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19 Year Old Truck Driver Has Questions

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OverDozed

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Long but bare with me.. (questions at the bottom)
So, I decided to get my Class 'A' license.
It was nerve wrecking but I got it on my first try.
This was exactly a year ago.
At the moment I go to school so I had a hard time practicing when I can.

I'm going to be my fathers truck driver.
He doesn't own a business but finds work really good.
He hauls Dirt & Material and drives doubles {peterbilt}.
It's been a year and I still have a fear of driving his trucks.

I have no problem up-shifting. Its easy.
The problem is the new techniques he is teaching me is hard to understand.

Like up shifting without using the clutch.
Using Neutral to Break completely.

I have too many fears..
Having to slow down at a light and then right when I am slowing down completely it turns green and knowing what gear to be in..
going up hill and down hill. having to stop constantly at up hill traffic.
I am not scared of crashing. I am scared of killing someone, injuring someone, having my truck shut off in traffic, and slowing down traffic.

Can you help me out please?
Can I break completely when Neutral?
Why is it that sometimes my truck shuts off when I don't accelerate fast enough?
How do I know what gear I should be on when I am breaking on neutral and then having to accelerate on a sudden green light?
How do you prevent yourself from going backwards at an uphill when you are at a complete stop?
Why is it hard to move the gear shifter? I try pressing the clutch all the way down to the floor and it sometime won't budge.

Please and Thank you for answering. Never worked in my life. I really want to get started but I have too many fears of driving and getting started.
 
OverDozed said:
(new member)
Long but bare with me.. (questions at the bottom)
So, I decided to get my Class 'A' license.
It was nerve wrecking but I got it on my first try.
This was exactly a year ago.
At the moment I go to school so I had a hard time practicing when I can.

I'm going to be my fathers truck driver.
He doesn't own a business but finds work really good.
He hauls Dirt & Material and drives doubles {peterbilt}.
It's been a year and I still have a fear of driving his trucks.
Click to expand...

i think many of us either had a fear the first time we were alone, but that amount of fear is different from one person to another. let's just say you're a bit "apprehensive", instead....and IT IS normal..

i think part of this "apprehensiveness" is due to the fact that it is going to be your dad's equipment, and not "some other" trucking company...you probably REALLY FEAR, that if you screw up, your dad will wring your neck out.

I have no problem up-shifting. Its easy.
The problem is the new techniques he is teaching me is hard to understand.

Like up shifting without using the clutch.
Using Neutral to Break completely.
Click to expand...

we ALL have had a bit of a problem, when learning how to up-shift AND down-shift...

BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE.....DO NOT PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL...!!!!

you NEED the braking power of that engine....!!!!

plus, once in neutral, you will have NO CONTROL of that truck.....

if a problem arises (AND BY GOLLY IT WILL), and you asked below about what gear you should be in when you slow down...YOU WILL ALMOST NEVER FIND THE GEAR YOU NEED NOW.....!!!!

DO NOT "coast or put it into neutral, UNLESS you are shifting gears...!!!!

i do not believe you want the serious consequences of being in an accident, and the investigation clearly shows that truck was in neutral at the time of the accident......

can you say, "your ass is grass", and the LAWSUITS that will follow, since you were found negligent/careless in your driving...??

I have too many fears..
Having to slow down at a light and then right when I am slowing down completely it turns green and knowing what gear to be in..
going up hill and down hill. having to stop constantly at up hill traffic.
I am not scared of crashing. I am scared of killing someone, injuring someone, having my truck shut off in traffic, and slowing down traffic.
Click to expand...

you HAD BETTER READ, what i said above.....

wanna kill someone, roll back, cause an accident..??

THEN DO NOT PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, UNLESS YOU ARE SHIFTING GEARS....!!

1)Can you help me out please?

2) Can I break completely when Neutral?

3) Why is it that sometimes my truck shuts off when I don't accelerate fast enough?

4) How do I know what gear I should be on when I am breaking on neutral and then having to accelerate on a sudden green light?

5) How do you prevent yourself from going backwards at an uphill when you are at a complete stop?

6) Why is it hard to move the gear shifter? I try pressing the clutch all the way down to the floor and it sometime won't budge.

Please and Thank you for answering. Never worked in my life. I really want to get started but I have too many fears of driving and getting started.
Click to expand...

1) trying to

2) yes, you CAN brake completely, but to not down-shift and just ride it to a stop in neutral is the worse thing you can do.

3) truck may be "stalling or shutting down" cuz the RPM's dropped during your up-shifts, also a possibility that the "Jake Brake" is turned on. (if the truck has a "Jake Brake"

4) if you PRACTICE down-shifting, instead of throwing it into neutral, you will be in the proper gear to take off from that slowing down point.

5) one of at least 2 ways...

A)..keep it in a gear, one foot on the brakes, one foot riding the clutch, just enough to "grab and you feel the truck wanting to move forward", then when the light turns green, let the clutch slip more and more, while giving it "some gas"

B)..keep it in gear, hold down the trolly brake, the right foot on the accelerator, the left on the clutch, and 'feather" the clutch enough to "feel the grab",. then when the light turns green, let the clutch out a bit more and more, give it the gas, release trolly brake

this takes practice.....i'd recommend that you practice this at a time of day when no traffic or very little traffic is going on in your area....explaining it here, is not as good as showing/telling you how to do it in person

but for GOD'S SAKE man..NEVER THROW IT INTO NEUTRAL....if your dad IS teaching you that......

he's wrong......DEAD WRONG.....and tell him I SAID SO....

i care NOT HIS thoughts/reactions, etc,etc......
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Very nicely put Pro1Driver, you are so right about NEUTRAL.
Now let's help Overdozed.
What year is your Peterbuilt? I ask this for several reasons. Some trucks shift at very high rpms and some very low.
Let's say you have a fuel efficient motor, you can shift out at 1500 and into next higher gear at 1200. This is the up shift range, now reverse those number and you have the down shift range. That is shift out at 1200rpm bring rpm up to 1500 bring into lower gear. Another good rule and something to watch is speed for gear with tach watch. If you have a 10 speed, you may see this as a match 5th=15mph, 6th=18mph, 7th=21mph. Do you notice a pattern? Let's just say 3times the gear = road speed, nice to know for down shifting.
Hope this helps be SAFE DRIVER.
 
I've stalled out trucks in traffic more times then I can count. Twice on I-480 and all kinds of other times. I never felt I was good at up shift floating. Any more I only do what makes me feel comfortable. I had to get over the freewheeling too, you always want to be in a gear. Usually when I was on the high side of the transmission and I had trouble finding a gear I would hit the break slow the truck down to 20 miles an hour and rev to 1500 RPM while in neutral and go to 6th gear. Once in 6th you have options 6th gear works between 10-20 miles an hour, which isn't all that fast. If your in 6th and only doing 15mph and need to stop then stop, just stay in 6th and get to stopping.

When ever I was on a hill or an incline I didn't care I went all the way into 1st gear and figured that's the most starting power I can up shift from there.
Trust me I was nervous when I first started to and I'm by no means an old pro far from it. The more you do it the more time you spend behind the wheel the easier it gets. It takes time there's no way around it, it just takes time.
 
I like the fact that you are concerned about safety. Stay calm & listen to what you have been told here. Nobody was born with the ability to drive a truck or even a car.
 
DCM_Doc said:
I like the fact that you are concerned about safety. Stay calm & listen to what you have been told here. Nobody was born with the ability to drive a truck or even a car.
Click to expand...
I came out of the womb with a steering wheel in one hand and a gear shifter in the other. Sorry mom.

Guardrail
 
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