Double clutching in school

I think one of the major flaws with these schools including the one Im in, is that they constantly have you swap trucks. I think Ive been in about 5 different trucks in my 5 weeks (not including yard trucks).

But they are all mostly junk and each transmission is beatin to hell and back. Just when you get use to what one truck needs, you move to another. I consider myself a good shifter but overall its like starting over when getting into a new truck.

 

OK so now that you've followed the rules and nuances of shifting, which I'm sure the schools and many companies would like you to shift and double clutch. All fine and dandy but when are you gonna start to float the gears. I think you will find it a more comfortable alternative. But it's all up to the individual preference. Not trying to spoil the party. Whatever melts your butter. Good luck.

 

Not necessarily a major flaw but practice for the real world. Depending on who you work for you may be slip seated into a new truck every day, at some point in your career. Learning to drive different equipment with different shift characteristics will help you.

Back in the day you would jump in a truck and have to figure out how it shifts. Duplex, 2+2 (2 sticks), 18 speed ranger w gear splitter. Every time you jumped in a tractor you would hope you would be familiar with the transmission, had a sticker that showed you the shift pattern, or could at least figure it out by lunchtime.

Also don't discount driving junk. the tractor I drive evey day just turned 900K miles. It is well maintained mechanically but many would consider it junk. I have found company drivers driving the oldest equipment are many times the ones making the most money. The more money a company puts into constanly buying new equipment, the less there is for other things like drivers salaries.

 

Taking the clutch all the way on a gear change is going to destroy the CLUTCH BRAKE. The clutch brake is only to slow the large gears of the transmission when taking it from neutral to gear, so you don't grind them. Just don't try to over think things. Timing is key. Anybody that has you changing gears by bumping the clutch brake does not know what they are doing. It takes all of about 2 sec. to wipe out a clutch brake.

 

I got yelled at for double clutching in 5th grade

 

Slant6 is 100% right about destroying the clutch brake under load. It's there to help you get into gear when you're stopped. It's nice not to have your leg holding the clutch in when you're stopped but it's a lot nicer when you go into gear there's no grinding and struggling just to get going.

Float or not using the clutch while shifting DOES NOT make you a truck driver. If it's done right it tells me that the driver knows something about his or her truck. When you're floating and you have NO idea what gear to be in at any given time you'll do more harm than any other type of shifting. Any new driver needs to learn the proper way first before doing any creative shifting. The state road test will most likely want to see double clutching. Sure a new driver will grind the gears but using double clutching will protect the tranny in the best way until you learn to be in the right gear. The trick is to match your road speed with the proper gear. You'll learn that from driving. Someone might tell you how to do it by talking to you but it takes experience in that truck to know for sure. As time goes by shifting will become second nature and you'll be able to jump into any truck and drive it. You may rub a few gears but it takes a lot less time when you know how. You'll be shifting and not even think about it. You'll just know when a specific gear is needed and when. You'll be skipping gears on the downside just to save you a shift. So know your equipment, know the proper gear, double clutch when you start. and never stop learning.

 

"Of course, having a properly adjusted clutch is important, unlike many school's beater trucks."

Is that why its soo difficult to ease the clutch out on the truck at my school ???

 

I also thought the same thing, swapping trucks every day was really messing with my shifting. Only in the end (once i passed my test lol) to be kind of glad I used all the trucks, because on cue like the whole time I had been in school, the best "shifting truck" broke down, and we had to either wait til next week or use the $&(*%$ shifting truck. I was glad I had the experience in all the trucks after I passed!

 

I faked double clutching in school. I would just tap the clutch to make them happy.