Finding a O/O to practice with before heading to school...

more than you think. Especially with as few manuals are made anymore.

The state has actually gone to buying their snowplows with autos in them because it's cheaper in the long run than having to do the maintenance AND do the training on how to shift a manual tranny.

 

your better off not knowing how to drive stick. Most people that come to truck driving school knowing how to shift a car, spend the whole time trying to unlearn how to shift a car, a car transmission and a truck transmission are totally differant.

Its very easy, it may sound/look complicated but once you get to try it you'll see how easy it is. dont worry about it.




American Trucker

 

Really
Everyone
Learns through
Actual
Xperience
_________
time

Petey

 

Looky here.... double-clutch is dead easy.

1. The only time you go fully depressed to floor is start/stop. This engages what is known as the "clutch brake". This stops the spinning gears inside the trans so that you can engage low for startoff without "grinding it in".

2. When double-clutching between gears you're using only about 1/2 pedal; just enough to disengage the clutch (call it "tap the clutch"). Sequence goes; tap clutch,stick in neutral,tap clutch,stick in gear. Whole sequence when done properly takes about 5 seconds.

The "harder" part is matching rpm (engine speed) between the gears. Simply put a diesel engine operates from about 600rpm (idle) to max rpm (lets use 1600). A "straight" trans (10spd) has a 500rpm drop between gears; a "splitter" (13) drops 250rpm.

So we go startoff in low, accelerate to 1600rpm, shift to neutral and drop rpm to 1100 (500 diff), slip into next gear. Repeat through the gear sequence.

Downshift is just the opposite; engine speed down to 1100, neutral, rev to 1600, slip into next lower gear.

Takes longer to read it than do it. Just a matter of practice.

Listen to the engine as you're doing this on the practice pad. As you get better at it this is what you'll use instead of watching the tachometer.

Remember that the gears in a truck trans are way bigger and heavier than those in a car. So it takes them a bit longer to speed up and slow down. This is what's behind the whole "double clutch" thing, it slows the shift sequence down and gives the gears time to decelerate. When straight shifting or "floating" the student/driver tends to shift too quick and you get "gear grind".

Later on, when you get better at matching rpms, you can try "floating". But for now, just concentrate on what they're teaching you.

 

Basically what he's saying is it comes down to timing..and timing comes with experience...don't worry about it..

Petey

 

CDL mills don't fail anybody . They take their money and send them on to a BFI to be rejected at orientation or by a trainer .

 

even if he were to go to a tech college (highly recommended over a cdl mill), they don't make it a point of failing people.

 

Before I started training I had only driven a manual a couple of times. Its not hard to learn. Biggest advice is don't get too nervous and don't get in a rush. You'll make mistakes but you also learn from them. Good luck