How do I prevent the gears from grinding when stopped?

Are you starting out in 4th? You should be in a low enough gear, when letting the clutch out you don’t need to push on the accelerator pedal until you foot is off the clutch.

 

In a big truck you should NEVER have to give throttle until your foot is completely off the clutch. The ONLY exception to this is when loaded super heavy and trying to start from a stop on a steep uphill grade.

I was taught to NEVER coast in neutral because you are completely dependant on your brakes. You really need to learn to down shift all the way to a stop. You can skip a gear or 2 sometimes, but the tansmission and clutch should never be disengaged longer than it takes to make the shift. A really good experienced driver can shift down through 10 gears in as many seconds if needed.

 

Sounds like a typical crap school and instructors.

the second thing to teach you after they show you what pedal is the clutch, is what you need to do when to stop …


PUSH THE CLUTCH PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND HOLD IT THERE BEFORE YOU PUT IT INTO GEAR.

as mentioned, learn how to properly downshift

if your instructor tells you it isn’t needed, he/she is a pos instructor, the key to properly use the engine is to use it as part of the braking system.

 

Sounds like a top notch school

 

And sorry to say, but pressure is part of the job, being hesitant causes mistakes...so despite what the instructor says, learn to shift down till you stop. You'll be glad you learned to later...

 

My local community college has us downshifting and I cant get it hahaha. I tried all day yesterday and may have done it right 2-3 times the entire day lol

 

It takes practice... Eventually you will be doing it automatically amd not even realize it. You will also get to the point that you dont think about what gear number you need, it will just become automatic based on feel and sound.