Trainco Training On Automatic Transmissions

There is no way I can drive a manual transmission and many large companies are switching over to automatics (Schneider and SWIFT to name two). Does anyone know a school or company sponsored program where students learn on automatics?

I just went to the Trainco CDL , two-week course for automatic transmissions. The program just started in May and I think is mostly sponsored by Schneider. My whole class, whether in the two-week auto or three-week manual trans, were sponsored by Schneider. Their representatives were telling potential automatic transmission students that Trainco uses automatic transmissions. That is only half true. What Schneider reps did not know, until I complained to mine (Ger Wang), is that Trainco only has 20+ year old manuals on the range. They have two really nice 3 year old Volvos with auto trans for road practice and testing given to them by Schneider.

My fellow auto trans classmates did ok on the manuals but all I managed was straight line backing. None of my classmates did great beyond that but they did manage more than the 20% I did on offset and parallel parking. I never made it to alley docking and one classmate only had 90 minutes of alley docking at the very end of the last day (he failed the CDL exam on parallel parking).

I mentioned in another post that I quit this past Tuesday at lunch just short of my certificate. I only had a few hours left and was struggling on parallel parking which I had only been doing for less 3 hours. Alley docking was still ahead. (Trainco said I can come back and finish anytime.) I came home very discouraged and not sure what to do next. I want to drive! I think I'll give it another go if I can find a company/school training on automatics. NOTE: You might say, as instructions and classmates said, Trainco's manuals are just like automatics because you only use first gear and reverse. That may be true but I could not manage with the old, beat to hell clutches. Every truck was different and I spend at least as much time trying to deal with the clutch as I did watching where my trailer was going.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

If it was normal to you, you probably wouldn't get discouraged. But it's not normal and it wasn't normal for anyone else. Relax a bit and let the clutch go and worry about the trailer. Keep your foot off the accelerator and just watch the trailer.

More importantly don't give up. Learning new things takes time, you sound as if you didn't give it much time.

As for the equipment... It all changes considerably and fairly often so.. relax and learn what you need to do to move that trailer how you want it to move. The rest will be different for years to come.

We looked inside the door or somewhere and it said 1995.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

We looked inside the door or somewhere and it said 1995.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

Boss, if you drove my truck you'd have some problems too. It's not new.. it's not hydraulic, it doesn't easily move.

You really only need it to move 2-3 inches. And that's the part most have problems with. It's not a car. It only need to go to the floor when starting. And after all is said and done and your almost done with your trainer... your not going to be using it much.

Focus on the trailer. The clutch won't matter much in the end.

I did not explain the problem clearly enough. When I let the clutch all the way out the instructors tell me to slow down. The only way to do that is depress the clutch slightly because the clutch engages less than and inch from all the way out. So I would be riding the clutch about 1/2" from fully out and the clutch wanting to pop all the way out. It had my leg shaking pretty bad. So my focus was as much on keeping the right speed, clutch held just right, and the trailer turning. Make sense?

We looked inside the door or somewhere and it said 1995.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

Boss, if you drove my truck you'd have some problems too. It's not new.. it's not hydraulic, it doesn't easily move.

You really only need it to move 2-3 inches. And that's the part most have problems with. It's not a car. It only need to go to the floor when starting. And after all is said and done and your almost done with your trainer... your not going to be using it much.

Focus on the trailer. The clutch won't matter much in the end.

Yep.. I've got one of those " make a man out of you" clutches also. It sucks but. Not all of them are hydraulic. Try and adjust the seat to "right where you need to be" for your back/butt to be all the way against the seat when your foot is where your hold the clutch... Make sense?

I'll also put it out there that I trained with a truck like this. We did the backing skills with it but did the "road portion with a newer style hydraulic clutch truck.

The "backing truck" was not road worthy.

I'll also put it out there that I trained with a truck like this. We did the backing skills with it but did the "road portion with a newer style hydraulic clutch truck.

The "backing truck" was not road worthy.

My training experience was exactly as yours. Sure it feels frustrating at first but it'll make you appreciate that new truck you get when you're solo.

Also, why would a school use a pretty new truck when students are just going to tear it apart while trying to learn? Their goal is to teach you just barely enough to pass a test.

RobT I'm still waiting for that new truck. My current truck has 585k miles.. I'll have a new one next spring but until then...