need advice bad

[apbt1185]

Went to a school I feel they didn't teach me well because when I went to schineder they failed me and said I was poorly trained now I kind of gave up because I went all way over there just to fail I was pissed not at them at myself now I am trying again because I really need a job I have a family now since I got my license in february 2012 and still no job now I know so of that is my fault but most of it falls on the school

Now I want to ask is what is a way to build confidence

What is a good way to shift properly and to count the rpm's to make that perfect shift sorry for my grammar this is how I write bear with me

[apbt1185]

Originally Posted by apbt1185

Went to a school I feel they didn't teach me well because when I went to schineder they failed me and said I was poorly trained now I kind of gave up because I went all way over there just to fail I was pissed not at them at myself now I am trying again because I really need a job I have a family now since I got my license in february 2012 and still no job now I know so of that is my fault but most of it falls on the school

Now I want to ask is what is a way to build confidence

What is a good way to shift properly and to count the rpm's to make that perfect shift sorry for my grammar this is how I write bear with me

Just want this to work now I have no endorsements but I do plan on getting them what are the best one's to get

[bigjoe]

Get all the endorsements available and be prepared for whatever comes your way. To build confidence try and try again and do not accept defeat as an option.

Far as your shifting that will come with time. Listen to your engine...it will talk to you. You will learn by the sound of the engine when it wants another gear.

[juno_hoo]

Originally Posted by apbt1185

Went to a school I feel they didn't teach me well because when I went to schineder they failed me and said I was poorly trained now I kind of gave up because I went all way over there just to fail I was pissed not at them at myself now I am trying again because I really need a job I have a family now since I got my license in february 2012 and still no job now I know so of that is my fault but most of it falls on the school

Now I want to ask is what is a way to build confidence

What is a good way to shift properly and to count the rpm's to make that perfect shift sorry for my grammar this is how I write bear with me

Long boring, rambling post warning. Stop reading now.

AP, start having faith in yourself. Stop:

- Beating yourself up.

- Repeating yourself here and in PMs.

- Using your poor school as a crutch. The only purpose of the school is to get you through the DMV test and put a CDL in your wallet. They were never intended to produce a finished driver. Check your wallet. CDL in there? Well the school did its job. The real learning starts when you hit the road under a load and with a trainer.

Opinions on shifting -- Schools should probably be teaching "floating the gears" as well as double clutching. I've never understood why they don't but floating gives the driver a better understanding of how transmissions work. It is pretty useful when you need a gear fast or the clutch goes out. Would you believe that you can drive a truck from Vegas to SLC, drop a load and get it to a shop without ever using a broken clutch? You can and must learn it. It might take a whole half hour and will save you much aggravation.

You have to understand inertia. Remember the little merry-go-round at the playground when you were a kid. Once it was spinning it tended to stay spinning. You had to run to catch up and get on. You matched your speed to that of the merry-go-round. Trannies are pretty much the same and those big gears like to be turning at the same exact speed before they slip together. If not you get the dreaded grinding.

Bigjoe nailed it when he said to listen to the engine. Yes, the instructor at school told you to look at the tach and look for the 400 rpm drop/increase. We see the newb staring intently at the tach and fiddling with the foot feed while the needle bounces all over the place, then-- at the precise moment -- they cram the lever into gear and blow it. Experienced drivers listen and can shift in their sleep without a glance at the tach. Why?

- They think ahead and listen for the speed of the engine to decrease (upshifting) or increase (downshifting) a little.

- They relax, don't rush things and cram it into gear. Smooth is good and some have suggested mentally thinking "I'm" (gently take it out of gear and move to neutral position) "shifting" (pause a second in neutral while you match engine speed to road speed) "now!" (slip the lever into the proper position). The whole shift takes about as much time as it does to say "I'm shifting now" at moderate cadence.

- They often use their fingertips. Big trucks don't need big fat hands gripping the shift lever and trying to muscle it into gear. Keep your palm off the lever until you learn to shift properly. Your fingertips are more sensitive and can feel the first hint of resistance and grinding. If things are going wrong, decrease the pressure on the lever, adjust your rpm a little and try again. Don't PANIC!!!

- They don't wind the engine out to redline on flat ground before shifting. This isn't Fremont dragstrip and we're not speed shifting. As soon as the truck is rolling smoothly I'll upshift to a higher gear. No need to peak out in every gear.

The truth is that backing and shifting are about the two toughest things for the rookie to master. They are way different than anything they did before in their four-wheeler but just about anyone can learn. "Stick shift" trannies in cars (and European big trucks) have synchromesh that matches gear speed for you. American large cars do not but you can learn to do it.

Personally, I won't turn a new driver loose under a loaded trailer without first watching how they shift because the heavy trailer accentuates the mistakes. If the person is not fairly smooth, we'll find a quiet road and practice upshifting/downshifting/floating until they get the concept. A half hour of that makes things go much smoother when we're under the load. Ask your next trainer to do the same, evaluate you and if necessary get a little practice. I know, trainers get in a big rush to grab the load and make the big bucks, but try to at least ask.

Again, relax, read over the second paragraph above and have confidence in yourself. Anyone can learn this and confidence comes with experience. Experience takes a little time. No excuses; just do it.

[juno_hoo]

Thanks for deleting your post, Toomega. It was the right thing to do.

[bungafoo]

Originally Posted by juno_hoo

Thanks for deleting your post, Toomega. It was the right thing to do.

You are welcome.

I decided my post was too poignant contrasted to your idyllic "Dear Abby" advice to the dumbed down adult children reading this forum.

I knew that you and your buddy would consider it very controversial and go into another mean spirited diatribe.

After a welcome abstinence from this forum by your buddy the last three days, I thought I would delete it and give us a rest.

cheers

[JaysonTMD]

Man, I couldn've written your situation. Same exact thing happened to me at the same company; same month too. We were probably there together, LOL. I just picked myself up and moved on to the next company. My instructor told me that his job wasn't to teach me how to drive but to pass DMV. Don't get discouraged, get even. Show them up by becoming a sucessful driver and make money.

[juno_hoo]

Originally Posted by JaysonTMD

Man, I couldn've written your situation. Same exact thing happened to me at the same company; same month too. We were probably there together, LOL. I just picked myself up and moved on to the next company. My instructor told me that his job wasn't to teach me how to drive but to pass DMV. Don't get discouraged, get even. Show them up by becoming a sucessful driver and make money.

Bingo! Welcome to Layover, Jayson. You hit the nail on the head.