Truck Driving Jobs

cheryl · #1 09-30-2013, 02:42 AM

Hello all. I am a trucking student and im starting a drive a semi on the road tomorrow. how do i know when to shift the truck? is it by rpms or is it easier using mph? any advise would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Driver of the Year · #2 09-30-2013, 04:26 AM

You can both, RPM'S or Mph. Depends on your steering wheel too in order to peek at the gauges. Also trainers don't like you to take away your eyes from the road to look at the gauges after every shift. I'm sure that they want double clutching too. Just pay attention and don't listen to the negative from other students. When you are experience, you can judge the speed and shift without looking at the gauges.

cheryl · #3 09-30-2013, 10:29 PM

hi driver of the year. thanks for the advice. so today when i drove the instructor wanted me to shift at about 1200-1500 rpms for each gear. and yes double clutching is somewhat a challenge at this point. thank you

Driver of the Year · #4 10-01-2013, 02:26 AM

Yea Cheryl, keep us posted how it goes. It's a good source of information in theses Trucking Forums. We can give you a heads up if they are really teaching you or just trying to add money to their coffers. My profile here says Rookie but I been Driving for 8 years and pulled multiple type of trailers. Would like to hear from your experiences day to day. Thanks.

Roadhog · #5 10-01-2013, 10:30 AM

I went by rpm's and sound of the motor, when I first learned, and would watch my speed after shifting.
You want to learn to let your gears do the work, and just keep your motor from over revving or lugging.

1200-1500rpm is a good range to learn, because beginners tend to vary more rpm's between shifts, especially when they miss a gear.

If I missed a gear downshifting, I would go back to my upper gear and try again, because I found once I lost a downshift gear, I'd fumble around too much trying to find the hole. Give yourself a lot more time to get going or especially coming to a stop, prepare well ahead of time.

They didn't have youtube when I first learned, and my trainer was a farmer who never used the clutch, except to get rolling or use reverse, and so I learned to rpm shift first. (float gears, 900-1300rpm)
That was probably best for me, because once I learned double clutching, shifting became like b-u-t-ter.

If you have some time, look through some videos on shifting, and I'm sure they will help....here's one about the clutch brake and range selection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGTu0Xu6VMc

cheryl · #6 10-01-2013, 08:17 PM

hey guys today was better. grinded some gears and on my downshifting, need some work but its my third day on the road. we are driving an older truck and for some reason i have a hard time finding 7th gear and my instructor tends to yell at you instead of teach(if you know what i mean).thanks again for your help you guys anytime you need to tell me how to improve please feel free i need all the advice i can get.

repete · #7 10-02-2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheryl

hey guys today was better. grinded some gears and on my downshifting, need some work but its my third day on the road. we are driving an older truck and for some reason i have a hard time finding 7th gear and my instructor tends to yell at you instead of teach(if you know what i mean).thanks again for your help you guys anytime you need to tell me how to improve please feel free i need all the advice i can get.

Next time he yells just tell him to shut up cause your PAYING HIM to teach not YELL! Try to keep your upshifts up around the 1500-1600rpm range it makes it alittle easier. Shifting at lower rpm's helps MPG but thats nothing to worry about at this time.

deldgeetar · #8 10-02-2013, 09:57 PM

I am pretty fresh out of school and a month into my first trucking job with a local transport company. First, DO NOT let the instructor yell at you for any reason. You are paying their salary and never be afraid to remind them of that. Second, I remember when I first started driving trucks I had problems shifting as well. The best advice I can give you is to take your time. You don't have to rush your clutching which is what my problem was initially. Don't bother pushing the pedal all the way down to take it out of gear or to put it into the next gear. Just push enough to where it engages. Give yourself at least a second for each clutch and stick movement. Taking your time allows for smooth shifting and it will help your timing later when you start floating. I still grind gears and have to remind myself to take my time between shifts so the stick just drops into gear instead of me rushing it and grinding. Finally, as far as where to shift I would say the easiest place is 1500 RPM. Downshift when you hit 1000. 10 and 15 is really easy to remember. Once again, don't rush your downshift either because you will grind if you are still spinning too high of RPM. Just let it fall in naturally. You will quickly get a feel for it. Good luck and whatever you do, don't let it get you down! You will get better every time you drive.

Driver of the Year · #9 10-03-2013, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheryl

hey guys today was better. grinded some gears and on my downshifting, need some work but its my third day on the road. we are driving an older truck and for some reason i have a hard time finding 7th gear and my instructor tends to yell at you instead of teach(if you know what i mean).thanks again for your help you guys anytime you need to tell me how to improve please feel free i need all the advice i can get.

Hey Cheryl, what model truck is it? I know in Roadmaster in Tampa when I went there, they had Volvo and freightliner Culumbia -Century 10 speed. I was yelled a lot of time and to be honest with you, shifting without clutch is easier, but they just want you to double clutch because they are afraid rookies are going to mess the transmission. When you get hired, you'll see how easy it is without the clutch. 7th gear double clutching is the hardest. I noticed that and don't listen to his loud voice, listen to his message and you will be alright. What's the name of the school and where they are located?

GMAN · #10 10-03-2013, 12:40 AM

Your rpm's need to be higher when down shifting than up shifting. Whether you use the clutch or not, you will need to mesh the rpms of the transmission in order to shift. Take your time shifting. NEVER force the transmission into a gear. Use your accelerator to control the rpm's and ease the truck into gear. I rarely use my clutch other than to get the truck moving. You do need to know how to use the clutch. Shifting a class 8 truck is different than a 4 wheeler. Everyone scrapes the gears every now and then, especially starting out. It just takes time and practice to hone your skills. No competent trainer should scream at a student. It undermines the learning effort. If he cannot train without losing control then you need to demand a new trainer who has some self control. Try to relax. You will do much better and learn more easily when you can relax.