🎬[Tutorial] 10 Speed Shifting TIPS, 2018 –Truck Driver Students

hi i'm michael fox one of the instructors here CDL college and commerce city colorado let's talk ten speeds a ten speed transmission is just a five speed on top of another five speed if you've driven a manual transmission before you're probably familiar with the EM pattern associated with shifting through the gears on the front of the shift handle is the range selector or splitter which is used to select the low range gears in the down position and the high range gears in the up position the low range gears are first through fifth and low reverse and the high range gears are sixth through tenth and high reverse the splitter talks to the transmission in neutral which means pushing the splitter up or down while you're in gear doesn't change the gear you're in so if you put the truck in third gear with the splitter down and then flip the splitter up you're still in third gear with the splitter up in third if you push the shifter to neutral and then back to third you're now in eighth gear the splitter only talks to the transmission when the shifter is in neutral we'll talk more about this in a few minutes when we cover shifting from fifth gear to sixth gear let's take a look at the width of the shift pattern you may assume that it's wider than it is because the vehicle is so large but as you can see here this is neutral and from the right side to the left side is about seven inches the point at which the shifter stops is called a hard wall there's a right hard wall and a left hard wall the right hard wall gives you access to fourth and fifth when the splitter is down and ninth and tenth when the splitter is up the left hard wall gives you access to low reverse and first when the splitter is down and high reverse and sixth when the splitter is up you can also locate the soft wall which is in the middle as you can see from the right hard wall it's as easy as pushing the shifter to the left with a finger if I want to pull the shifter to the left hard wall I have to use a little force because I'm overcoming a spring that sits between the middle soft wall and the left hard wall if I ease off the pressure the spring pushes the shifter back to the soft wall by the way it's called a soft wall because we can push through it finding the soft wall allows you to access second and third when the splitter is down and 7th and 8th when the splitter is up if you can't find the soft wall when you're shifting on the road it's probably because you're nervous nervousness causes some students to grip the shifter too tightly and muscle in the shift or makes it difficult to feel the spring and locate the soft wall these big trucks require very little arm strength to shift you'll expend more energy pushing the stiff clutch pedal so the three walls and the spring are built-in tools that will help you shift if you are too aggressive with the shifter if you can find the wall that's associated with your next gear should be able to find that gear students are required to double-clutch every shift which means the clutch has to be pushed twice every time you shift in a semi-tractor you need to push the clutch and move the shifter at the same time this takes some coordination but you can practice anywhere try this exercise in a chair push an imaginary clutch pedal with your left foot and move your right hand at the same time one two one two one two this exercise will develop your hand foot coordination and you'll build a little muscle memory from the repetition that one two speed is recommended for every up shift when double-clutching you'll want to push the clutch in just two to three inches when you depress the clutch pedal you should also move the shifter to neutral at the same time with the second clutch you'll move the shifter to gear clutch to neutral clutch to gear one two clutch clutch push the clutch pedal and move the shifter at the same time one two two short clutches two to three inches you also have to remember which gear you're in and the location of your next gear in the shift pattern use the walls to find your gears and it'll become second nature always remember that when you push the clutch pedal you have to release the gas pedal the opposite is also true when you push the gas pedal release the clutch pedal these two pedals must be operated independently of each other avoid pushing both of these pedals in at the same time the only time we push the clutch pedal to the floor is when the vehicle is stopped here's why when the vehicle is stationary the gears on the transmission are turning to put a stationary truck in gear we need to stop those turning gears for a stop truck you must stop the gears you can stop the gears by pushing the clutch pedal all the way to the floor when you push the clutch pedal to the floor you engage the clutch brake which stops the gears from turning and allows you to put the truck in gear by the way if the vehicle is stopped and you're having trouble putting the truck into gear after fully depressing the clutch pedal release the pedal just a hair it's just the opposite when the truck is moving if the vehicle is in motion the gears have to be turning a moving vehicle requires moving or spinning gears the gears will continue spinning if you avoid pushing the clutch pedal to the floor this is why we only push the clutch pedal in two to three inches when we're shifting keep the clutch pedal away from the floor when the truck is moving if you find yourself fully depressing the clutch you're probably nervous try pulling over and practicing too short clutches two to three inches deep at the 1/2 speed do it 20 to 30 times and hit the road again consider using a side grip when you shift because there are some advantages to gripping the shifter from the side first of all it's easy to manipulate the splitter when it's always between your second and third fingers and you have your thumb on top of the shifter for leverage but here's a better reason shifting from sixth to seventh new students sometimes accidentally shift to ninth when they're trying to hit seventh here's one way to fix that in sixth gear use the bottom part of your hand to push the shifter to neutral then allow the spring to push the shifter to the middle soft wall then push straight forward to seventh when the spring pushes the shifter to the middle you'll feel it in the palm of your hand with a side grip