Sitting at stop light

If you go faster you will be through the intersection before the light turns red and won't have to worry about it.

 

Yeah but decline just didnt look right! lol

 

I would do 6 loads a day in the city and that's a lot of red lights. I don't buy the theory the truck is out of control if you're stopped at a light with the foot brake on and the truck is in neutral. If that's what they want on the road test then you should do it no matter how much it lacks common sense. If the truck has been driven correctly and the clutch brake works then there's no reason not to use it at a red light. You know when the light is going to turn green for you and if you don't then you're not paying attention.

 

Well, whatever you do don't do what I did! When I was with the trainers truck, his truck had a real stiff clutch. It took a lot of leg muscle to keep the clutch in. So once we were on the freeway, it looked like a flat stretch of freeway to me, but really it was ever so slightly up hill. So anyway, the freeway is at a standstill for a long time. My leg was getting like really tired, but my trainer had warned me, never take the truck out of gear. So, my leg can't hold out much longer so I take my other leg over and press the clutch pedal down with two feet. I didn't notice it but the truck started rolling backwards, and the trainer doesn't either. But I hear the car behind blast the horn and I hit the brake, and the truck stops and trainer say, "WTF are you doin?". So yea, I think maybe sometimes it might be better to just slip the truck into neutral and give your leg a rest, but then again I am not a super trucker

 

Exactly my thought. If I see some numbnutz zooming up behind me due to inattentiveness, I can immediately roll forward, thus buying a little room.

Saved my tail back around 1982 when I was driving a manual-transmission car. I was in a center turn lane in Brownwood, TX. Older driver barrelling up behind me in the center turn lane, thinking it was a travel lane. I saw him coming...rolled up about 10 feet....and that's about how much room there was between me and him when he suddenly moved back into the left travel lane.

So I keep it in gear. (...and I'm NO super-trucker...still trying to figure out WTH that has to do with anything....)

 

Play by the rules with your trainer and do what's comfortable for you when you are out on your own and are experienced. Its easier if you drop it in gear just before you come to a dead stop and hold the clutch but if you have time to hit the clutch brake and drop in gear at a light then do so. Just don't do it when I am behind you!

 

My dmv tester said that under control meant in gear or have the parking brake applied. I don't so it that way though, when i495 is at a standstill half a second to get a gear is okay but 5 seconds of waiting for the air to fill so you can roll isn't practical for me.

The thing is as long as you aren't rolling back and crushing cars no one really seems to care what you do while stopped.

 

I'm waiting for the story that ends "and they might not be alive today had I put my transmission in neutral and not kept it in gear at the stoplight."

 

PD, when engaged, all the tension in the clutch is contained within the flywheel/clutch assembly. Stepping on the clutch pushes the assembly forward as the throwout bearing pushes on the fingers, loading the thrust washer.

On another note: I reached over and slid the truck out of gear going down the road awhile ago. OH MY! The truck was instantly out of control and I almost died, only the fact it slid right back into gear saved me from a fiery demise!