I hate double clutching!!!!

Transmissions in heavy trucks are different than cars. Syncro vs non-syncro. Crash box. DB clutching has other applications besides just shifting a truck on flat ground.

 

I struggled with double clutching in school. But it got easier. I worked for 6 months at my first job double clutching and got pretty good at it.
Now im in a new job and the trainer is teaching me to float. Getting better at it but sometimes double clutch without thinking about it...like second nature now...
Dont sweat it....you'll get it!!

 

When I was learning, I had the problem that my double clutching was toooooo fast. When I slowed it down, like, one-mississippi-two-mississippi, in that kind of cadence, it got much easier. You do need to do it fast, but slow is smooth and smooth is fast. You can only shift as fast as the truck will let you.

It's also kind of a zen thing. I double clutched myself to death almost before I finally went to my old instructor and he showed me how easy floating was. After I got the idea in my head of listening and watching the RPMs and taking the stress off the transmission train, my double clutching suddenly smoothed right out and I started floating gears just like that. It happened in a matter of a couple of days, everything just kind of clicked and I "got" it. After that it was practice, wax on, wax off, grasshopper.

It'll come to you.
Stick with it and use the advice you'll find here.

 

I disliked double clutching in school. The quick rpm drop always forced me to tap the gas peddle just so I could put it into gear when the needle fell to the right spot. For me floating the gears got the truck in gear faster than double clutching did. But for the road test to get your CDL you better double clutch or you aren't going to pass. I don't remember exactly why they require it. It might be an archaic regulation from back in the day when trucks needed to be double clutched.

 

Then don't

 

My first time on the road in the schools old Freightliner it took me about 5 mins to get the DB clutch down decent, another 10 mins or so to float up-shifting with just a few grinds down-shifting, floating is SOOO much easier! Smoother too! When I DB clutch I have a harder time making smooth shifts, get a little jerky! Only had my CDL 2 weeks now getting read for Orientation soon, so I need to concentrate on the DB clutch for Orientation as I know that is what they expect.

 

Take a heavy load off-road with the diff locks engaged, then tell me how floating works for you. Not everyone in a truck logs all their miles on the highway.

Because you'll beat the living #### out of that unsynchronized twin countershaft transmission if you go down the road granny shifting it.

Depends on the truck... Class B ranges from a single axle box truck up to a tandem axle... you can even drive a semi without a trailer on one. Your single axles with manuals will normally have a synch box (Eaton Fuller 6 or 7 speed, normally). Those shift pretty much like a car.

 

You can learn it and you will pass your test double clutching is easy. If you're in one of those road master driver schools or sage, ect... look at the classes in front of yours some of those guys are stupid as box of rocks possibly dumber than that. They'll pass their test. Jus don't hit a curb and you'll pass it with easy. Rpms @ 1.5k to about 1.7k since you're new it'll help a bit have that extra 200 so you shift it in eazier, did for me by the 2nd week of driving it's a breeze. Then you have to get your spllitter in the mix. I worried a lot about it too but I look at the geniuses in front of me and if they can pass it so can I. It's like everyone has said it's a rhythm that's all. I'd also like to learn to float the gears in there but it'll jus take me time once I get on my trainer's truck and if not I'll double clutch it the rest of my days until I figure it out. Think positive, have good attitude an all that.

 

It is all in knowing how to tap your feet to the motown beat will sitting in the seat of your pete!