AJ's Truck Driving Journey

Well its in Indiana, is Richmond the only school there?

Well its in Indiana, is Richmond the only school there?

There's one in Burns Harbor (Gary), IN.

Wow, now I feel stupid...lol. I'll check on that but burns sound more familiar. Which is closest to My?

Yes its Burns.

Yes its Burns.

Burns Harbor. Well then. I did spend some time there when I was waiting for my trainer. The had me in the Motel 6 next door, which wasn't bad at all. The room in the school's hotel, although I didn't get put in one myself, seemed nicer than Richmond in that they had a refrigerator, maybe roomier than Richmond, but still they are not going to be Presidential suite's. Just stay focused on why you're there, and less on the rooms. There's also nothing nearby, but they have a van that can shuttle you to Walmart and other places. I walked to the dollar store once. I like walking, but it was not a short trip.

I can't tell you much about the school itself, and the routes you'll be learning on, as I didn't attend it, but it seemed to be ok as that is where I picked up my truck and did my Phase 2 upgrade, not a bad facility. It's an actual terminal.

The hotel has WiFi. And a decent lounge. Better than Richmond.

That's great info Button Up. Thank you. I'm not to worried about the peddly things that aren't going to make or break me such as accommodations and stores; all that is nice to know 😎. The things I worry about is being screwed by the company its self. Like keeping me long enough to tie me into a contract where I owe a bunch of money then cutting me loose. I just want to get through schooling and hit the big road, make some money, and better my life. Even though this is not a cake, walk I'm ready to get training!!!

Over two years later, my shifting is still improving... It's easy to make it too technical when learning it for the first time, and it's too early to really have a natural feel for it. It wasn't until I was driving solo and didn't have the pressure of someone watching me that I was able to relax and try different things and learn what worked best. I will still miss a gear going up or down hill sometimes. And, going from one truck to a another with a different gear ratio can throw you off if you're going by the speedometer to determine which gear you need to be in. For instance, I have always downshifted in to 6th on a 10-spd at about 25 mph. Well, the trucks I have been driving the last couple week have a different gear ratio, and it took some time before I realized I needed to be down to about 20 in the different trucks.

I don't want to confuse newer drivers!

But, here are a couple universal tips that may help when learning shifting early on:

1) If you miss the gear when upshifting, you usually only have to lightly tap the accelerator, then slip it in gear. The slightest raise of RPM's is usually all that's necessary. As a new driver, I always revved the engine too much which meant I couldn't get it into gear until they dropped back down. As a student, this meant I might coast (move in neutral farther than the length of the truck). A lot of pressure on students!

2) Downshifting, if you miss the gear, usually you can slip it back into the higher gear, with or without a tap of the accelerator. The exception to this is if you are decelerating rapidly, going up hill for instance, then you can rev it a little (or a lot, depending on how fast you're decelerating) and put it in the next lower gear.

3) When you're downshifting, you don't have to put a lot of pressure on the shifter to feel where it wants to go in, but when you do feel it, get it in there. I usually start to put it in gear as the rpm's are climbing, but if I miss it I can feel where I should have put it in, and then catch it as the rpm's come back down. If I DON'T feel that "GAP" where it needs to go in, I will tap the accelerator again a little harder. Twice is usually the most it takes to get it in gear.

4) There is usually a delayed reaction between what the actual rpm's are and what the tachometer says. If you are having trouble using 1500 for a reference, try 1400. If it's a "quick" engine you may want to put it in a 1300. Sometimes it might need just a little more rpm's as well.

5) As you are learning, get the "feel" of the process, which means you will rely less on the exact readout on the gauges, and learn how the transmission wants to be shifted.

6) Upshifting can be a very natural process, just let off the accelerator, and double-clutch it in (if you're a student). Don't worry about what the tachometer says. You have to be going very slow trying to get into a high gear to not be able to upshift easily.

Veterans correct me if I'm wrong.

Thank you , so much, for all you time spent ! I will study your suggestions.

Wow, this thread is an awesome read for me. I start school the13th and I'm super nervous. More because of all the negative input on the school I'm going to be attending, CR England. But reading all these post on how the days go in school is such a relief to get an "inside" look. Thank you so much for creating this thread👌👍😎

You are welcome. My thread is insignificant compared to Wine Taster's Roehl school thread. That thing is a work of art! lol I started reading that thing and I literally could not stop until I finished !

Well I definitely love your thread and get a lot out of it and I'll check out that other one to. Thank you again.

Better day driving. Shifting is improving and I have moved on to the final stage of the backing lessons - the "Alley Dock" ... I am about caught up with the rest of the class at this point as the Alley Dock is where everyone struggles. There is only one guy who mastered it quickly. He has been backing work trailers his entire life. He's a natural.

A couple more failed the final today on the class ahead of me. (I'm seeing about a 50% failure rate on the initial try - most are successful on the next attempt a week later) They give many opportunities to retake the tests. One fellow has been swinging the bat since August!! lol ...

It all seems overwhelming to get accomplished within the initial 3 week period.

I passed my fake Pre-Trip inspection / in Cab and air brakes section. If I can get a little better with the backing by next Thursday maybe I can pass that section and get to the Road test. With a little luck there, with no Auto-Fails, I should have a CDL-A...

What an amazingly difficult venture I have gotten myself into. :)