When Should I Show Down And Shift If I Want To Exit The Freeway?

Let's assume I need to take the next off ramp in order to exit the freeway.

1. How early do I slow down and when should I be done with me downshifting?

2. Should I brake before I enter the off-ramp or should I wait until I am completely on the off-ramp?

I don't want to enter the ramp too fast, but I also don't want to block the traffic on the freeway.

Let's assume I need to take the next off ramp in order to exit the freeway.

1. How early do I slow down and when should I be done with me downshifting?

2. Should I brake before I enter the off-ramp or should I wait until I am completely on the off-ramp?

I don't want to enter the ramp too fast, but I also don't want to block the traffic on the freeway.

Every ramp is different, all I can really say is look ahead and read signs. What are the signs telling you? Exit Speed, curves? Those signs don't lie, learn to read them and rely on them!

I wouldn't worry about traffic behind you as long as you exit safely, if there is a truck on your tail. Signal in advance to warn him you will be exiting and he'll either switch lanes or back off your tail end.

This really is situational. So ill list a bunch of situations and will say what I would do in each one. Also, I'll put myself in a beginners shoes who isn't very good at shifting. Will use a 10 speed as the example.

If the traffic is light and no one is behind you I would shift into 9th gear about 1/4 mile from the exit. I would brake enough to put it into 8th gear as soon as I'm about to turn to the right. I would then put it into 6th gear before the light because 6th gear is my turning gear. Also, 6th gear is slow enough to be able to stop easily if the light went from green to red on you.

If the light ahead is actually a stop sign I would ride to it in 7th gear and then reset when I came to a stop.

If the traffic is heavy I would turn on my turn signal before I normally do. I would put it into 9th gear right before I turn right. As soon as I get completely off the interstate and onto the ramp I would brake hard.

If the ramp is long I would ride the ramp in 9th gear with low rpms and adjust as I see fit. Remember to always play the lights.

Basically, I tend to put it in 9th gear before exiting the interstate. 9th gear is fast enough to not slow down traffic too much but it also helps control your speed as you exit.

Of course this all changes once you become really good at floating gears.

As was said it's all situational but as a general rule almost every ramp without fail has a exit ramp speed sign. Unless your in Texas, where all the off ramps are very short, by the time my truck is at the ramp speed limit sign I am going that speed. Does not matter if it's 45 or 35. I also use 6th gear for turning which is 15 mph in my truck.

Even with all the different situations given all that can be totally different from one second to the next. Add in traffic exiting before you or any type of weather and now you have a whole different set of rules for taking the off ramps.

Basically experience is going to be the only thing that will help you exit the highway.

Often times it's a balancing act because like you said - you don't want to slow down too much too soon in front of traffic but you can not take that ramp too quickly. So obviously slowing down too much too early is far less dangerous than taking that ramp too soon. So you slow down as much as you need to in order to get to your exit speed before you reach the actual curve. You do not want to be braking while you're going around the curve if you can help it. Get to the proper curve speed early.

Now if the roads are wet or snow covered you're obviously going to slow down considerably more than on dry pavement and it's ten times more important not to be on your brakes while going around the curve.

When I was in school last year it seemed every instructor was different. One instructor would get upset if we slowed down or downshifted before we were completely in the turn lane the others seemed to not care one way or the other as long as it was done safely. So I got used to waiting until my trailer cleared the lane and then start my downshifting and slowing down. I also think that some things to consider would be the area you are in. I currently live in Oregon by the coast and the Interstates are completely different from those in South Carolina or Georgia so reading signs is a major plus and pay attention to everything! Common Sense plays in here.. I remember a student we had.. funny but scary story.. he was driving along on the interstate and the instructor had told him to take such and such exit well he went flying down that off ramp so fast I about had a heart attack and I think the instructor did too. Lets just say it was a while before he was allowed back on the interstate.

he went flying down that off ramp so fast I about had a heart attack

It's interesting you say that because it reminded me of something I had intended to mention.

When you're getting ready to move over and exit, look ahead to make sure you have a safe way out in case you can't make the exit ramp. A couple of times over the years I moved over to take the exit and couldn't get slowed down to a speed I was comfortable with before hitting the ramp so I never hit the ramp. I continued straight onto the shoulder of the highway, accelerated, blended back in and kept going. Went up to the next exit and turned around - no harm done. Could I have made it safely off the ramp? Probably. But probably isn't good enough. It would have been too dangerous to attempt.

Split second decisions like that are tough to make if you let your ego get in the way or you base your decisions on wishful thinking. It's a little embarrassing to miss an exit ramp as a professional driver but it's a lot better than wrecking. And as much as I would have liked to think I could have managed to make it around those ramps safely, the truth is I really wasn't sure and I'm not the type to say, "Oh I'm sure it will be fine" and go for it. If I'm not sure and it's too risky then I simply didn't do it.

Ok, so being a complete noob, Brett said almost exactly what my trainer told me. Better to be overly cautious than take any chances. You could have up to 80,000 pounds behind you pushing you. If you feel your moving too fast for something, just don't do it. Sure, you may **** off the car behind you, but keeping yourself and those around you safe outs definitely a priority. Embarrassingly, I've had to come to a complete stop while driving the industrial park because i missed my gear downshifting and somewhat panicked lol Guy behind me mashed his horn and blew around me, but it's much Better than doing something foolish and possibly taking him out. Just a noob observation lol

he went flying down that off ramp so fast I about had a heart attack

It's interesting you say that because it reminded me of something I had intended to mention.

When you're getting ready to move over and exit, look ahead to make sure you have a safe way out in case you can't make the exit ramp. A couple of times over the years I moved over to take the exit and couldn't get slowed down to a speed I was comfortable with before hitting the ramp so I never hit the ramp. I continued straight onto the shoulder of the highway, accelerated, blended back in and kept going. Went up to the next exit and turned around - no harm done. Could I have made it safely off the ramp? Probably. But probably isn't good enough. It would have been too dangerous to attempt.

Split second decisions like that are tough to make if you let your ego get in the way or you base your decisions on wishful thinking. It's a little embarrassing to miss an exit ramp as a professional driver but it's a lot better than wrecking. And as much as I would have liked to think I could have managed to make it around those ramps safely, the truth is I really wasn't sure and I'm not the type to say, "Oh I'm sure it will be fine" and go for it. If I'm not sure and it's too risky then I simply didn't do it.

I agree that you have to be alert and make those kind of decisions at a split moments notice. This student I was referring to was just joy riding and thought it was funny. I didn't think it was so fun and neither did the instructor.

My classmates and I (3 of us total) got to hit the highway for our first road lesson. We were taken out to US 422 east of Butler, PA and did a total of 4 'loops' between two exits -- 3 each, then 1 more for good measure. The highway had very light traffic, but still had enough to keep us aware. One exit was downhill off, uphill on; the other one was uphill off, downhill on. My first time through it all, and I did much better than I expected up shifting...but about as well as I expected down shifting. The hardest thing to keep in mind is that you're hitting the gas to up the RPMs for the lower gear to slow down....not to pick up speed.

At both ramps, I was putting on my turn signal and tapping the brakes before the start of the ramp. All the ramps were straight. One was marked at 25mph, the other at 35mph. Our instructor was making sure we were slowing down as we were getting ready to get on the ramps. He also did a good job 'busting our chops' when we were messing up. Looking forward to day #2 on Tuesday.

-Ed S