practice this a few times in a stationary truck with the engine idling and the clutch fully depressed here's another way to use the walls shifting from five to six is the longest shift because you're shifting from one hard wall to the other here's an efficient way to make sixth gear since you're required to double clutch why not take care of most of the shift with the first clutch here's what I mean when you clutch to neutral pull the shifter all the way over to the left hard wall then clutch again and pull straight down to six grab a truck that isn't rolling and practices a few times be sure to pre-select sixth gear when you're in fifth by pushing the splitter up the splitter talks to the transmission when you shift a neutral so if you're in fifth gear and push the splitter up you're still in fifth gear when you shift to neutral the splitter notifies the transmission that you want the higher gears and the transmission then makes those gears available if you shift to neutral and then pull the splitter up it may be awkward and prolong your shift better to get it out of the way while you're in fifth so that you can concentrate on the long shift to sixth one last item about the splitter if you come to a stop and forget to push the splitter down before shifting to your start gear the truck will likely stall when you try to pull forward try to remember splitter down whenever you come to a stop when you're learning upshift try shifting early to avoid becoming frustrated shifting early means shifting between 1000 and 1500 rpm 10 to 15 is the sweet spot on most trucks a car with a manual transmission will allow you to shift at almost any rpm that's because many cars have synchronized transmissions truck transmissions aren't synchronized so they require specific RPMs here's a good rule of thumb when you're learning to shift try shifting the low gears 1 through 5 at 1400 to 1500 rpm and the high gears 6 through 10 at 1500 to 1600 rpms use that one to speed clutch clutch clutched a neutral clutched a gear remember to push the clutch in just 2 to 3 inches when you're shifting 1 2 that's the speed for up shifting here's what's happening when you up shift let's assume you're in 6th gear at 1500 rpms and you're ready to shift to 7th when you depress the clutch and move the shifter to neutral the RPM needle begins to fall because you're not in gear if it falls below 1000 before you make your next gear the truck probably won't go into gear so what you're really trying to do is beat the needle to 10 which means you're trying to make your next gear before the needle reaches 1000 rpm if you fail to make your next gear before the needle falls below 10 you'll have to kick the needle out into the sweet spot revving the engine once kicks the needle up rev the engine by depressing the fuel pedal using a short quick stem avoid depressing and holding the pedal down or you'll push the needle past the sweet spot if you're having trouble revving the engine to the correct rpm try practicing in a stationary truck with the engine idling the transmission in neutral and the brakes set depress and release the fuel pedal quickly and watch the rpm needle did it rise to 1000 to 1500 if not allow the needle to fall and then rev the engine again with a little more force push that needle up to 1300 to 1500 practice revving the engine until you're consistently hitting the sweet spot this exercise will help build muscle memory in your lower right leg this is an important skill that you'll use when you downshift because every downshift requires an engine rev you because there's an extra step involved to downshift the driver needs to rev the engine while in neutral so the proper procedure for down shifting is clutch to neutral rev the engine then clutch the gear recall up shifting clutch to neutral clutch to gear one two down shifting is clutch to neutral Rev clutch to gear when you give the truck fuel or rev the engine kick the RPM needle up to 1300 to 1500 rpm if you're having trouble down shifting slow down before attempting to downshift slowing down will quickly improve your down shifts we recommend slowing down to 1000 to 1100 rpm 10 to 11 at these rpms you can clutch to neutral rev the engine then clutch the gear kick that needle up to the sweet spot but avoid staring at the gauge glance at it after revving the engine take a few seconds to consider what's happening during a downshift so you've prepared for the downshift by slowing down to 10 11 well 10 11 is at the bottom of the sweet spot so as soon as you shift to neutral the needle begins to fall below the sweet spot to put the truck into the next lower gear you have to rev the engine to the sweet spot while in neutral there is no one to timing associated with downshifting because of the extra step of revving the engine also if you don't kick the needle up high enough the first time the truck won't go into gear and you have to try again by revving the engine a little higher when you're down shifting the same clutch rule applies avoid pushing the clutch pedal to the floor when the truck is in motion or you'll stop the gears on the transmission from turning when the truck is in motion the gears must also be in motion so use two short clutches just as you do when up shifting patience / panic is the key to fixing a missed gear panic will cause you to grind your gears try to control that emotional response and practice this method instead so I'm going to miss my shift from six to seven on purpose and then fix it the smart way after I miss seventh gear all I need to do is find the soft wall and then place the shifter at the opening of the gate to seventh gear you'll feel the gears turning with just a little bit of pressure on the shifter then I'll rev the engine to the sweet spot and the shifter will fall into gear this method requires patience and the ability to locate the wall that is associated with your gear if you apply too much pressure to the shifter you'll create a grind light pressure on the shifter is all you need show the tester that you can fix a missed gear without panicking learning this technique in school will also impress your employer during your initial road test in their truck you if you push the RPMs above 1,500 you can still shift and make your next gear but you'll have to alter the timing of your shift shifting at the 1/2 speed may not work depending on how far you push the RPMs so let's assume that