Failed road test... 18 speed wtf?

The only difference between a 9 and a 10 is the position of 6th gear (you'll find 6th on a 9 where 7th is on a 10...then continue with the same pattern from there. Basically, if your brain is stuck on a 10 speed shift pattern, skip 6th and go straight to 7th if you're in a 9/13/18). The only difference between a 9 and a 13 is to can split the high side if you choose to giving you those 4 "extra" gears. The only difference between an 18 and a 13 is you can split the low side, too, if you choose to do so giving you 5 more "extra" gears. In ALL of those transmissions, the shift pattern is the exact same in the 1st 5 holes...so if you stalled it from a stop, it WASN'T the transmission's fault. You simply had it in the wrong gear, which would have been the case in ANY truck you put in that same hole.

 

That's how my wife and I first learned the 13 speed. Mentally looked at it like it was an H pattern 8 speed and split the last gear.

 

I really don't know what's so hard about driving a 13/18 speed. I learned on a 13 back in 1979. Shifting a 13 was the easiest part while I was learning. For me, I was a natural when I got behind the wheel for the first time. I was born to drive. I always say, if your having difficulties on any part while learning to drive, trucking isn't for you. But what do I know, only been doing it since 1979. And I'm almost as old school as you can get.

 

You always start in 1st gear period, even if your empty.

 

So if Jack never had an accident in 30 years and always drove a 10 speed manual transmission ,
His boss is so proud that he buys Jack a big shiny chromed up Pete with an 18 speed and surprises him with it.
Tells Jack to give him a ride around town in it.
The 2 extra buttons on the shifter confuse Jack, but he's smart, he'll figure it out.
He kills the motor, gets fired on the spot and has to walk home

 

A 13 can be intimidating to one who's only done 10's. And an 18, even more so. Especially if you think you must always progress through each individual gear, up and down. I think the road test was unfair if it was only the shifting that was the problem.

But a 13 or 18 can easily be learned in a half hour of hands on time circling a block, by anyone who is proficient with a 10

 

Try a Super-10 and that makes an 18 speed look simple.
What type trucking job are you looking for?

 

I'm starting to wonder if you were really in the Marines. Don't they pride themselves on the ability to "Adapt, Improvise, Overcome"? Yet you're saying you need advance warning that something you've never seen before might get tossed your way so you have time to study up and prepare for it? Not going to happen very often in this line of work. Adapt, Improvise, Overcome. No matter what the job throws at you, you've got to figure it out. If you can figure it out AND make it look easy, opportunities may open up for you. Nobody wants to hire the guy who struggles with the easy stuff, because they're already in over their head...especially if the job is likely to throw curve balls your way on a regular basis.