Stupid question. No, I mean really stupid

As I am in the same boat (going to school soon and never even driven a manual car much less a truck) this thread has been really good to read. Thanks everyone


Katey

 

It has been said but I'll say it too. It is SO much easier to teach someone that doesn't have car shifting habit that donot work in a truck. You will do great I had to go to a school simply because I was out of the industry for a long time. I don't know where you are but you might check IIRT. They are in or. Wa. Area the instructors were very good with teaching ppl how to shift They got all the students passed. We had some pretty bad ones

 

eight month old thread.

 

Ask your mechanic if he would teach you (or for a referral); or place a classified ad. Take a friend along.
God speed and good fortune.
Ciao

 

Oops!
I'm gonna have to train myself to look first at the upper left corner of the thread author's box before chiming in!

 

I was in the same boat before I went to school. I read up on what you have to do while shifting but never got the opportunity to actually do it. I talked to my instructor and he said it is sometimes easier if you just have to learn how to shift a truck and not have to re learn shifting. I believe the hardest part is down shifting. Stepping on the fuel pedal to slow down just did not compute for about 10 min. or so. After that I was starting to get the hang of it. It just takes time and patience. Listen to your instructor, they have driven more then you and hopefully know what they are talking about. Read about how the transmission works so you understand what each movement of your hand and feet are really controlling.

 

Shifting takes some time to get used to. I never actually drove a car for more than 10 miles on a manual trasmission but knew the jist of it. But in truck I took that knowledge and rolled with it. You learn some stuff and good habits while starting out from instructors or whoever teaches you and those good habits tend to stick. It takes getting used to but it eventually does. When I first started I stalled once in a while- with cars and other trucks behind me! Just take it slow and that'll go away ...good luck!

 

As some have said, driving a manual transmission on a truck is completely different that a car. I was lucky enough to be trained in a truck by a former employer, so I didnt have to pay for trucking school. I had learned to drive a car with a stick and bought nothing but standard transmission cars. At 22, my old company told me they were going to let me out on a route and get me out of the warehouse, all I had to do was get my permit and get at it.

I was arrogant about the whole thing(I was 22, remember), and thought it was going to be a piece of cake. It took me 2 days before i wasnt constantly stalling and jerking the truck and almost a week of 8-12 hour a day driving before i was comfortable with shifting, and I was still grinding any gear i tried to downshift into.

It's hard to explain, but the whole feel of shifting a truck is just completely different than a car. After 8 years of driving, i think it's actually easier in a truck now than in a car, but it's definitely a whole new experience.