Profile For N P.

Thank you. I can't double clutch at all but I can float them ok. If I make it through my route tonight, I'll post a video. I have a GoPro that will record better than my phone. I discovered, like yall said, you have to go fast through the first gears. It reminds me of playing an instrument, my wrist moves fast.

If you're able to learn double clutching you will have a lot better feel for things, and tbh it is something you should be able to do at least somewhat. It seems a hell of a lot more complicated than it actually is, it just takes a little practice. This video might be a good reference to start with.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CosP6aPzftQ

Do you have to use the clutch when you start from a stop?

Definitely. Foot through the floor when you're taking off from a stop. With the clutch fully engaged you will engage the clutch-brake and will be able to get right into gear.

Also how would you approach a gas station or a parking lot where you would drive about 5 mph? I am usually in a high gear coming from a 45 mph road

Its best to be at the high end of a lower gear, vs. being at the low end of a high gear when you are going into parking lots since you have more control at higher RPMs. When I can I try to slow down as much as possible with my engine before using my brakes.. personally, I usually engine brake to slow down, slip out of gear, rev to about 1700 and slip down into the next gear.. repeating this until I get to 4th or 5th to pull in.

Are you double clutching or floating gears?

As for the rhythm...there was one goofy little "hack" or trick that really brought it all home for me.... When I was in CDL school I had a hell of a time getting in sync with the rhythm double clutching. For some reason it was just one thing I could not get right or keep right.. Finally one day my instructor pulled out his phone and he said "look, this is going to sound funny.. but just give it a shot because it works" then he proceeded to play The Addams Family opening theme song... once the song started playing he had me pay particular attention to the rhythm of the "Snap---snap" part. The first "Snap" is the moment you're clutching out of gear, and the second "snap" is the moment you're clutching back into gear. Like clockwork, I finally got the rhythm and it never left. To this day I still hear that damn song in my head any time I'm consciously shifting.

(A couple things to note for context.. 1: you will only be listening to the first 15-ish seconds of this song, where you have a combination of the instrumental "dun-nu-nu-nu" followed by the "snap---snap"... 2: I'm assuming you generally do understand double clutching already but its worth mentioning anyway-- when you double clutch you are not slamming the clutch to the floor or even relatively close, rather you're merely teasing it, playing "hard to get" so-to-say only giving er a couple inches of penetration). whether you're floating or clutching the rhythm is the same and that should help if you don't quite have that dialed in.

As for shifting the lower gears, depending on your weight you really should have no problem starting out in 3rd. At high RPMs shift slower and at low RPMs shift faster. When you miss a gear or are trying to figure out what gear you need to be in, a good rule of thumb is to add the numbers together on your speedometer to find the gear... ex: 15 MPH (1+5=6th) or 45 MPH (4+5= 9th) etc..

The Automatic-Transmission Pandemic infecting our highways scares the hell outa me, I can't believe how many long-haul companies are changing their fleets to 100% autos. I've occasionally driven an auto for 1-2 day hauls but Its never been a comfortable experience in any way, especially with liquid bulk tankers... most vicious surge hits ive ever experienced!

It's been grinding my gears that I learned to drive a truck in a standard, but have only driven auto since.

No trucks were available the other night, so I got to drive a rare 10 speed.

I set up my camera so I can get feedback.. I included my worst moments hoping to get ideas for improvement.

Here's the video.. please offer feedback on how I can improve my shifting. Like timing, rhythm, etc.

Timing? Rhythm?

