What kind of vehicle to buy to start getting used to shifting

Zactly ^^

 

If you really must practice, then I'd recommend buying anything with an automatic transmission but preferably a 65 Dodge with push button automatic trans.

Practice only REVERSE - NEUTRAL- DRIVE and using the parking brake when stopped as your truck will use air brakes when stopped and won't have a P(ark) on the shifter.

 

If you want to grind gears, do not become a truck driver. Grinding gears is a sure sign of someone not being capable of proper shifting. The habits or learning you do as you grind away, will only embed those habits into your brain and you will not last very long at some companies.

buying an old car or pick up truck with a manual transmission will NOT help you.

Go to a truck driving school, and learn to shift properly.

 

But don't you veteran drivers just use the clutch when starting and stopping, when you should double clutch every time you shift? so as not to wear down the clutch and pay $2000 for a new clutch very often?

would it be helpful for me to start using the clutch to practice coordination.
right now I drive automatic car with one leg on the brake and the other on the throttle.

 

You do use a clutch when taking off but it is very different in a car versus big truck. Spend your $ at driving school and you will get quality practice shifting.

 

If you're driving you car now, with one foot on the brake, you already have a bad habit. If you start driving trucks, and ride the brakes like that, you will cost the company money in frequent brake jobs.

 

Lots of companies are upgrading to the modern technology of automatics. If you are worried about shifting there are plenty of companies that use all automatic fleets, and more are switching to automatics every day. The two biggest trucking companies in the United States, Schneider and Swift are switching over to all automatic fleets. Maverick and several other companies already have all auto fleets. Don't worry about it.

 

Thats what school is for "learning how to shift" I would be more worried about learning how to do a pre-trip and backing a 53' trailer.. Save your cash dude and invest it in things you will want on your truck once you get a job..

 

What everybody else said. You'd be wasting money. I can understand wanting to get a head-start and going into it already knowing a little bit. Shifting gears in a car isn't going to help you in that regard. Like somebody else said maybe familiarize yourself with pre-trips. Study your state CDL manual etc. If you know anybody that works around the big trucks in a shop or something maybe pre-trip those if they'll let you. I've heard of drivers buying one of those toy 18 wheelers to visualize how the trailer reacts to steering input. The PC game euro truck simulator 2 can do that as well. I wouldn't stress bout it too much though. It's not rocket surgery as they say.

 

It depends on how you learn. If you think it will help, it probably will. Saying you would have to unlearn anything relative to shifting would be like saying you can only learn to drive one gear pattern, or you'd have to unlearn all the others. I say the more experience with manuals, of any kind, the better. Regardless of synchronization, you'd be coordinating steering with shifting, clutching, braking and acceleration, which are comparable enough not to call that a bad habit (how did they come up with that one, intuitive vs counterintuitive, based on what, lack of experience, sure... if that's your learning style, every different truck you drive will completely throw you).

 

I was one of the few students who never drove a stick shift. I also was the top of my class. Im not being arrogant, i base that strictly off of the scores.