Just Beginning

Hello,

I am going to be starting trucking school on April 22nd. The only thing that I am worried about is I have never driven a stick shift before.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Will it be an easy thing to learn how to drive a stick shift on the truck? And how friendly/patient are the truck driving instructors at the truck driving school?

Jacob, don't worry about that shifting. I went to school with a young man who had never driven a standard transmission, and he picked it up just fine. A lot of young people going into trucking have never driven a vehicle with a standard transmission, these truck driving schools see this all the time. You'll be surprised at the people who have driven stick shifts before, but can't shift a big truck. The transmissions in those trucks operate completely differently than a regular vehicle, so sometimes it's a hindrance to have that experience. You'll be fine - it will all be just a part of the learning experience for you. There's a lot of things going on all at the same time when driving a truck, it's a major multitasking effort at first, but after a while it all begins to feel natural.

As to your question about the patience of the instructors, there's no way to answer that one. There are some who are going to be more patient than others, and hopefully you'll get in a good program with some really good instructors. But remember this: when you are at school you are the one paying them. If you're getting mistreated you have every right to speak up for yourself, or speak to an instructors supervisor if there's an issue going on. Also remember that being a truck driving instructor for new students can be a terribly stressful job, so when you do your best to pay attention and follow instruction you make things much better for both you and your instructor.