So Frustrated

Hi I'm so very frustrated its been a childhood dream for me to become a truck driver I'm at a school right now and passed every thing besides my road test this week is my third attempt the last one I was so very close then we came to an exit and I stalled the truck on an incline stop light what did I do wrong any advice would be very grateful thank you in advance

Hey Silver. First let me say there's no such thing as your last attempt. You might have a waiting period with the Motor Vehicle Department or the school might charge you a little extra or something if you don't pass the next attempt, but you can keep trying until you pass. You'll get it.

Now what you want to do when you're taking off from a stop on an incline is to use a lower gear. Starting in second gear should be good. A lot of schools teach you to start in 3rd or 4th and I can never understand that. It's much more difficult to work the clutch like that and it's more wear and tear on the truck. So regardless of what anyone says, start in second so you won't have much of a chance of stalling it.

Now the key to keeping it from rolling backward is to very slowly let out on the clutch until it just begins to engage and hold it there. You should feel the truck want to move forward and hear the engine start to work a little harder once it's beginning to drag. Then let your foot off the brake. Once the truck begins rolling forward you can completely let out the clutch and off you go. That's all there is to it.

Let out on the clutch until it begins to engage and hold it there, let off the brake, let it begin to roll forward, then let off the clutch completely.

It really will help if you take some time to practice that in your mind. Try to image the feel of the clutch and the brake pedal on your feet. hear the engine start to work and feel the truck wanting to move forward as the clutch starts to engage. Then you let off the brake, wait for it to roll, and then let out on the clutch the rest of the way.

And remember, second gear. If you start any higher your chances of stalling the truck are much greater. There's no reason to start in a higher gear.

Best of luck! Remember, the examiners also want to see your level of confidence. They don't want to send someone out there who can't handle the pressure. So relax, take a deep breath, and act confident no matter what. Keep telling yourself "I've got this. I've got this." and think nothing but positive thoughts. Just focus your mind on exactly what you have to do each moment when you're driving. Ignore the situation as best you can. You already know how to do this. Just clear your mind and don't try too hard, don't overthink it. You're just going on a short drive around town. No big deal at all. They know you still have a lot to learn and you'll be going out with a trainer after this. You don't need to be perfect by any means. You just have to demonstrate that you can do the basics and handle the pressure, which you certainly can.

Go get em!

Thank you so very much it means a lot to me for my grandfather was a logging trucker so I have trucker blood in me

Granted, I am a newb too, but what got in the habit of is 2,4,6. My school actually taught to start at 1st and go up. After a few days, they let us start wherever. The reason I developed starting in 2nd,opposed to 3rd or 4th, is we had 1 truck that just didn't have a lot of power and would stall every time if you took off in 4th. It was my favorite truck, lol.