Practice Test Vs Online Tuts: Which Is Right?
Topic 29322 | Page 2
Most of the large carriers hiring rookies will have their complete fleet consisting of auto shift transmissions. They are great. I've been driving auto shifts for more than six years. I've mostly driven with the Volvo I-shift transmission. It's very stout and works great on steep mountain descents.
Tom just got home today, back in an OLDER Mack, that he picked up from Little Woo .... (Don H.'s homespot) ... and .. it's a manual. Somebody NEW in Wooster got hired, and the guy can't drive a manual....the company WILL FIND AMT's for the new guys, trust me. They are phasing out ALL ten speeds at FAB, and a manual restriction is NOT a deal breaker for an applicant. Sadly, some of the guys that 'can' drive'em, have to.
He went down from truck # 1213 to 1207 from YOUR yard, Don. And there's stuff in it... OMG.. hope it's not yours! He doesn't touch... all his stuff fits in a duffle~!
His clutch leg is crying for 2029 back.... and he's going to request that .. for his seniority, as he should!
Question my poor driver asked: "Can I get the manual 'endorsement' OFF my CDL?" Yeah, truth...!
Carry on, y'all.
~ Anne ~
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
As you're finding out some things in the manual (and that you'll learn in school) aren't things you'll experience in the real world. The material in some states is outdated. Also IF you're placed in a manual transmission, which is very unlikely you'll learn to float the gears. Doing that during your exam will fail you.
LOL
^^^^^^ THIS.
I DID (self) learn to float in my school. Older trucks, sloppy shifters - floating was easy. UNTIL MY ROAD TEST. Instructor was like - WHAT ARE YOU DOING - DOUBLE-CLUTCH DUDE. Yeah - 24 bad shifts - FAIL. Everyone thought it was quite funny, the top guy in the class, FAILED HIS ROAD TEST.
Floating in a truck - is different from "speed shifting" in a car. Truck trannies aren't synch'd like a car - you have to MATCH SPEEDS (RPM/Transmission) even with the clutch for it to go into gear. But if the speed is matched - YOU DON'T NEED THE CLUTCH, it will just drop right into gear. Blip the throttle, slight pressure on the stick, when the speed is right it just drops in.
DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO FLOAT BEFORE YOUR ROAD TEST. You will lose the proper rhythm and "muscle memory" for double clutching. I haven't been behind the wheel in a few years (I do get to drive a friends truck occasionally, just for fun and to keep my hand in), but I can't double clutch now to save my life. Which reminds me - haven't driven my friends new (OLD) Mack yet. Time to jump out with him for a day (LOL).
Rick
Float The Gears:
An expression used to describe someone who is shifting gears without using the clutch at all. Drivers are taught to "Double Clutch" or press and release the clutch twice for each gear shift. If you're floating gears it means you're simply shifting without using the clutch at all.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Blip the throttle, slight pressure on the stick, when the speed is right it just drops in.
(older?) Cars and pickups work that way too, but the more I look the less likely it is that I'll even drive a stick. When I got my car the closest I could get was paddle shifters. Just not the same.
I had a FL chauffeurs lic back before DOT got involved, I got to drive a 10 ton dump with split gears for a day. 10 min road test and I was sent down I-4. It was fun, had to double clutch as I recall and learned which gears to skip, but got a better offer the next day and moved on.
Has it really been 30 yrs go since then? 
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
I have to add, cleaning toilets paid better than driving that dump truck. Another example of the long term cost of short term gains.
Yup. I do the same order When coupling,I go front to back. Uncoupling back to front
The way I always do these are:
Coupling: Pin, Air lines, Landing gear
Uncoupling is the reverse order.
Anne, we have/had a couple manuals at the Wooster yard, but all others are Auto's. 1207 was not in our yard long. I believe it was a spare. I have not used a Manual since training with the Ashland mechanic who drove an old manual truck at the time. Haven't driven a dual for a while either. Just the singles. I drive 1271 and leave nothing in the truck. All my stuff is carried in a large duffle and comes with me at the end of the day. Happy New Year!
Most of the large carriers hiring rookies will have their complete fleet consisting of auto shift transmissions. They are great. I've been driving auto shifts for more than six years. I've mostly driven with the Volvo I-shift transmission. It's very stout and works great on steep mountain descents.
Tom just got home today, back in an OLDER Mack, that he picked up from Little Woo .... (Don H.'s homespot) ... and .. it's a manual. Somebody NEW in Wooster got hired, and the guy can't drive a manual....the company WILL FIND AMT's for the new guys, trust me. They are phasing out ALL ten speeds at FAB, and a manual restriction is NOT a deal breaker for an applicant. Sadly, some of the guys that 'can' drive'em, have to.
He went down from truck # 1213 to 1207 from YOUR yard, Don. And there's stuff in it... OMG.. hope it's not yours! He doesn't touch... all his stuff fits in a duffle~!
