First time driving this weekend

Coming from someone that just learned this stuff in CDL school, I'd guess you'd have an easier time taking yourself down to 1000 RPMs, then clutching out, soft rev, then back into (lower) gear. The slower you're going, the less rev you'll need. After a handful of rides, it'll be much easier, your first rides suck. You'll start understanding your speeds per gear soon too, but I wouldn't worry about it until you can just up/down shift normally. I couldn't get much to stick in my head at all my first few rides, far to preoccupied and nervous, lol. I don't think people really understand shifting in a truck until they're in there grinding gears. Wait for the first time you can't figure out why your downshifting isn't working because you're on a small decline you barely noticed, lol.