Finding Gears...

My driver trainer wants me to take the truck out of gear when taking turns at the company i'm at, however the speeds for each gear are not the same in this truck, i learned how to find my gears per my speed on a different truck. What do I do? I don't understand what he means by bumo until i find the right gear.. also, i have a bad habit of taking corner super fast, how do i beat into my head that i need to slow down more? It's so terrifying...

Trucks have a very high center of gravity. If you can really feel it leaning you are going way too fast. Remember just to take it slow. You don't want to end up skidding down the road on your side.

As far as bumping for a gear. Gently put a little pressure towards the gear you want to go into. If it feels like it is bumping rapidly you are going too fast or your eng rpm is too high. If it is a slow bump, the you are too slow or the rpm is too low. Remember fast is high and slow is low. When things are perfect, it will slide into gear like a hot knife thru butter.

I would recommend going no faster than 10-15 mph at a 90 degree corner. Figure out what gear that is and plan to get into that gear before you begin your turn.

Same thing on curves and ramps: aim to slow down to the correct speed and get into the correct gear before you enter the ramp.

I would suggest telling yourself, "I'm a truck!" over and over. Start slowing down waaaaay before you think you need to. "I'm a truck!" It worked for me, anyway. Almost everyone goes into corners too hot when they start out, because they're used to driving 3,000 pound cars, not 80,000 pound trucks. Your truck weighs at least 20 times more than any car or pickup you've driven.

"I'm a truck!" The rules are totally different. Slow down, take your time, don't worry about making cars wait for you. Who cares if they understand? You're a truck, not a car.

Chris, this takes a bit of "self training", but this technique will help you slow down on curves.

Most people hold onto the steering wheel as support when they make a turn. Certainly hold the steering wheel, but learn to relax your elbows so that you're not depending on the steering wheel for support.

Now, feeling your back on the driver seat, you'll have a better idea about the centrifugal force that wants to push your truck over. You'll begin showing down on the turns!

Do want to mention, my tanker company recently interviewed a driver and took him on a road test.

All was great except he failed the road test. Reason: he took turns in Neutral. Do not do that! That's a very bad habit.

When I was in training, we were told to plan to take a turn in 6th gear if we weren't going to have to stop. That seemed to work well for me....got me to 15 mph or less in order to make the gear work. One of the mistakes I made during my test was on the home stretch....took a corner a little too fast and did it one handed because I forgot to get it into gear before the turn. Ended up shifting down at the last second and saving it. Find a mantra or system that works for you, and do it the same way every time. After a while it almost becomes like muscle memory.