Here is the video. I annotated and narrated my thought process to make it easier to critique

https://youtu.be/-4Kn_qBSa9g

Thank you

I had the most trouble in the lower gears. It seemed like the truck got up to speed quickly (ie.. 15 mph), and the truck liked when I threw it into 6

Thank you in advance

Michelle, I'm not a legal expert by any means but you should not be disqualified for use of a controlled substance alone, rather unauthorized use of a controlled substance. I personally was prescribed adderall at the time I was hired with 2 different companies, both of which required hair and urine drug screening, both within the last 5 years. You are protected under HIPAA from having to share this information with your company directly, however you MUST have a letter to provide the medical examiner from the prescribing physician stating that you are safe to operate a CMV while taking the medication. If anything has changed in the last 2 years then this may be different, but even after reading this (https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/what-medications-disqualify-cmv-driver) it seems to still be the same process.

My advice to folks who are new to CB's is if you're going to invest in one, invest in it. I'd have it P&T right from the start so you're optimized from day one. On the road a cb will never stop giving back, so imo its always money well spent. You don't need the best of the best but one should at least get a moderately decent radio set-up. Also, put some thought and research into your antenna placement and how the wire is ran. It is very relevant to your range and how much interference you will deal with. Once you have a radio set up and working, the next thing I would invest in is an external speaker, and a decent mic (and for the love of god no roger beeps!). Another accessory you will find value in is a decent mic keeper, a retractable one.

When you use a radio for the first time or after making changes it is always good practice to do a radio check...You can just say something like: "Can I get a radio check".. "I just replaced 'x', can someone give me a radio check".. etc.. Then you can ask what their "20" is (20 means location) to get an idea of your range as well as ask for feedback on how you sound to them. Likewise, any time you hear someone else asking for a radio check it is common courtesy to relay back to them that you do hear them, as well as if you notice any distortion or audio issues.

Always be respectful and be mindful of how you're conversating and don't talk to people any way different than you would face-face. We all have our differences, but when it comes down to it we're all in this together and we're all experiencing many of the same problems, stresses, and idiots out here. A lot of folks tend to grow an auxiliary set of balls thinking they're big and bad behind their mic.. they eventually learn the hard way they're not.

Another good rule of thumb.. nobody wants to hear "Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)" distortedly coming through their cb's speaker while they're listening for traffic hazards. Keep your music off the CB, including any background music when you're broadcasting.

A cb is great for getting intel on hazards with time enough to plan for them but CB's don't identify and broadcast these traffic hazards themselves. Try to give back the best you can and identify hazards with their location any time you are able. It's also courteous to thank individuals who relay you information.

Ryan, I hope you don’t mind, but I want to piggyback on your CB topic. I plan on getting a CB soon, but have never used one before.

I’d like to see comments about current CB etiquette for new users. A tutorial would help us new users.

Peaking and tuning isn't something that everyone needs but it will definitely optimize your radio's performance.. When you peak and tune the radio you are tuning the output and adjusting the modulation and power so you get higher output wattage and clearer more natural sounds.

Winter weather will be coming before too long, so I took advantage of a $20 discount on Uniden CBs at Pilot/Flying J, on top of having $28 in points saved to get a CB radio with weather bands. My statements on CBs are well known here. I am sharing this to show good faith that I am not completely refusing to acknowledge the validity of opinions expressed by other drivers. I asked company shop to connect it and they got right on it.

Good for you, Ryan!!

The gang shall be proud of ya ~ Tom says kudos ... decent unit, especially if you've gotten it peaked and tuned!

Not sure if the company shop does all that, but there are MANY great stops & shops in the vicinity that'll do that for a decent price. I'm sure those in the know on TT will chime in; but if you run the I'80 in PA, Bob's is one of the best, per the Tomster.

Best to ya, good sir.

~ Anne ~

Yeah, getting your CB “peaked and tuned.” I wonder if that’s exactly the same as getting the undercoating put on your car. As Puddy (car salesman) said on Seinfeld, ‘we don’t know what that is.’

I would bring it up asap to your DBL. If you have to idle to avoid freezing they will probably work with you until its fixed so it doesn't impact your bonus. It's been a few years since I've driven for Schneider but I'm sure not too much has changed with that. Also curious, Do they have any manual trans in their fleet still or are they going full-auto these days?