Learning Is Fun!

So I had my transmission blow it's synchronizer for 6th gear back in Ohio. Had to drop my load in Illinois. Then head to sprimo. It is very interesting to have to review high in fifth then jump to 7th gear. Glad I had a 8000 pound load to go back to the terminal. Also learned that it takes 11.75 hours to fix the transmission plus a couple other things. 53 parts later and we are good to roll lol. Poor Susanna (my trucks name) she's a trooper.

Is doubling up and doubling down not usually part of trucking school? England's is just 10 days long but they squeezed it in. When I hopped in my next manual truck, the first seat saw me double and said not to in his truck(his truck, his rules) and it felt weird NOT doubling up and down when possible.

I start out in 3rd 99% of the time and jump to 5th then 6th through 10th. Down shifting I switch it up, if I have to drop from 60 to35 or I got 10 to 8. If it's to 25 I go 10 to 9 to 7. If I have s long stretch of off ramp or any reason I need to slow down I'll go through all the gears.

I look at it as practice. All my training time was in autos. So I only had maybe 4 hours between the simulator and test truck driving a manual.

You really shouldn't start in 3rd gear when loaded heavy. Absolutely brutal on the truck and it doesn't save you any time if you really think about it.

Reaper when u getting to Sprimo? Penny and I just got here ;)

Good to know. As mentioned I have really had zero training in a manual. The training I did have we started in first but that was to show we knew the shifting pattern. The trainer mentioned when he drives he always starts in 3rd, unless there the truck just wouldn't roll in third. Hill to steep etc.

You really shouldn't start in 3rd gear when loaded heavy. Absolutely brutal on the truck and it doesn't save you any time if you really think about it.

Already came and left unfortunately rainy. I arrived Monday evening and left Wednesday morning. Transmission shifts like butter now. Also wheel covers and oil change makes my life so much better. I can easily get 9mph with 42k easy. Highest was 9.5 for 350 miles at one point this trip. Much much better now.

I love when typos make things funnier. 9.5mph for 350 miles, you say? That sounds like a long day!

Is doubling up and doubling down not usually part of trucking school? England's is just 10 days long but they squeezed it in. When I hopped in my next manual truck, the first seat saw me double and said not to in his truck(his truck, his rules) and it felt weird NOT doubling up and down when possible.

I went through Celadon and they showed us doubling down but the only time anyone doubled up was if someone missed a gear. One even showed me tripling down but it was never a direct lesson

I start in 3rd most of the time too Eric, but I have my exceptions, like what Daniel mentioned. It all depends on the load and the road (incline or decline, or flat). Most of the time I'm starting in 3rd and skipping 4th. But if the load or grade dictates it, I'll start in 2nd and go through the gears. There are a few hills in a town I go through that sometimes dictates granny gear (if I'm heavy) when I come to a stop at a few traffic lights on steep inclines - that's how steep roads can get in western PA.

As a linehaul driver, I run the same roads day in and out. So I know all the little nooks and crannies of my run. The grades, the curves, the potholes, everything. I know when I need to adjust my starting gear based on how heavy my two trailers are, because I already know the terrain.

Sometimes they get to repaving the roads and I can actually feel a difference in how the truck gains speed down a grade or how it handles a curve. That's how much I know the roads on my run.