typical newbie missing 7th gear!

I suspect your getting excited, too many things going on at once... 6,clutch, neutral, clutch, 7, ####! It takes practice, what you forgot here is the transmission spring centers the shifter in this gear. Meaning you are moving the shifter like it needs help... not for this gear, let it goto center then move it into 7th.

To recover from the mistake is even more frustrating to a beginner, you need to blindly listen/guess speed to engine rpm and find 7th, or if too much time is wasted back to 6th.

Once you've mastered it and get your license, forget everything you learned and just float the gears

 

Since you are currently still in school I'm assuming you're still clutching.

One thing I wish someone would've told me while I was in trucking school; These places are simply trying to get you prepared enough in order to take, and pass your CDL test.

Also; these schools are just trying to get you ready to go out with a trainer.


So what I really wish someone would've told me- "They're not searching for perfection. They're searching for your ability to learn and adapt."

In the time it takes you to learn how to properly drive, and you never really stop learning- you're going to figure out 3-5 different ways to shift.

Don't worry about your shifting problems, they'll fade away. Even the most experienced driver on here grinds, skips or misses a gear from time to time, it's a great way to gauge your fatigue.

But to answer your question; SLOW DOWN. You're skipping 7 and slamming into 9 because you're not aiming that stick right. When you do miss; Foot off the accelerator, drop the RPM, clutch brake, raise RPM to according turns for speed and ease the stick in while maintaining that RPM, you'll need to raise/lower that RPM to figure the speed that engine needs to be turning at to match the speed on that clutch.

Since you don't have a synchronous transmission you are the synchronous device.

It's going to take you a while to learn. Don't worry about it.




(BTW; I know it can be a pain to learn how to drive a big standard- but honestly you're so much better off for it, especially OTR. I'd take a manual over an auto any day of the week. Maybe not in a rush hour in a big metro, but on a icy road in the midwest? #### son, gimme a clutch and a stick.)

 

You need to know your "idle matches"; what speed and idle rpm synchronize with what gear. Generally, your "splits" will occur at ~400 rpm. At 1700 rpm the next gear will sync when the rpm fall to 1300, so 2 gears would be ~900 rpm, but they aren't exactly linear. The splits get smaller at lower rpm. With practice this will all become second nature, and by practice I mean actual "practice", not just fishing around "doing it" and expecting skills to accumulate solely by trial and error or osmosis. The important thing is to get that rig back in gear. Watkins & Shepard isn't going to accept much if any gear scratching, shifting well is a basic skill. But, you can get it, if you try, I'd put money on it.

 

Sounds like you're a fast learner.You'll in time get your shifting down.I always skipped a gear too mine was 4th..If you skip 7th and can go right to 8th without the trk dieing then do that,otherwise downshift to 6th.Maybe write the shifting pattern in black marker on the corner of the window.Just don't let it distract you from driving and concentrating on the road.

 

I'm guessing the shift pattern is well worn in a training vehicle, and 7th probably isn't in the exact same place twice in a row anyway, so it's not all on you. Once you get into a little better maintained truck you will probably be amazed how much better you will do. The down side to that(there always is one) is your shifting virginity will come back the first few runs through the tighter shifter pattern. If the company giving the road test understands you are fresh out of school they will understand that. Ask the person giving the test if you can have a few min. to familiarize yourself with the controls in their truck, while you are figuring out where and how everything works, include the shifter, physically run through the gears a couple of times (sitting still, don't take it for a ride). As far as recovering after a missed shift, once we miss a gear it has effectively become a "downshift" situation, rev it a little and slide it in. The important thing here is not to panic and start wildly revving the engine, and stabbing/forcing the shifter into any gear it will go into.

 

Sorry guy but you don't need to learn a thing in this "trade" fast, that makes for a poor driver and professional. Take your time, there is no hurry unless you were filled with the sales BS that this is a great career where you will instantly make big bucks.

Yes that is true, I was in a truck that had a 13 speed the other day after driving 9 speeds for a little over 10 days, wow it was a PIA to get it together and yesterday I was called to help move a bunch of trucks from one location in Ohio back to their yard in Michigan, most of what I drove were 18 speeds and one super 10 - this was another PIA for me, I missed shifts and was frustrated with every one of them. So it takes time and practice, we all go through it all the time.

 

I had the same issue in school a few weeks ago i was told to let the shifter center itself as mentioned above that will put you right in front of 7th and eight if not you can read by speed 7th in training trucks was told is usually between 25 and en mph so if in that range you can go to 7th above that 8th below 6th. Hope this helps.