His clutch leg is crying for 2029 back.... and he's going to request that .. for his seniority, as he should!
Question my poor driver asked: "Can I get the manual 'endorsement' OFF my CDL?" Yeah, truth...!
Carry on, y'all.
~ Anne ~
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Anne, we have/had a couple manuals at the Wooster yard, but all others are Auto's. 1207 was not in our yard long. I believe it was a spare. I have not used a Manual since training with the Ashland mechanic who drove an old manual truck at the time. Haven't driven a dual for a while either. Just the singles. I drive 1271 and leave nothing in the truck. All my stuff is carried in a large duffle and comes with me at the end of the day. Happy New Year!
Most of the large carriers hiring rookies will have their complete fleet consisting of auto shift transmissions. They are great. I've been driving auto shifts for more than six years. I've mostly driven with the Volvo I-shift transmission. It's very stout and works great on steep mountain descents.
Tom just got home today, back in an OLDER Mack, that he picked up from Little Woo .... (Don H.'s homespot) ... and .. it's a manual. Somebody NEW in Wooster got hired, and the guy can't drive a manual....the company WILL FIND AMT's for the new guys, trust me. They are phasing out ALL ten speeds at FAB, and a manual restriction is NOT a deal breaker for an applicant. Sadly, some of the guys that 'can' drive'em, have to.
He went down from truck # 1213 to 1207 from YOUR yard, Don. And there's stuff in it... OMG.. hope it's not yours! He doesn't touch... all his stuff fits in a duffle~!
His clutch leg is crying for 2029 back.... and he's going to request that .. for his seniority, as he should!
Question my poor driver asked: "Can I get the manual 'endorsement' OFF my CDL?" Yeah, truth...!
Carry on, y'all.
~ Anne ~
Ready for this, Don?
He is now in truck #2008, which is a twin screw, AMT .. YAY! But, it has a weeble wobble (did I mention that before, perhaps?) and Keith won't fix it...I actually had to have Tom call Kim about it; will see. Yep, 1207 is back in OUR yard, haha!
Tom DID drive another 12 series truck from your yard last week... he was in & out of your place that whole evening, haha! I told him to look for you, but it was after hours so .. no go~!!
All's well that ends well. He's overall quite content w/FAB; don't see him moving on .. if ever. Ya know? Bringing the truck home from having 2 runs to Napoleon is QUITE the convenience, for us, AND for FAB. He doesn't run out of hours...gets close tho! Can't do the 16 exempt, because he's never parked at the same place 5 days prior and aft, haha!!
Happy New Year back AT ya, good sir! We hafta meet UP sometime this NEW year!!
ps: SO, FOR ALL YOU NEW DRIVERS, thinking it's 'cool' to drive a manual . . . LoLoL~!!!
~ Anne ~
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Thanks, reckon I should have just looked it up in the book. State says connect air lines before locking in the kingpin. Seems they want to ensure there is air to the brakes before pushing on it.
Funny that an instruction video, from a school, missed that. Perhaps it's a new rule that hasn't made its way through yet, or a FL thing.
Thanks again, I'll try not to be lazy in the future and just look things up first.
When I was doing my CLP studying, they specified that this was due to the possibility of older trailers that didn't have spring brakes. I am learning here at training just what others have said: When coupling, PAL -- Pin, Air, Landing gear
(Reading the posts on here is helping with my training!)
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
Thanks, reckon I should have just looked it up in the book. State says connect air lines before locking in the kingpin. Seems they want to ensure there is air to the brakes before pushing on it.
Funny that an instruction video, from a school, missed that. Perhaps it's a new rule that hasn't made its way through yet, or a FL thing.
Thanks again, I'll try not to be lazy in the future and just look things up first.
When I was doing my CLP studying, they specified that this was due to the possibility of older trailers that didn't have spring brakes. I am learning here at training just what others have said: When coupling, PAL -- Pin, Air, Landing gear
(Reading the posts on here is helping with my training!)
Hubby, that drives w/Don (above) STILL does LAP & PAL. . . that'll stick with you forever, just like GTown 's "Watch your Wagon!" :)
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
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Even a majority of local jobs are switching to fully automatic. Bobcat has mentioned Old Dominion still has manuals and he's heard no plans of them switching over. When I started where I'm currently at we slipseat. We had 2 sticks out of a fleet of about 125 trucks. I kept thinking it'd be fun to take one until I was assigned one for that day. When I could take it I opted not to due to how much easier the auto is. Some auto-shift are better than others, I absolutely love the Volvo. Kenworth seems to be more touchy when backing so the truck is more likely to jump around if you have a heavy foot. The Volvo and freightliner in my experience make it far easier to back without needing to touch the accelerator pedal. I've not driven a Peterbilt to comment on how smooth they are.