In school. will be getting on the freeway :/

I find teaching tach stare, (the art of stairing at the tach) to be of little use. You can feel 1k to 800 coming, no need to look. You can hear 16 to 1800, no need to look. Get familiar with the speed vs gear, it will serve you well

 

The PA manual states on page 12-1 it is unsafe to coast more than the length of your vehicle....(clutch depressed or gearshift in neutral).

You got it right Danny....follow the book to get your license!

 

I was taught the same as you. Get the tac down under 1000 but above 700... i usually downshift about 800 or 900... When you see your off ramp as your approaching take your foot off the gas and let it slow down (gas as needed) then firmly apply break to get the tac down and make your down shift...and keep doing this. I just got my CDL and trust me double clutching and downshifting were a PAIN in the *** when i first started a few weeks ago because I was used to clutching once and coasting in neutral in my car. Just a work of advice.. dont be afraid to stay between 55 and 65 on the Highway. You will have people who say "this is too slow and how will you make money that way" ... but these guys are going to kill someone or be killed before you. Be safe and travel a speed thats comfortable for you and legal. My company truck is governed at 63 mph and and 61 in cruise... good luck learning dont over think it

 

Again not trying to be nasty but it has NOTHING about coasting in it. I posted both the Turns and Intersection portion of section 13 which is about the road test. The Turns section (13.1.1) does say not to coast in a turn but you are not to shift gears in one too.

However, the point I am trying to make is the word being used is wrong - "illegal" which implies that there is a law or regulation that imposes a punishment for an action, in this cast the instructor is wrong in saying it is illegal when it isn't.

Pumpkin, I see it in the second thing I posted below, a truck length is recommended for the time measurement but my road testers manual only says if it is coasting into a turn with no brakes being applied is what the permit holder can get dinged for.

The issue is being "illegal" when it isn't. There are a whole bunch of other things that a permit holder can be dinged on to fail but I am not thinking this is one that the student has to be told it is "illegal" which is my point - it isn't.

Texas CDL manual - 2014/2017 versions

Section 13.1.2 – Intersections

As you approach an intersection:
Check traffic thoroughly in all directions.

Decelerate gently.

Brake smoothly and, if necessary, change gears.

If necessary, come to a complete stop (no coasting) behind any stop signs, signals, sidewalks, or stop lines maintaining a safe gap behind any vehicle in front of you.

Your vehicle must not roll forward or backward.

When driving through an intersection:

Check traffic thoroughly in all directions.

Decelerate and yield to any pedestrians and traffic in the intersection.

Do not change lanes while proceeding through the intersection.

Keep your hands on the wheel.

Once through the intersection:
Continue checking mirrors and traffic.

Accelerate smoothly and change gears as necessary.

Section 13.1.1– Turns
You have been asked to make a turn:

Check traffic in all directions.
Use turn signals and safely get into the lane needed for the turn.

As you approach the turn:
Use turn signals to warn others of your turn.

Slow down smoothly, change gears as needed
to keep power, but do not coast unsafely.

Unsafe coasting occurs when your vehicle is
out of gear (clutch depressed or gearshift in neutral) for more than the length of your vehicle.

If you must stop before making the turn:
Come to a smooth stop without skidding.

Come to a complete stop behind the stop line,
crosswalk, or stop sign.

 

I think we are both saying the same thing. The dot manual says no coasting when approaching an intersection or a turn by a student driver attempting to pass their road test.

So the student driver has to downshift to 5th gear to make the turn. And may skip a gear or two, but may not coast like us licensed drivers may do when approaching the same situation, by using just the brake and skipping from 9th to 5th gear.

My example of no licensed driver getting a ticket for this implied that it is not illegal to do this, but a student driver doing so during a driving test risks failing the test for coasting beyond the length of the truck.

I think the OP has a good understanding of what he needs to do to pass the driving exam.

This is just like the double clutching rule for student drivers....you need to double clutch for the dot driving test, per the dot manual. But once you pass the driving test, the rule no longer applies and your employer may dictate to double clutch or not.

 

I reread your post and noted your comment about the instructor saying it is illegal. I don't know if the instructor said it that way, or not, as I was not there.

The instructor could be saying it that way so the students pay attention to that issue and avoid failing their driving test???

If I were the instructor I would simply tell students that if you coast more than the distance of your truck approaching an intersection or a turn, you will fail your dot driving test. Which is what the manual says.

 

He's training to pass the CDL test, real life is another deal altogether.

Most states will give you an automatic fail if you cost more than the length of the vehicle or in a turn on a CDL road test. They consider being out of gear a loss of control. Other auto fails are shifting in a turn, shifting on a railroad track, stalling the truck, or hitting a curb.

Many companies monitor costing and will log a critical event if you cost too long but those are set to allow for more than just the length of the vehicle. They do this to stop drivers from costing down long downgrades to boost their fuel economy.