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Gale Dec 5, 2022 @ 6:02am
Couple of Questions About Shifting and Trucking for the Real Life Truckers
Hi

I love to play ATS as realistically as possible and I like using a manual transmission. So, I have few questions about using manual transmisson, and I like to learn some details about trucking. The details which we don't know, like "always hunk your horn when you reverse". You know, the details a truck driver should know. So, please share your wisdom with me (with us) if you are a real life trucker who uses or experience with manual transmisson.

It would be great if you indicate in your answer that you are a real truck driver. So we can know that we have received information from someone who has experience in this subject.

If you are not a truck driver and want to share your opinion, you are welcom as well :)

Note: I have a driving wheel, stick shift and button box.

Here are my questions:
  1. Can I skip gears when I drive without a trailer attached to the back of the truck, i.e. bobtailing? For example, can the gears be used as 2-4-6-8? Will this damage the gearbox?
  2. I'm using an Eaton Fuller 18 Speed with Eaton Fuller 18 Speed layout is selected in game setting, and I use two buttons for range & split. I always use "Low" gears. For exapmle: 1L, 2L, 3L, etc. I'm very, very rarely using "High" gears (1H, 2H, 3H...) Is it ok or am I doing it wrong?
  3. At which RPM you need to upshift and at which RPM you need to downshift? If I'm floating gears, I wait for the RPM to reach around 2000, then I put the gear in neutral, then when the RPM drops 1500 I shift to the next gear (without using the clutch, of course). Is this ok? Can you tell me the correct rpm for float gear and/or normal gear changes?

Since most of what I mentioned is not fully transferred to the game or the game is very forgiving in these matters, I know that as long as the truck moves, there is no problem in game, but as I said, I want to drive as realistically as possible. That's why every detail you give about gear shifting, what a truck driver should pay attention to and the rules to follow is important to me and the others who drive like me.

Thank you. :)
Last edited by Gale; Dec 5, 2022 @ 6:09am
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Originally posted by Zantham:
I've been driving commercially now for 8 years in BC Canada using company trucks. All of our trucks are 18 speed Eaton Fullers, some auto and some manual. I have only ever driven 18-speeds. The autos are mechanically identical to the manuals, but use an air actuated clutch and a lot of computer processing to shift. Once I got more used to the automatics, I ended up driving them in manual mode selecting my own gears much like the sequential mode in game, to control my rpms better and especially on slippery roads as an untimely unexpected shift can be a bad thing. The thing with automatics is they know what is happening at that instant, but not what's coming up ahead.

The following is all based solely on my own experience and from riding along with other drivers that have been driving for decades. Truck drivers absolutely love to teach rookies how to drive better, and you will receive more opinions on a great many things than drivers you talk to. The following is my opinion and I'm certain will be subject to much criticism below, truck drivers being as they are (including me). I do not currently have a wheel, pedals or shifter on my computer (I use a winwing F-16 joystick with sequential shifting in game).

I regularly haul Super-B's with a gross weight of 63500kg (139500lb) which is the max legal limit in BC. Occasionally I haul 'quads' (53' trailer with tridem and tag max 46500kg 102500lbs in Canada) when I go into the states.

Our trucks have 'mountain' gears in them which results in at 100kph (62mph) we are running 8th over (18th gear) at 1500rpm. All of our gears are 200rpm shifts if we shift sequentially, which means 400rpm if you skip a gear, 600 if you skip two.... We are restricted to 1600rpm by the company or the truck computer 'phones home'. I'll use ATS gearing numbers from now on (11th, 12th etc) instead of the 'over' gears (5th, 5th over, 6th, 6th over etc). In both cases 1st 2nd and 3rd gear are the same positions on both, then 3rd over in a manual equals 4th in an auto, 4th gear manual is the same as 5th in auto, eventually 8th over is 18th in auto. The hi-low paddle is used between 4th over and 5th, or 10th to 11th in auto (no actual paddle). You can feel the auto switching the range as it takes slightly longer to shift than usual. In a manual shifting between low and high range (4th over to 5th) you flip the paddle hit the splitter then shift the gear with the stick. The paddle and splitter are air-driven and actuate when you break torque.

In this article breaking torque refers to 'blipping' the accelerator or using the clutch to remove load between the transmission and drivetrain temporarily so you can move your stick out of the gear you are in. If you don't break torque when shifting out of gear, you could yank at that stick all day and not get it out of gear if you are accelerating or decelerating. The same principle is used to get it into the next gear but is called rpm matching. Again if you don't rpm match, you could push on that stick all day (grind the gears) and never get it into the next gear and as a bonus have some very unhappy mechanics.

