New driver here

Hang in there bro.

1. When you switch gears count the gear in your head and remember it once you get cruising.
2. Try to jam it in gear if it doesn't work use the brakes as best you can. You really shouldn't be shifting at all going down a hill though.
3. No. 12 hours straight is illegal anyway. 11 hours is the maximum you can drive without a 10 hour break. All the sugar is bad for you and stays in your system for months. Get your proper rest, if that doesn't work try tea. Not sweet tea, natural tea which contains caffeine.
4. Your mentor is an idiot. If you slam on the brakes it can start to go sideways on you. Light pressure is typically fine. Don't use the engine brake.
5. It's all about comfort and what you're hauling. Slow is better than fast.
6. Slower
7. It took me a few months, I still grind it once in awhile, but I typically float them. Start in 2nd or 3rd, go to 4th/5th and then up without splitting any other gears.

 

Hi MS. Let's see if we can help you out.

1. Experience. Once you fight with it enough, it'll be second nature. Every truck will be a bit different. Watch the rpms and listen to the engine. She'll tell you when to go up or down.

2. Down shift BEFORE the down grade. It can be really dangerous to take it out of gear on a down grade. Especially when you're having trouble grabbing gears in the beginning. Pay attention to the grade ahead signs and down shift early.

3. Good diet, regular exercise and actually sleeping when you're logged in the sleeper for a start. There are a ton of threads on how to stay awake for the overnights here. You can find lots of do's and don't there. Experience helps, too.

4. No. Not true. Jake brakes can give you some issues, so generally they aren't used. But regular brakes can be used carefully. Leave more space. Take your foot off the throttle. Down shift. Ease into braking. It will take longer to stop. You can't mash the brakes in the rain. Then you WILL jack knife or lose control.

5. Pay no attention to other drivers. You need to get a feel for it. But here's some general guidelines:

The posted signs are for cars. Take 5 mph off that. Take another 5 for each of the following...
Top heavy...rollover risk (tanker and doubles)...wet roads/brakes... shifting loads (hanging meat)... steep grades...when chained up... take 10 or more for ice.

Better to go too slow than wipe out. Ya?

6. He's right. Bumpy roads cause tires to lose traction. Not to mention they are hard on equipment. Rear trailers on doubles will actually jump lanes if you go too fast. Slow down.

7. A good couple months. Grind 'em til you find 'em. Lol. We've all been there. Keep in mind, every truck will shift just a bit different and it will take some time to adjust your old habits to the new truck. Be patient. Don't sweat it. Double clutch in the beginning. You'll get it.

Good luck.
Miss E

 

When you're 21 yrs. old, jump ship and go with a decent company with high quality, well maintained equipment to drive.

 

Maybe I can help with this one. I used to train new drivers way back when, and several of them had a hard time going from 4th to 5th.
When you're ready to go to 5th gear, as you slide into neutral, then give the stick a little pressure to the right, away from you as you pull down into 5th. This should eliminate the hangup you have between those gears.

 

Your RPMS are too high when you try and shift.You need to match your rpms with your speed in order to shift.Ask your trainer what the rpms should be.Remember you're now driving a semi not a car so you need to treat it as such.If its really bumpy pavement I've always drove slower its hard on the trk as well as the body otherwise.When you take a bend that depends how severe it is.The sharper the bend the slower you better drive otherwise you may land on its side.You need to remember you're hauling a load which means loads do shift if you turn too hard and and go a rounds bends too fast and sharp.

 

Experience. Bottom line. You can get all the tips in the world but until your behind the wheel doing it yourself you will never learn. The people above answered your questions now apply it to your daily driving and it will come. As a young man you still have lots of learning. Soak it all in and don't ever get the super trucker attitude cause it will bite your arse really hard. In no time the questions you are asking will become second nature to you. Good luck.

 

2. I noticed you said the engine brake didn't help you when you were out of gear going downhill. In only helps when you're in gear. In fact, it may have hurt your attempt at downshifting by yanking the RPMs down immediately when you're trying to bump the engine up to downshift. Maybe leave the engine brake switch off until you need it for now.

 

^^^^^ What he said!^^^^^

 

Until you know your truck better, you're always safe to rev the engine to 1500rpm, clutch and shift to neutral, clutch and shift to 5th. Shifting back down, you brake down to 1000rpm, clutch shift to neutral, rev to 1300rpm and shift to 4th.

If you want to skip a year downward, brake to 700rpm and clutch shift, rev to 1300 and shift to 3rd.

You don't shift on a grade as a rule of thumb. You can do it, but you generally really don't want to. If you must do it, you're going to controlled brake down as if you're trying to skip a gear(so 700rpm) and shift. It also helps to know your recovery speeds. What kinda tranny do you have?

And the only real way I have discovered to drive for as long as I do is to get as much rest as possible. All the other stuff will either kill you or make you crash literally and figuratively. I do enjoy a Red Bull. Also smoking helps, at least me.

And yes you can brake in the rain. Just keep more following distance and way less speed if your conditions require it. Take your time.

When coming to a curve I generally try to take it at least 5mph below the speed limit. Keep in mind that the speed limit posted for curves is the recommended speed for cars. You coming to a dead ### stop in the middle of the road is always preferable to rolling that truck, which is a possible career killer if not a you killer.

I normally have the cruise set, but even if I don't, I always brake or take my foot off of the accelerator and let my engine brake slow me down... from there I judge the curve. Usually that is enough to slow me down. Once I'm comfortably into the curve and I am sure it doesn't tighten, I accelerate out of it. Feels almost like a slingshot. I am still not comfortable with feeling myself pull to either side in my chair in a curve, so my right arm is often wrapped tightly around my arm rest in the event I roll(even though I have taken every precaution not to).

The best policy on bumpy or uneven pavement is the other lane. I will have a mile of traffic behind me before I ride in the lane that is jerking the wheel out of my hand and making my trailer swing wildly into the other lane.

I still haven't perfectly learned the manual. If everyone here is honest, they'll admit that 30 years later they haven't either. Some days you hit every gear and some days you can't find where to put the key, or the dock, let alone a gear to save your life. The main difference between now and then is that good day or bad, you won't be as hard on yourself about it. Oops missed a gear. Right now it makes you feel like a dismal failure that will never get it. 6 months from now, you'll be like "get in there you piece of ####" and you won't even give it a second thought.

Just focus on taking your time. Loads can be rescheduled, lives can't. Don't be hard on yourself.