My instructor says manual isn't for me.

Tell your instructor you want paddle shifters, or you’ll slap him silly!

 

I can tell you how to shift a manual and be smooth. Their are some little tricks they told me when I was training.

When starting off from a stop you hold the brakes and let the clutch out at idle. When truck starts to pull take foot off brake pedal.

Once moving you shift gears at 1000 RPMs for all the low range gears. The reason for this is a couple things. You won’t have to worry about matching the next gear, so you won’t grind gears and your double clutching skills won’t matter because it will slide into the next gear but nobody will know this. You need to know that you will be shifting gears very fast. If at stop light you will go through like 5 gears just to get rolling and partially thru the traffic light. Just just keep shifting at 1,000 RPMs and tuck won’t be rocking and you won’t grind gear or even be hunting gears because it will slide into the next gear 1,2,3,4,5. These truck engines have enough torque to keep pull at 1,000 RPMs on flat ground in city traffic and you don’t need 500HP to get rolling.

You keep shifting at 1,000 RPMs till you are switching to high range. Now you will need some power and HP to pull the trailer. So you flip the switch to high range and step on the throttle and bring RPMs up to 1,600 RPMs and shift gears. You kinda take you time shifting gears because it will not go into gear until RPMs drop to 1,200 RPMs.

The pulling power range of most engine start at 1200 RPMs and most transmission have a 400 RPM step between gears

so 1600 RPMs- 400 RPMs it 1200 RPMs. That’s why shift at 1600 RPMs so when you grab next gear you can still pull trailer at 1200 RPMs

So for low range you shift at 1000 RPM for stop and go or city driving. When rolling down the road and you need pulling power and in high range you shift at 1200 RPMs and 1600 RPMs.

 

Bad Instructor. Bad advice. Either doesn’t know how, or is too lazy to do his job. Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can’t or shouldn’t do. Some Instructers are like Home Depot Experts. They couldn’t hack it the field. Now they’re Experts.

 

I don't think it has to do with most people not having listening skills, but rather it is just very stressful situation to be in. They are probably listening, but their rookie brains are also trying process everything else that's going on around them. They are newly in charge of a very large vehicle and they want to do well.

I remember that was the case for me. The person teaching me had to yell. But it wasn't because I wasn't listening, it was just because I cared and I didn't want to screw up. I dont fault my teachers at all, they were putting in the effort enough to yell it, and it worked down the road. I remembered what they said and it ultimately worked. But, no one ever told me I couldn't do it and it wasn't for me. They told me I'd do fine. Which was correct, even though I was a mess at the time.

I had to get out there on my own with my own thoughts by myself, and I learned to listen to my truck and shift the way my instructors and people in this forum told me to. It didn't click with other people telling me when. I had to be alone.

But there are other lessons that should be yelled, if its needed, like "turn your head." Look at your tandems when you turn, LOOK A THEM! If you don't look, you will hit something. Guaranteed.

The rest of it is just rookies trying to absorb a lot of info in a short amount of time.

 

When I road tested for my flatbedding job in a manual, I couldn't shift at all. I kept trying to double shift. The guy road testing me told me he has never seen a double shift before. He later taught me how to float, with the help other people on this forum.

And I stalled my truck in the middle of an intersection, too. And then when I parked the truck at the yard, I was so distracted by my poor performance I pulled my air hoses after disconnecting from the trailer. Everyone had a laugh at my expense. But they kept me, because I knew the basics.

Shifting isn't a show stopper. Apparently pulling your hoses isn't, either. That was the only time I did that.

Hey, when I decide I know what I want, air hoses wont even stop me.

 

You’ll be empty so just start in second.
1st is loaded super heavy/taking off on hill loaded.

Notice his shift, usually count in your head, 1, 2 shift.

 

Geez, by ride #5 in trucking school, even I was still occasionally missing a gear. Practice makes perfect. Just consider yourself lucky you never had to drive a Spicer 6x4 tranny.....

FWIW, my first 2 cars were VW air-cooled Beetles, and I learned how to 'float' on that transmission. But I didn't start floating my Eaton 9-sp until I'd been driving professionally for 6 months.

 

A lot of folks have made the very accurate comment that the instructor is doing what's easiest for him and not working for the student. I agree whole heartedly with that sentiment, but I'd like to put forth a counter to that.

Let's assume for the moment that the OP was enrolled in a 240 hour CDL class (6 weeks, 40 hours a week). After the first week, the instructor observes that the OP is struggling with pretty much everything. In the 5 weeks remaining it is highly unlikely that the OP will be able to advance his skills enough to pass the CDL test with a manual transmission. If by some miracle , the OP does get an unrestricted CDL, he will almost certainly fail the company road test.

However if switched to an automatic, that will allow more time to work on other deficient skills making it more likely that he will get his CDL without having to pay for more instruction time AND more likely that he will pass the company road test.

The way our training program is set up, by the time a new hire gets to my truck they should be able to shift, back, and log. All I'm supposed to teach them is how to apply their skills in the real world and how to trip plan. Too often I get a guy who just isn't ready, and isn't going to be in the time I have. At that point, we have a conversation where I lay out his skill deficiencies, what he needs to improve on, and what the next steps would be if he doesn't improve enough.

That's what the instructor did with the OP. He recognized the OP was far behind where he needed to be and laid out the options. Sometimes, that lights a fire and the guy improves. Sometimes they throw up their hands and quit. Sometimes they just muddle through. Regardless, being upfront about the skill issue is better than coddling them to failure.

 

@gentleroger brought up a great point that I would like to expound on. When someone comes in this forum or any other like forum and makes a comment you are only hearing one side of the story. Two or three years ago someone came into this forum talking about how a carrier fired them for something trivial. They gave enough information to identify the carrier. Then after I think it was @Chinatown had asked their location I was 100% sure of the carrier. At the time I was friends with the number 2 person in that carrier's safety dept. I added a link to that comment in an email and later I got the real story of why the driver was fired. I don't remember the amounts, but after several warnings about HOS violations as well as several preventable accidents they fired him. In almost every instance there are 2 sides to every story!

 

It's been 3 yrs since we last had a manual tractor.
5 day a week I leave from the plant at 80K and I don't miss them.
I think if you can walk and chew gum you can eventually learn.
Older transmissions vs new were very stout.