I guess I'm a truckdriver, but I have ABSOLUTELY NO experience other than tech. school. In fact the last time I was even in a tractor-trailer was when I tested. :?

In Sliding gears, Does take experence to when to do it. RPM, SOunds and Feel.

And your still going to be doing more long term (or even sometimes instant catastrophic) damage to the drive train without using the clutch

Only if you grinding them by trying to force it. When I shifting it took only 2 fingers. easy and simple. If I so happen to miss, over rev, then Clutch time.

Not if it's done smoothly and correctly.

It's all about driver technique, or lack thereof.

What you say is true if the driver is missing shifts and jamming it in gear, but if if done smoothly it does no harm, and actually saves wear on the clutch because there is always a slight amount of slippage at the point of clutch disengagement & re engagement.

Mabye it's an old school thing. But I think if you can't drive without the clutch your not a real truck driver. :lol:

That's a big if, I as yet have never met a driver who can make every shift correctly 100% of the time.. Every duffed shift sends one heck of a shock down the whole length of the drive line..

I personally don't think anyone can tell you how to do it. You just have to keep at it and it will click. Took me about 4 months before I realized I was doing it without thinking.

I think also there are many techniques you can use. One that I use when not in a hurry is to just put gentle pressure on the next gear and when the time is right, it just slips in.

Here's how I do it.

Dont hear any crashing or shocks to the driveline.

Also illustrates what I said in an earlier post about braking and downshifting simultaneously when coming to a stop.

(if only my camera person hadn't turned the camera sideways halfway thru the vid it would be easier to watch)

Click on the pic to watch and listen.

That's the Point. To me it was easier to slide than it was to double clutch. I shifted smoother in sliding thew gears than I was double clutching so there was less damages done to the drives, clutch and Trans.