First Timer

So I drove for 30 miles today in Oklahoma. Tuesday I staryed school and saturday I was behind the wheel. It was pretty intense. Nothing in the training really prepared me to actually drive. Nothing mentioned about anything really. They threw us on a simulator which was fun, yet not at all like a real truck. I think it did more to hinder me than to help. I guess you kind of get the feelinh of a truck but that's as far as it went.

My biggest problem is getting started and getting up to speed. I would have like sime kind of training on double clutching and shifting. I have no idea if i have bad habbits due to driving a manual car a long time ago, bad habbits from having to press tbe clutch all the way in on the simulator or I just have no idea what I'm doing in general. Tomorrow once we get past dallas I'm going to drive for a long time. Going 55 and keeping her between the lines is simple. Trying to get through low gears, watch for traffic and watch my mirrors is almost too much. Downshifting is foreign as well. Its all so much to focus on. And being on the highway there are lives at risk as well as equipment and cargo.

They gave us a load to california and there's hardly any time on it to practice or anything. I know that you gotta learn somewhere but geez, throwing me right out on the highway is a lot of pressure. I know I'll get better and everything, it just seems there are better ways to learn.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Britton, I had the same problem..i had driven for years off-road, and always floated gears..my school wanted us to double clutch.. of course, I was grinding every gear.. then my instructor explained it to me like this.. "the transmission on a big rig has a clutch brake.. when you press the clutch pedal all the way down (like you would in a civilian vehicle) it activates the clutch brake brake and actually stops the gears from turning.. only press the clutch pedal down about halfway.. it works much better ".. also, it is a timing issue..my instructor told us to count.. one, two.. one, two.. just like you would normally count one, two, three..no pause between numbers.. one, clutch and pull shifter into neutral.. two, clutch again and pull shifter into next gear.. using his advice, after 4 days on the road im actually missing/grinding very few gears.. until the downshifting part, but im getting better..im starting to learn my rpm/shift curves... hope this helps you, It did me..

If you are old enough to remember the Adamms Family theme song, think about that while shifting, the timing on that is perfect for shifting big trucks.

Just a thought.

Ernie

Thanks guys, I'll give them both a try and see what works for me

Ernie !!! you are soooo true !!! I can't remember what song I used...it was something from the 60's...lol

Britton - getting started on the road is overwhelming for everyone. The way you feel is the way everyone feels when they first head out with a trainer - it's information overload. The companies and trainers know this. It just takes time and experience to get a feel for the truck and get used to absorbing the constant flow of information coming at you. But you'll get it just fine. It may feel like you're in over your head but soon enough you'll get more comfortable with it.

Remember, the only thing that matters is don't hit anything. Everything else is just a temporary situation - a trivial detail. If you hold up traffic - doesn't matter. If you have to pull up 10 times to get backed in - doesn't matter. If you make a wrong turn, miss your turn, or start grinding gears like you're making hamburger - doesn't matter. Just don't hit anything. Take all of the time you need to perform any maneuver. Ask all of the questions you can think of.

Just take it slow, try to relax, and don't hit anything. That's it. That's your only concern right now. You'll learn quickly and things won't feel so overwhelming very soon.

Britton - getting started on the road is overwhelming for everyone. The way you feel is the way everyone feels when they first head out with a trainer - it's information overload. The companies and trainers know this. It just takes time and experience to get a feel for the truck and get used to absorbing the constant flow of information coming at you. But you'll get it just fine. It may feel like you're in over your head but soon enough you'll get more comfortable with it.

Remember, the only thing that matters is don't hit anything. Everything else is just a temporary situation - a trivial detail. If you hold up traffic - doesn't matter. If you have to pull up 10 times to get backed in - doesn't matter. If you make a wrong turn, miss your turn, or start grinding gears like you're making hamburger - doesn't matter. Just don't hit anything. Take all of the time you need to perform any maneuver. Ask all of the questions you can think of.

Just take it slow, try to relax, and don't hit anything. That's it. That's your only concern right now. You'll learn quickly and things won't feel so overwhelming very soon.

That's how I've been looking at it. Driving is all about practicing and getting better every day. Yesterday I did 433 miles. It was easy. Sure it was down 20 all the way through texas but I feel more comfortable in the truck. Today I'll be driving through LA. Traffic will be some stress but I'll make it. It just seems insane to not have any drive experience before going on the road. But I'm making it. Pretrip will be tough but I'll get there

Britton, you will learn a ton by just being on the road. That's one of the things I like about company sponsored training. The road is a great tutor, harsh at times, but really great lessons are learned in real live situations. In a few months you'll realize how far you've come and be glad for the way they put you through this.

You can do this! You're gonna have a day or two that you just want to give up and go home, but don't let your mind dwell on those kind of thoughts. Keep a mental check list going of how you are progressing with things like shifting, backing, and understanding how the qualcomm works, etc. You're going to realize that you are catching on and really starting to enjoy yourself.

Hang in there, we're all pulling for you!

Britton, you will learn everyday...you will experience everyday....you will survive everyday...and you will live your adventure everyday !!! When you are done driving for the day, take a moment and dwell on what you have learned that day. You will be SO surprised !! As the miles tick away, so will the things you need to learn and experience. For me, trucking HAD to be a learning experience. I learn much easier when I DO it, not watch it. Take one driving shift at a time..and reflect often on what oyu have learned.

Oh..and driving in LA ?? The first time we went thru LA, I had driven the night before, so when we got into the heavy traffic, I woke up, got up and st in the jump seat...I looked around...at 6 lanes of traffic going each way. ..I couldn't hack it...mental overload...I went back in the sleeper. So as a rookie...you're a litle tougher than I was. The only good thing about LA traffic is that in rush hour its SLOW...but you will get leg calf pain you won't believe from clutching for hours in rush hour traffic....

Thanks for the words guys. I'm trying to learn and learn. Yesterday was a nightmare, but I survived. My issue is not knowing what to do and when. Yesterday we ended up going around LA rather than through it. The traffic wasnt horrible, but was a bit stressful. I see two trucks ahead of me part andI'm stuck in the lane surrounded coming up on some patio furniture in the road. Yeah, I nailed it. No big deal but more stress. Then rain and everyone on the highway keep slowing up. So it was a lot of start and stop. Good shifting practice. Eventually we get to the mountains. I don't know much about mountain driving at all. I ended up stalling it on the mountain. I was brain dead at that point and didn't know where to begin or whwt I could have done. I wasn't prepared to do it. I understand being thrown to the wolves, and I also like to train hands on but I'm not comfortable jumping into something that I'm clueless on. If ther was a truck behind me I quite possibly would have hit it when I rolled back.

We weren't given any time on the load so I had to drive through stuff that I wasn't comfortable with at all with zero practice on anything other than a simulator. I like the idea of otr training but you have know how to dribble before you take the court. Its frustrating not feeling equipped to do some of this. I'm learning though. I've done close to 900 miles the last two days and enjoyed most of them. The rest would be ok if I knew what I was doing. Trucking is for me, I just need to get there