Do you need to double clutch?

There are times the truck will want some clutch. Just learn how to do it, OK? Just remember, it's a truck. Don't push the clutch all the way down, just tap it out/in, or in/out. You can feel it.

 

state of washington you do

 

Its great that you think you know how to drive correctly. It seems to have you all worked up because someone doesn't do it like you. I've let myself fall into that trap before also. From experience, I learned to not to let the conditions on the roadways get me worked up. Its never going to be perfect out there. So many different walks of life in trucks these days. It will burn you out getting upset at drivers that do things they shouldn't. Then you start hating your occupation.

 

As a newbie you'll need to double clutch. Don't worry about floating until you get comfortable with double clutching and matching rpms.

I have seen transmissions after they came out of training trucks. My god.

 

I don't double clutch, float all 18 gears (if I decided to actually shift all 18)... I do it if I am only 90,000lbs and I do it when I am 130,000lbs.. I do it on-road and off-road never an issue.... Clutch brake to start out and reverse and clutch while stopped... In rough terrain you just need to know how to float the gears and don't shift while hitting bumps..

The guy who made the statement saying people who don't clutch are the "tailgaters" and "lazy short cut taking drivers" is a moron for making this statement.. How you shift the gears doesn't make you a dangerous driver lol or lazy.. I don't tailgate or drive like a moron I got way to much weight behind me and I prefer to leave space to reduce the amount of braking and shifting I do... Also floating doesn't make you lazy or a short cut taker... I am a local driver, stuck in a very busy city all day long... If I were to double clutch all day in the City, I will probably have severe left knee problems by the time I am 50 (maybe even before, and I am only 32)... I float the gears because I know how to do it and because I would like to save myself from having knee surgery in my future..

Never have had any issues with transmission problems in any trucks I drove.. So I guess this is also a good sign...

 

No, tranny's in a big rig a different, you would need to double clutch, but I float, only time I use the clutch is to get into what ever gear I need to get rolling or reverse

 

You can always tell when a trucker is mid career. They already know it all. Even things that haven't happened or they haven't done.

 

Do you need to double clutch? I say when you take your state road test and at any job interview / road test YES.

Once you get your own truck then do what you want but you should know how to double clutch for when you need it use it. Last job I was on it was easier to double clutch the lower gears and float the upper ones on a 9 speed. The boss did the same as it was his truck, I did not float when he was with me.
Dave ----

 

Congrats to those who have mastered floating gears.
this isn't about your skills or you knee, it's about saving fuel. So when you float, as your shifting you are also tickling the throttle a few hundred rpm. Don't seem like much but the studies have shown that double clutching to match shaft speeds is way more efficient. Progressive shifting ability is a skill set only a few can conform into daily operations..

 

Dont use the clutch in a heavy vehicle to change gears. Just take off and reverse and monitor your revs to change gears, take your foot off the gas and slide it into next gear, up or down. Once you know your truck its like second nature.

Changing down give it a big kick in the guts and start working your way down the gears, you can skip gears and drop down two, just allow for your revs. Once you get confident changing gears without clutch, its piss easy.

I dont know why driver assessors wont show you and make you double-clutch. Its a good skill to have, even your cars synchro box will change gears without clutch.