you've pushed the rpms to 1800 without shifting as soon as you begin your shift the RPM needle begins to fall if you try to put the truck in gear before the needle has reached the sweet spot the transmission will grind all you have to do is give the needle more time to fall into the sweet spot you can do this by shifting slightly slower than one to slightly slower means less than a half a second so instead of the 1/2 speed try one - very little difference because the needle falls rapidly by the way if you drive a company truck and you consistently shift at high rpms they will notify you to stop wasting their fuel shifting early yields better fuel mileage you'll be a hero if you shift early because fuel is a trucking company's biggest cost let's move on to low rpm shifting if you shift it low rpms you can shift the transmission faster think about shifting every gear at 1300 rpm as soon as you shift in neutral the needle starts falling but it doesn't have very far to fall before it's out of the sweet spot to beat the needle 210 you'll have to shift faster one two clutch clutch when you're traveling up if ting push the RPMs past 1500 and shift at the normal speed one two think about what's happening when your shift on a hill as soon as you clutch to neutral the needle begins to fall and gravity tries to pull you down the hill which makes the needle fall faster by pushing the needle to seventeen or eighteen hundred you're giving yourself extra time to shift because the needle has a greater distance to drop if you're traveling down a hill shift early because gravity speeds up your vehicle when you clutched a neutral try shifting at 1100 to 1200 rpm when cruising down a hill when students are learning how to shift a ten-speed transmission they tend to miss their gears if it takes too long to find your next gear the truck will slow down because you're in neutral and you're coasting if you're unsure of which gear to go to because your speed is decreased check your speed and do some quick math if you're traveling at roughly 15 miles per hour add the two numbers in the number 15 one plus five and you get sixth gear if your speed is closer to 25 add the two and the five and twenty five and you get seventh gear 35 is eight forty five is ninth fifty-five five plus five is tenth year if you happen to be between those speeds say thirty miles per hour you have your choice of seventh or eighth gear because thirty is between 25 and 35 the numbers on your speedometer always end in five this happens because your brain assumes that the shifting process is complete when you move the shifter into gear your shift is actually finished when you release the clutch pedal for the second time at the end of your double clutch when shifting you clutch to neutral and then clutch the gear and as soon as the shifter hits the gear you release the clutch pedal well if you release it too quickly and from too great a depth the truck will jerk after every shift look at it this way if you push the clutch pedal in 8 to 9 inches you'll have to release the clutch pedal 8 to 9 inches this causes the truck to jerk at the end of your shift if you push the clutch pedal in just 2 to 3 inches during your double clutch it will greatly improve the smoothness of your shifting pushing the clutch pedal in just 2 inches means you only have to release it 2 inches that shorter distance keeps the truck from jerking this is usually a coordination issue your brain hasn't yet processed the idea of pushing the clutch and moving the shifter at the same time that's okay try not to become frustrated if you push the clutch in two times before you try to shift you'll have a hard time moving your shifter to neutral the proper way to double clutch is to depress the clutch pedal while moving the shifter your left leg and right hand should move at the same time to help with your coordination you can perform the same time drill and a stationary truck or any chair when you're shifting it's best to keep your hand on the shifter some students will shift to neutral and then briefly remove their hand from the shifter before trying to shift to the next gear if you remove your hand you'll have to put it back on the shifter and that will slow down your shift if you shift to slow the needle falls below the sweet spot and you have to rev the engine control the shifter during the shifting process but try not to muscle it you need to locate the hard walls in the soft wall while you're learning controlling the shifter while shifting will help you find your next gear you'll probably lose points on the driving part of the CDL skills test if you keep your hand on the shifter when you aren't shifting this is a car habit the tester will expect you to use two hands for every turn if you have one hand on the shifter while the vehicle is turning you must be palming the steering wheel try to break this habit early in your training most professional truck drivers palm the wheel and shift through their turns just don't do it while you're in school or during your test you'll likely be penalized throwing the shifter around in neutral can be confusing to students this is another car habit that doesn't translate to trucks when you're learning how to shift you'll want to establish a rhythm or timing for every shift if you clutch to neutral and then throw the shifter around the needle is falling out of the sweet spot when you miss your gear you'll have to rev the engine to find it instead of throwing the shifter around in neutral find the wall that's associated with your next gear and then move the shifter into that gear the walls provide a path to the gears you [Music] we hope this video helps you become a better sister if so leave us a comment below and thanks for watching we'll see you next time you

Channel: CDLCollege

Views: 3,238,648

Keywords: tutorial, lesson, double, double clutch, help, manual transmission, hills, downshifting, Michael, Fox, best 10 speed shifting video, eaton fuller, upshifting a 10 speed, overview, finding, CDL, finding missed gears, how to shift a 10 speed, shifting a 10 speed transmission, 10 speed shifting, 18 wheeler, learn, step by step, cdl college, double clutching, 10 speed semi shifting pattern, shifting eaton fuller 10 speed, 10 speed shift pattern, downshifting a 10 speed, shift pattern

Id: z6AKaBeRNU8

Length: 22min 2sec (1322 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 30 2016