I went back to Prime and completed my training.

 

Wow $200 bucks for 90 mins--OK newbies--Ill do $50 and lunch

 

$199.99 and YOUR truck...lol

 

It got easier for me. I had a very hard time shifting, and it took a couple of months even after my training to shift smoothly. Some people seem to get it immediately, and with others it takes lots of practice. Tell him to relax, because the more he panics the worse it will get. And definitely request another trainer. Screaming and impatience are not professional behavior. Teaching/training requires a lot of patience and communication skills. It will do nothing to help your husband to relax and gain confidence if he is being screamed at and belittled. The videos can help. But also, it helps to listen to the truck. If he pays attention to what the truck sounds like when the trainer is getting ready to shift, he can associate that sound with his timing (as well as paying attention to the RPM's when shifting from gear to neutral and RPM's when moving into the new gear. When the RPM's are in the right range, the shifter will slip easily into place without force. In time, he will be able to shift with his fingers with next to no effort, I promise! Tell him not to give up, and to practice , (and to get another trainer!)

 

Shifting never gets any easier.... if you rush it or force it when you get in a hurry it is still hard... he will surely get better with time.... but he has to remember rushing or forcing will always mess you up.. I have 18 years in this July and If I try to do something stupid I will mess up... If I remember to keep my cool I am fine..and every tractor is different