Handle most 10 speeds pretty well....but not this 2008 Freightliner; Why is this?

No I don't believe that it is a super 10, but I could be wrong. And the truck was purchased from a company called Ryder, who "supposedly" gave the truck a rigorous inspection before sale...I take that with a grain of salt though.

 

Are the Rpms dropping FASTER or SLOWER between shifts than the other trucks your used to driving?

 

I would probably say slower, because I understand that with each different tractor/transmission/engine; no two will be identical, so I have been practicing on this one bobtail, and once with a empty grain trailer

 

That's what I'm almost wondering. It is just frustrating because it has never taken me anywhere near this long to get used to a truck before. I know one thing; its sure embarrassing, and I'm sure when other truckers see me on the road in this Freightliner they immediately think "Is this the first time this guy has driven a truck!?"

 

Maybe try shifting a little slower then to let the rpms drop into the range of the next gear.. if that makes any sense. If your transmissions is like the 10 im used to then if the rpms are 1600 your next gear up should slide right in when your rpms drop to 1200.

 

What engine do you have?
This sounds like a couple of tractors that I drive.
One is a single axle Freightliner Columbia, with a CAT motor, and it shifts comparatively slow. The engine doesn't spin as fast.
The second is a twin screw Freightliner Century with an MBE4000 engine. This one has an incredibly tight (gears are very close together) pattern and the engine builds RPM'S very quickly.
Both shift well around 1500, but the Century shifts very fast, and the Columbia shifts quite slowly.

 

I taught myself to drive on a 1995 T600 with a 15. Took my test with it and passed on first try. That was a million mile truck. After I got my CDL I discovered that I couldn't get insurance unless I took a CDL course first so I signed up for one. They had a few new Columbia's or Century's or whatever....2008's I think wit 10 speeds. I couldn't shift them to save my life. I just couldn't get them in and out of gear they were so tight....and when I did I couldn't find the gate. The instructor thought I was lying that I had my CDL. It was bad.

Told the story to the head instructor and he said "I know, I can't shift them either". Apparently, according to him they did something to the transmissions around that time that made them shift different. He put me in an old FLD120 and everything was fine again.

 

According to him, this wasn't so with his Pete or his Volvo. I've never driven anything but Frieghtliners so I don't know much about anything else.

He's been driving over a year... but I realize that's still new. Hell I'm a newbie driver anyways, probably best if I exit stage left and let the more experienced drivers hash this one out.

Good day to you sir.

Hope you get your shifting sorted lokel93

 

It has the CAT engine in it...300 some horse I believe? And that is one thing I noticed too was that the gears seem to be almost millimeters apart

 

This was exactly what I needed to hear. The story you told was almost exactly what I experience with this truck verbatim. Feels good to know that I am not alone.