Downshifting going uphill

Only one conclusion comes to mind.. he is not a right person to train anybody.

PS: I meant to train gear shift without clutch, otherwise everything else may well be perfect))

 

It is not a "must have", as long as one can get the train moving, has no difference how it is done.
Almost every new driver coming out of school these days don't even know, what that wonky stick besides the sit is and everything is fine)

 

Lots of factors in play here, how steep the hill/ mountain is, how much weight your pulling, how much hp your engine has, what type of engine you have, and what type of gear box you have can all play a part in how you change gears. I run Kenworth 900 's which are all powered by Cummins with 18 speed gear boxes. if its a slight grade with an 18 speed I'll just split one gear just to keep the revs up you can tell of course it its still to high as the trucks revs and speed will really start to pull back, this is when you can choose to drop it down even 2 whole gears, if its slows up enough I'll usually let it drop to about 1300 rpm this ensures I'll be able to change easily by jumping two gears, the higher the revs the less gears you can drop, what you really need is practice, after doing a few hill climbs you will become more proficient at choosing what gears to select to make it up a certain grade of hill. Just don't force the thing into gear if it starts grinding, if you have to stop then stop but don't force the gear in or you will quickly find out you'll have no gears left to change.probably one of the key reasons why so many companies are changing to auto gearshifts.

 

Double clutching is taught so the student can pass their DOT driving test to get their license…it is the only shifting method allowed by the examiners.
Also, you need to have more driving experience to learn how to float the gears.
Interstate driving does not give you much experience shifting.
I taught myself to float gears hauling grain from farms to the co-op. With a Cat 13 pulling 80,000 lbs on gravel roads, and turning every mile or so, it was a great way to learn how to float the gears with a 10 speed.

 

I guess I was lucky, since I've had two times tests done with two different examiners and none said anything about shifting without clutch, as I knew nothing else, let alone double press. Second examiner even said "you are a very good driver")

 

You downshift going uphill as you do on flat ground. Yes, you will lose speed when you are shifting, but being on interstates, the uphills will likely slow you down to 45 mph if you are fully loaded. 45 mph is 9th gear on a 10 speed. So you need to know what gear you have to be in to go 45 mph.
You have an 18 speed, but only use 16. You have 8 speeds on the high side and 8 speeds on the low side you use. Your split shifts do not require the use of the clutch, you just let off the throttle after you move your splitter button. Your first downshift will be clutchless. If you need to drop lower, you will use your clutch. That may be enough to keep you going. If not, your next downshift will be clutchless, which, by the way is a faster shift than using the clutch.
Clutch shifting will always take a whole second, unfortunately, you cannot make a clutch shift any faster.

 

My CDL school got us a lot of driving time, but we never got good enough at shifting to float the gears. We spent weeks on the driving range doing parking, etc. Most had trouble downshifting. Lots of gear grinding! Might as well have not used the clutch!

 

I guess it is a bit confusing for people, who were never in the car with a stick shift and clutch. I've learned to drive with clutch, drove clutch, even shifted gears without clutch just for fun of it or being lazy. So it was nothing to learn in a big rig, just getting used to, and at the time CDL school was not a requirement.
I understand those, who have always drove auto and had to learn stick, especially starting doing it in a big rig. Tough)

 

Don't even Rev that engine up to 2K rpm.

Every truck I've ever driven, when you feel it bogging down, nudge the clutch to pop it out, Rev to maybe 1700 and float in and give throttle.

Repeat until your in a gear that you can increase your speed slightly.

Peddle mashed is the wrong gear.

It's a hundred times easier to break a tooth on a gear floating out, than floating in. So just nudge the clutch, get out of gear, punch it, float back in.

It's 98% feel. Just takes practice.