Does anyone have any tricks to quickly be able to look at your speed and figure what gear you are in?

 

Give it time, and subconsciously you will know by the placement of your hand on the gearshift. Also your memory will help. All trucks are different, meaning gearing, transmissions and so on, so giving you a clear answer is impossible.

 

It depends on the gearing of the transmission. You will have to learn your shift points.

When I was driving my 9/10 speed:
Upshift at 1500-1600 (wait until the tac dropped to 1100-1200)
Downshift at 1100-1200 (bump your rpm's to 1500-1600)

Timing is everything. I did not double clutch, I instead floated gears 99% of the time and had my timing down pretty good.

Since gear ratios are going to vary, keep a mental note on when you shift, and eventually you will get it!

I hope this helps.
Dan

 

On a 9 or 10 speed try this.....

When in high gear look at your speedo and add the numbers together . You should be able to get it into that gear fairly easy..

For example 35 =8th gear, 45= 9th gear 25 = 7th. Get the idea. It will only work with the speeds ending in 5. You will need to round off at any other speed.

Not perfect but it is a place to start until you get used to your truck.

When learning a truck you need to look at your speed each time you shift gears, up or down, then you will know learn exactly what your speed range is for each gear.

 

Good point! I could not remember what the shift points where as it has been a while since I have been behind the wheel.

After 11 months, I still used the TAC most of the time, but, after a while I started getting to the point where I could listen to the engine.

One point I think would be good to mention. As I got more and more tired, my shifting got really sloppy, and I could not shift for my life! It is a good way to get a good idea of how fatigued you are, and how soon you need to get off the road.

 

For 10 speeds- If you get lost in the box and can't find a gear, look at your speed and add the digits. For example, if your speed is 35, add 3+5 and go to 8th, 45- go to 9th, etc. This works pretty good for all the gears on the high side. As far as the low side is concerned, 20 is about as fast as you can go and still be in the low side. In a pinch, if you're really screwed up, like totally pre-occupied steering around a tight turn or some other slow speed maneuver, 6th gear is often a savior that's easy to get even if you're revs are off pretty far.

If you have an 8 or 9, mentally re-number the shift pattern like a 10 speed, and the above will still hold fairly true.

 

That always worked for me on a 10spd, but not so on a 9... at least the ones quite a few companies are running these days (8spd w/ a granny gear) The 9s were always just a little too far off.

Like everyone has said though, you will eventually get used to the truck, but it's a good rule of thumb to use until then.

 

^^^Uhh.. I guess Uturn types a little faster than I do...

 

I dunno. For me it's always been a "feel" thing. At first it was all about the numbers. Adding this to this and that to that. Whatever. I guess some folks spend their entire career doing that and never get a real feel for it. If you're a numbers person listen to these folks here. They'll tell ya true. But if you're a dummy like me, it just comes down to "feel". Just listen and feel. After a while it'll become second-nature. You'll rarely think about it.

 

Oh man, what a flashback to CDL school. I cant tell you how many times our instructor hammered that into us. "Go to 6th, Go to 6th, Go to 6th," I can still hear him. And it works too.