How to Shift Tractor-Trailer Truck Gears
Driving a tractor-trailer truck can be a challenging endeavor, but it's not impossible and with a little training and practice it is much easier than it seems. They say truck driving gets into your blood and that's true to an extent, but knowing how to drive a big rig and doing it safely is what's really important. An 18-wheeler is a lot of truck to operate, it's long and wide and usually heavy. There are several ways to shift the gears in a big truck, such as double clutching and progressive shifting and variations that are dependent on the circumstances and terrain you're traveling across.
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Instructions
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1
Engage (press down) the clutch and gently pull the shifter into second gear. You may need to butterfly the clutch to get the shifter to slide smoothly into gear. Under normal operating conditions the driver won't need to begin in first gear; this is typically only needed when the truck is starting out on an incline and under a heavy load. Torque in a standard tractor transmission will normally move the truck forward from second gear.
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2
Release the clutch slowly until the truck begins to move forward. The transmission will move the truck forward without the necessity of pressing the accelerator. Once the truck is in motion, depress the accelerator and increase speed.
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3
Watch the tachometer and speedometer. Over time the driver will learn how to determine when speed and RPM (rotations per minute) are in synch. Every truck is different and shifting gears is accomplished within a range of RPMs rather then an exact number.
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4
Stab the clutch when the RPMs are between 1500 and 1700. Immediately pull the shifter out of gear.
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5
Release the clutch and let the RPMs drop to between 1000 to 1200 rpm. Stab the clutch and slide the shifter into the next higher gear.
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6
Release the clutch and accelerate.
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7
Repeat steps 4 through 6 until you have shifted all gears in the low range. Tractor-trailer transmissions are split into a low and high range. Low range is typically gears 1 through 5 and high range is gears 6 through 10 and up. These gears ranges can vary and in some transmissions there are additional gears which are split.
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8
Flip the range selector button on the shifter up to change to high range. Shift as you did through the low range gears except allow an additional second for the rpms to drop before sliding the shifter into the next higher gear. If the gears grind when you attempt to slide the shifter into gear, release the clutch, lightly tap the accelerator to raise the RPMs, engage the clutch and shift.
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Tips & Warnings
Shifting gears requires the step to be done swiftly to allow for smooth operation. Don't expect to shift flawlessly; it takes time and practice and may never be completely achieved. Progressive shifting helps increase fuel mileage.
Learning to drive a tractor trailer requires hands-on training and professional instruction; don't try to learn it on your own. Failure to engage the clutch when taking the transmission out of gear wears against one side of the transmission and can result in damage over time.
