First time on the practice range, not so great. advice?

Hi morpheus and Sp33dymonk3y (whew), 1st, most truck transmissions run off the basic 5 speed shift pattern(with a few exceptions, 4th& 5th may be reversed), but that's where the similarity ends. Car transmissions have what's called synchronizers, meaning, you simply push the stick, and the synchronizer matches the engine speed to the road speed for smooth engagement. A truck, however, doesn't have this, hence the grinding, meaning, you have to manually match the engine speed to the road speed. (I know, sounds complicated, but it's really not). You will find, if you lightly "ride" the gear with the stick, there will be that quick opportunity where the it will go in, but you have to be quick, and if you miss it, a slight increase in the "gas" pedal, will get you back to that spot. The low gears,(low range) are a lot harder to match than the higher gears(high range). Double clutching will help in the lower gears( put stick in neutral, take foot off clutch, push clutch down again, and hit next gear), but you have to be quick. If you get hopelessly lost, as someone said, you can push the clutch all the way to the floor, engaging the clutch brake, which stops everything, but by then, you'll probably be in the wrong gear, as road speed will have fallen off by then. Good luck, don't worry, with a little practice, you'll be "gear-jammin" like a pro.

 

just hang in there; its like any other skill: crawl, walk, run... You'll get it. Practice as much as you can.

 

My issue was I am dyslexic so when backing turn the wheel left to go right was a mind funk for me.

 

Nothing to add to the rest of the advice on clutching. However there was one thing you said that troubled me. "The mirrors were set for him, not me"... Now when I took my test, granted it was some time ago, if you didn't physically move the mirrors, even if you moved them and put them back to the exact same spot, you got dinged. You should never ever drive without the mirrors being adjusted to you.

Good luck!

 

Hi Lifeline, or going from a TT to a straight truck.

 

Practice makes perfect. ...just keep at it and you'll be fine

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4097422]Hi Lifeline, or going from a TT to a straight truck.[/QUOTE]

Yes I drove s straight truck for years plus a car.

 

Your post made me smile because I remember feeling the exact same way when I was in cdl school. I had so many anxieties and worries. Lol

As others have said, RELAX. It's going to be ok. Don't set your expectations of yourself so high, your a beginner, and it will take a little practice for you to get used to driving these big beasts.

The problem is all of these great drivers out there make it look so EASY! They, too, once had a beginning in learning to drive tractor trailers.

You can do this, just take it one day at a time. Be patient with yourself. This is a new adventure, enjoy yourself while you learn!

 

Hi jungledrums, Ha, not me, I was an expert right from the start,,,,,

 

Nobody does well their first time out. Compare yourself to other students, not your expectations.