Upshifting After Quick Stop In Traffic

Hello fellow truckers So my trainer is a cool guy but i dont think he understands what i mean maybe you guys can help me out? While im downshifting thru towns i find myself sometimes coming to a complete stop usually when im in 6th i kick it in neutral once the light turn im suddenly upshifting again im around 5mph so either gear 4th or 5th i grind it hard all the time i can just see my trainer crinch up everytime i do it i start panicking now ive lost all momentum and have to stop completely still grinding gears can you please help me

Depending on the weight of whatever your pulling - 2nd or 3rd. 4th or 5th. To get back in gear there are a few ways I know how to get it back. Either give a quick rev and slide it in as you rev. Or place the shifter right in front of the gear chosen and slowly rev up the motor just enough so that its lightly touching the gears, you'll feel it kinda slowing down(the gear grinding) & then viola! It'll almost suck it into gear.

Hope this helps!!

Drive safe!

-Mike

Hello fellow truckers So my trainer is a cool guy but i dont think he understands what i mean maybe you guys can help me out? While im downshifting thru towns i find myself sometimes coming to a complete stop usually when im in 6th i kick it in neutral once the light turn im suddenly upshifting again im around 5mph so either gear 4th or 5th i grind it hard all the time i can just see my trainer crinch up everytime i do it i start panicking now ive lost all momentum and have to stop completely still grinding gears can you please help me

What you describe is frustrating. At first I had the same issue. The solution? Anticipate! (and lot of practice) Sounds easy, but much harder to do in practice. Always give yourself ample space, even in traffic. Brake smoothly. I float all my gears. In stop and go traffic as you describe, be ready to flip the splitter and drop it into the appropriate gear, usually 2nd or 3rd. Once you know what speed will allow you to drop it right into gear at an idle, you will be all set. I always get into 2nd before coming to a complete stop, but almost never have time to downshift through every gear to get there. Never touch the clutch unless I have to completely stop. Hope some of this makes sense!

Depending on the weight of whatever your pulling - 2nd or 3rd. 4th or 5th. To get back in gear there are a few ways I know how to get it back. Either give a quick rev and slide it in as you rev. Or place the shifter right in front of the gear chosen and slowly rev up the motor just enough so that its lightly touching the gears, you'll feel it kinda slowing down(the gear grinding) & then viola! It'll almost suck it into gear.

Hope this helps!!

Drive safe!

-Mike

Thanks! Im in sleeper berth for the rest of tonight but tomorrow ill try yout advice and let you know how do!

I know what you mean, I have the same problem. I find it harder to pic the right low range gear than high range. Two things I would say (and I'm by no means an expert so maybe neither of these apply to you): are you sure the range switch is in low? Also, like someone said above you may need to rev a little, when you do make sure you have you foot off the clutch (well, at least let off it some). Revving does no good if you have the clutch pushed in.

Thanks! Im in sleeper berth for the rest of tonight but tomorrow ill try yout advice and let you know how do

by the way both of the maneuvers Do not require the clutch! Don't touch that clutch and you'll be fine! Good luck out there! Enjoy the rest of sleeper berth!

My guess is you are fishing for the wrong gear it will change based on the load, honestly it just takes practice. Just put put light pressure on the stick, if you are trying for the right gear with the right RPM it will almost pull it into gear and if its wrong you will feel it more the hear it.

Man I caught HEll the first week with my trainer for shifting. He was an owner op & he owned a brand new 2015 Peterbilt. Every time I would grind a gear he got mad but he was a little understanding since I was new in the industry. My trainer had me floating gears from Day 1! He did not want me to use the clutch AT ALL. I can go on & on about how he was nagging about my shifting but I can tell you that practice does indeed make perfect (or close to it). After about my 4-5th day I was floating gears like I had been driving for years. I can float & shift gears by the sound of the engine without looking at my RPMs. My trainer was GREAT! He taugh me ALOT! He made me into the trucker I am today & im a very safe/cautious driver. I still even have his number & call he once a week just to say "what's going on". After being in the truck with someone for 4-6 weeks you kind of build a relationship with them. I also wouldn't even consider him a "Trainer" I prefer the term "Mentor". But I say all this to say take your time, practice, don't be in a rush & slow down way early, be looking at least like 10-12 seconds ahead up the road to anticipate anything & check your mirrors constantly. If you practice this your shifting will improve greatly, also Just ask him for help or any advice he can give you to help you out a bit.

It's all about matching rpm's to the speed and gear. Rolling at 5mph you could go into any gear from 3rd to 6th on my 10 speed.

If you never left 6th just hammer down and it will lug a little bit but isn't going to die on you or anything. If you are in neutral (shouldn't be rolling in neutral anyway), you could select 6th but you don't rev the rpms up at that speed.

In my truck 3rd gear at 5mph would be in the neighborhood of 1300 or 1400 rpms so kick it up to that and it should be a smooth shift. Would be kind of silly to do that just to immediately shift again though, possibly helpful in stop and go traffic.

Not uncommon for people to struggle with this at first, my wife still has trouble with this exact problem from time to time but she doesn't come to a complete stop anymore.