but i thought it was easy

First you have to know how something works, then you learn how to use it. Have they taught you the basics in school?

A truck you have to match engine speed with road speed to shift. In other words, the engine shaft has to be turning the same speed as the transmission shaft or the transmission gears will be spinning at different speeds. Two gears spinning the same speed you can mesh. Two gears spinning different speeds won't mesh unless you force them and grind and stuff or use synchronizers like in a car transmission. Double clutching... the clutch in used to pull the transmssion out of gear, then clutch out you are controlling the shaft speeds, then clutch in again to mesh the gears. All that in a second. But you see the need for double clutching. Once you get some experience and can double clutch smoothly, then you will learn how to float the gears which you will use the rest of your career.

It might help you to look at a picture of a clutch assembly. Starting out, you have a stationary plate meeting a spinning plate with a spring loaded clutch plate sandwiched in between. You want the plates to meet slowly and gradually instead of taking your foot off the pedal rapidly and forcing the plates together rapidly. That's what is causing your jerking. That and maybe you are applying the throttle too quick.

Stick the truck in the lowest gear possible and you can start out without any throttle. Slowly let the clutch out to the point the truck starts to move and smoothly let the clutch out all the way. You'll see where the catch point is and the need to feather at that point. Once you get that down, you can do it a little quicker. Then you can start learning the shifting process. Like BigJohn said you let the clutch engage before you apply throttle.

They probably taught you to upshift, come out at 1600, go in next gear at 1000. That will change when you get experience and shift closer, but it will get you started on the basics of shifting. Downshifting is just the opposite of coming out of gear around 1000, bumping the throttle up to around 1600 and then going in the lower gear. So when you are learning, glance at the tachometer to help you. When you get experience, you'll learn to shift by sound.

Remember steering and braking is your first priority while learning. Don't be running over stuff because your mind is all on shifting. You have to multitask.

You won't learn overnight, but slowly and gradually get better. So don't be hard on yourself and think you are a failure. You will be nervous and what am I doing wrong. That is normal in the learning process. I remember when I started. It was winter, I had the window down and I was still sweating bullets.

A good trainer doesn't yell. That just makes a trainee more nervous. But some will, just try to overlook that.

 

I was out for the first time yesterday. When shifting my timing sucks and my shifts aren't precise enough. I'm slow and sloppy on the shifter. Worse, my recovery when I mess up is way off because my instincts have me digging for the clutch and releasing the fuel...the opposite of what I should do.

On the bright side, my buttonhooks are okay and I think I got a feel for the size of the vehicle pretty quickly.

 

The resemblance between the transmission in you car and the transmission in a truck ends past the point where both have gears and are shifted manually. It is not like driving your car.

 

I got me a 5 gallon bucket with a square top. Cut a H pattern in the lid of the bucket. Took a plunger and attached it to the inside of the bucket with the handle sticking up through the H pattern. Took one of thos big black "paper clip" holders, the ones that look like a clamp and attached one of the ends to the plunger handle for my splitter. Then I sat in a chair against the wall with three rolls of toliet papper up against the wall for my pedals. Then went through all the gears up and down over and over again. The reason for the toliet paper rolls is that if you crush them you are pushing to hard on the pedals if they still have there shape then you are doing good.

 

one instructor at school I attended suggested get a chair, use toilet plunger for the gear shifter, use toilet paper roll for clutch (roll on it's side horizontal)....if you pushing on the paper roll enough you crush the middle cardboard, you pushing the clutch to hard...way to practice at home, gear position, hand and foot, you know.
might help a bit?

 

Well when I took my test I was in a truck that was similar to a Ford f350 with a little 20ft flatbed so as you can imagine going to a freightliner convential with a 70" condo and 53' van aS a little different. The problems and solutions for me are as follows:

Braking to hard- remember that airbrakes have a slight delay as compared to hydraulic brakes start slowing down really early and just ease on the brakes waiting about half a second to feel them apply before giving more pressure.

Upshifting- when shifting I always float but the easiest way to double clutch is to push the clutch in shift to nuetral and let out the clutch for a second then push it again and put slight pressure to the gear you want (not enough to grind but enough to feel resistance) once the rpm is right it will slide right in.

Downshifting- go to nuetral then over rev the engine and do the same as above.

Mirrors- when backing up keep it really slow and remember you cannot stall the engine in low gear so just focus on using the clutch to control it backwards as you backup as slowly as possible.

Starting from stop- remember that you cannot stall the engine and slowly let off the clutch unfilled you start moving then slowly use the throttle.

One of the best things to remember is that you are responsible for everything that truck does ignore the guy that claims you should be able to blindside dock at 20mph. If someone says that they can do better or you should be doing better just tell them if they don't like the way your are doing it they can do it. And when backing a trailer never be to lazy get out of the #### truck and look at why's going on. You sit all day anyway the exercise is good for you. There is a Sig on here that says "never think you can make it when knowing is only a 53' walk" live by it. It is your truck and your license protect it from everyone especially your employer.

 

Practice is good but you need to also take some time and let it settle in. Don't burn yourself out. Also as said in other posts, don't "over think" what your doing.

It eventually all boils down to technique and muscle memory.

Take your time and you'll do fine... Enjoy!!!

 

Exactly correct eventually you just kind of know where everything is In two months I know where almost every switch in my truck is