So this week I am on 10 speed duty all week at work on the same shuttle run all week. It's not a bad run really, I would rather do routes, that's just my preference, but this isn't a real bad run really. Any how the company had me on it because they wanted my shifting to improve and they thought it would be good for me to drive the bigger rigs.
So today was 48' and 53' duty. I get plenty of drop and hook practice. Some of these trailers have screwy landing gear to say the least.
Any how today my shifting was much much better I started out rocky getting out of the yard, but worked out the kinks real quick. The guy I worked with said to me "Your doing a lot better then I anticipated." He said "I'm not real rattled easily and if you do something I don't like I'll let you know, but really everything your doing is fine. Your shifting has a few kinks, but it's far from bad for a new person, it's actually really not that terrible, your not ready to be on your own just yet, but your close."
I'm like 85% there. Today really wasn't much of a bloodletting I didn't grind very many gears very few actually, missed a couple, but that's about it. The worst thing I did was killed the truck a few times, sometimes I have this habit of releasing the clutch to soon. When I start killing the truck that's when I start out in first gear, because it's hard to stall out in first and then I'll work my way back out to starting in second. However by the second trip the man I was working with had me floating gears! I had never floated a gear before in my life prior to this and it's funny when you float gears the truck, kind of just sucks the gear that it wants, no problem. Now there were a few times I would still double clutch like if my speed was right, but my RPMs were not and I couldn't get the shifter to want to move, then I would do the old two step. What I try to do is float to the gear I want, but if it doesn't happen fast enough or easy enough especially going down, then it's time to do the old double clutch.
Really I know most people don't like double clutching, but for me a little bit of both is fine. I try to do one, but if it doesn't work then I do the other. Like I am a tad more sure of my self when I double clutch so if I really need to up shift or down shift or something and I am unsure how to float it, I'll double clutch it. To me it feels safer that way at lest I know I can get the shifter into neutral and then go to 6th or 7th gear or where ever I need to go. I know to you all it ain't no thing, but I'm new and
The guy I worked with said "You have to do what you feel safe doing." If can float, float it is easier on you and the equipment, however if you have to use the clutch from time to time, that's fine as well."
On a side note today was the first time I ever got to drive a Volvo and I liked it. There nice trucks. I like them better then the Internationals and Freightliner's that we have. If I was going to buy a truck I would probably buy a Volvo. Never drove a Peterbuilt or Kenworth and don't see it happening in the near future. Mostly Internationals and Freightliners. We had a couple Sterlings in school none of which I cared for.
So today was 48' and 53' duty. I get plenty of drop and hook practice. Some of these trailers have screwy landing gear to say the least.
Any how today my shifting was much much better I started out rocky getting out of the yard, but worked out the kinks real quick. The guy I worked with said to me "Your doing a lot better then I anticipated." He said "I'm not real rattled easily and if you do something I don't like I'll let you know, but really everything your doing is fine. Your shifting has a few kinks, but it's far from bad for a new person, it's actually really not that terrible, your not ready to be on your own just yet, but your close."
I'm like 85% there. Today really wasn't much of a bloodletting I didn't grind very many gears very few actually, missed a couple, but that's about it. The worst thing I did was killed the truck a few times, sometimes I have this habit of releasing the clutch to soon. When I start killing the truck that's when I start out in first gear, because it's hard to stall out in first and then I'll work my way back out to starting in second. However by the second trip the man I was working with had me floating gears! I had never floated a gear before in my life prior to this and it's funny when you float gears the truck, kind of just sucks the gear that it wants, no problem. Now there were a few times I would still double clutch like if my speed was right, but my RPMs were not and I couldn't get the shifter to want to move, then I would do the old two step. What I try to do is float to the gear I want, but if it doesn't happen fast enough or easy enough especially going down, then it's time to do the old double clutch.
Really I know most people don't like double clutching, but for me a little bit of both is fine. I try to do one, but if it doesn't work then I do the other. Like I am a tad more sure of my self when I double clutch so if I really need to up shift or down shift or something and I am unsure how to float it, I'll double clutch it. To me it feels safer that way at lest I know I can get the shifter into neutral and then go to 6th or 7th gear or where ever I need to go. I know to you all it ain't no thing, but I'm new and
The guy I worked with said "You have to do what you feel safe doing." If can float, float it is easier on you and the equipment, however if you have to use the clutch from time to time, that's fine as well."
On a side note today was the first time I ever got to drive a Volvo and I liked it. There nice trucks. I like them better then the Internationals and Freightliner's that we have. If I was going to buy a truck I would probably buy a Volvo. Never drove a Peterbuilt or Kenworth and don't see it happening in the near future. Mostly Internationals and Freightliners. We had a couple Sterlings in school none of which I cared for.