Trainer says don't pay attention to 18 speed shift pattern #'s

I must've read that trainer craps himself now 5+ times and I laugh just as hard every time. Dude has a way with words

 

Put some ZZ Top on the stereo. That'll get ya in the groove.

 

I split all gears no mater what. I like to show the trans who’s the boss. Lol!

 

This is not the first time this has been said. It goes back to the old aftermarket back drop manifold for the 743 NH Cummins. Sweetest sound for the coolest, smoothest sounding shifts.

 

You know, there's been a time or two I've backed a mile or two in high range reverse, but never thought about splitting up. It was fast enough as it was!

This new truck is a 13 Ultrashift, and it won't do it itself, but I can split up in reverse by hitting the upshift button. Helps a little on long backs. Won't make the range shift though, which is a no-no on the manual versions as well.

As far as the OP, I switch back and forth on nomenclature. If we're talking about gear in going down a mountain or fighting a nasty headwind, it's the gear number (1-13). Explaining how to use the splitter to skip gears when empty? 5L-6H-8L
Starting from a stop? Lo-1st-2nd

And as a general rule, any old school driver seems to pick it up no matter which version you use.

It's the guys trained by these idiots who try make driving seem much harder than it is to inflate their ego. (You know, the 80,000# missile of death guys? ) They're the ones who confuse the new guys, many of whom don't have the level of mechanical aptitude as us dinosaurs. They're already struggling to grasp stuff, and some overly self-important trainer makes it even tougher. They're why trucking is so fubar'd.

 

I never thought about what gear I was in. Just kept the RPM in the range I wanted and drove it.

 

Exactly. Muscle memory in a familiar truck and it just goes to the right hole.

One has to stop and think when comes time to talk about which gear is being used. The few guys I've taught to shift, I wouldn't call out a number when they were struggling find a gear, it'd usually be "drop to the next hole" or "that gear is to high (or low)".

 

Just like when I try to explain how to run an excavator. I couldn't tell you what joystick does what but put me in the seat and I don't even think about it.

 

You mean the same folks that all the warning labels are printed for? Lol!
The same ones’s that will not do anything outside their job description in life because they think that everything has to be done by someone certified and they will be sued if something happens. Aka not my job.