New respect for truck drivers,
 

Today was my first day in the truck at school and I was doing well going around the parking lot shifting without using the accelerator. Even did fairly well on backing up, but my instructor decided to take us on the road..... :shock: Is exactly how I felt.
I was frustrated by the time I was up, I think I shut the truck down 3 times, lots of jerking, but Im sure I wasn't the worse to ever come through that school. After I pulled over to let the next student go, I asked if that was normal and if most people have as much trouble. The instructor just laughed... AFter about a minute of the second driver he looked back to me and said "Does that answer your question?" Haha... The whole time he was driving my face was exactly like this... I'm glad I have a cool partner and instructor. Downshifting was a drag... Seems like so much to do. LEt off the clutch, raise the rpm's, you let the clutch go to quick, slow down, Slow Down, SLOW DOWN... Wow... I know it will get easier. I've never driven a stick before, but told everyone else I knew how to drive one, but I did good.

My father took me out on Saturday and tried teaching me how to float gears. That helped a lot for today. At least I got used to the clutch somewhat. Well, anyways, I joke and tell everyone I grew 20 gray hairs and had 5 heart attacks, but I can't wait for tomorrow, lol. :shock:

Without the Accelerator or without the Clutch?

without the accelerator... Shift through the first 5 gears, without using the accelerator and we were probably going under 7 mph maybe. We just went around in circles getting a feel for the steering and shifting.

Don't know how in the world you can go through 5 gears without using the Accelerator.
You'd either stall out or rip the Transmission off of the Truck.

Can't tell you... We used the clutch to get me in first and let off and the truck started rolling, we were practicing double clutching. Each gear gave an increase in speed, naturally, but never was the accelerator pressed until after lunch when we tried a little downshifting.

IIRC thats how SNI did it back in the day. Bob tail run thru the gears..... no throttle.

I drove for Schneider "Back in the Day" and I don't ever remember doing that. Oh Well.
Must have had an awful fast Idle.

Wait till you get real good. Dad used to work with a guy who found a way to take the old cabover Intl's with 10 speeds and go from a dead stop to high gear in about 2 seconds flat. He would go thru the washbay, about 80 feet long, starting at a dead stop at one end and be in high gear doing about 60 mph by the other end. Would run the engine up against the rev limiter and leave it there and just be snatching gears as fast as he could.

Same guy would bring a truck and trailer to the washbay in the winter and do a u-turn into the bay by dropping a gear, whipping the steering wheel around and stand on the throttle. The unit would basically jacknife and he would bring it out perfectly lined up to go in the washbay while sliding across ice. Dude was absolutely nuts but could wheel a rig around.

yooper -- that was about 7 years or so ago. IIRC we went to 5th and then had to goose her when we hit the splitter to 6th.

The trailer you were towing was empty, right?