Even starting from a stop with full load we start in 3rd gear (top center position on the shifter, paddle down splitter off. The most difficult thing for any truck mechanically is getting a heavy load moving (static coefficient of friction, required work to get a stopped object moving). Thus if we are starting in a less favorable situation (soft ground, or anything but the tiniest uphill we start in 1st (bull-low or 2nd). The automatics are not smart enough to do this and will try to start in 3rd and fail. Starting in bull-low is more difficult than you might think, many drivers cannot get the stick from 2nd to 3rd before it stops rolling in these starts and you have to start again. 1st gear goes about 1 kph (0.6mph) at 1600rpm according to the digital speedometer. It's probably rounding up.

We do not use the accelerator when starting out, modern trucks have enough torque even at 600 rpm to get themselves moving even starting up a steep hill (14% or more, fully loaded) as long as you use the correct gear. Auto's don't know what angle they are at which is why they try to start in 3rd, they assume level ground.

When the engine is cold in winter we shift up at 1200rpm sequentially through the low gears then when in high range shift at your gear times 1000 rpm (1200rpm for 12th, 1300rpm for 13th up to 1600rpm in 16th). With the gearing in our trucks we are in 15th gear at 50kph (30mph) when accelerating past that, 16th gear if maintaining that speed.

Because there are so many gears, we often skip gears if appropriate to do so (downhill or other low-engine load situations like bobtailing). The automatics will often skip 3 gears in the lower gears even with a full load on level ground. You stop skipping gears in hi range generally and work through them sequentially, though you could continue to skip gears going down a slight hill. You don't want your rpms below 1000rpm for most trucks when accelerating or you lug the engine which creates issues with the diesel exhaust filters and DEF system, amongst other things.

I've seen some drivers successfully get a fully loaded (even overloaded) truck moving in 7th gear, but you can always smell clutch when they do that. Just because you can does not mean you should. In general practice we shift up at 1600rpm and down at 1400rpm to maximise the powerband (horsepower).

As for clutching... this is controversial. Double clutching is the correct way to shift, but I've never seen old-timers actually do that except maybe a couple (we have over 70 drivers, including owner-operators). This is how I was taught and was required to shift for my CDL test. More common is to break torque to get it out of gear (tap the accelerator), then clutch and rpm-match to get into the next gear up or down, and many drivers including myself don't use the clutch at all except to start/stop. I will occasionally use the clutch to break torque to get it out of gear when going down a minor hill and want a higher gear without stepping on the accelerator. When you shift, with or without a clutch, it should feel as tho the transmission is 'sucking' the stick into the next gear, very smooth, no grinding or even 'tickling' the gears to do this. Most drivers 'tickle' the gears to find the next gear which is allowed. This means applying very light pressure on the stick to get it into gear, just enough pressure to feel when you're rpm matched, and then the stick will essentially put itself into gear once matched. The pressure required is so low you could use your pinky finger or less to get it into gear (not recommended). The trick is to make sure it's actually in gear and not partially in before reapplying torque, or you will break something.

As for split shifting, I don't know anyone that uses the clutch for that, you can hit the splitter (gear up or down) shortly before you shift, then break torque. The splitter (and paddle) is air actuated. Once you hit the correct rpm it goes back into gear easily on its own. The trick is to carefully modulate your accelerator, don't change your rpm too fast or you will get a nasty lurch and you will spill your bosses coffee. This is true when shifting through any gear, don't completely let off the throttle or stomp on it, just get it close to the rpm then very lightly feather until it goes into gear. When on a very bumpy road it's very hard to hold the accelerator exactly in the right spot.

We never ever use the engine brake if there is even a hint of it being slippery out. The only exception to this is if you have chains on. The compression will very quickly send the drive tires into a skid. I've seen this happen even on wet roads when bobtailing. Bobtailing in slippery conditions is an art form in itself. Also avoid the engine brake if your on bad washboard, especially if you're empty. You should be going slow enough in this case to not need the engine brake anyway.

Also never ever use the trailer brake to straighten out a skid. Ever. The trailer brake is much harder to feel control with, and can very quickly result in your trailer passing your truck. Any tire locked up on ice will want to go faster than a tire that is still rolling, this is true of cars as well, try going down a hill and yanking your handbrake and you'll see what I mean, the same principle is used in rally car racing as well to slide around corners.

As I mentioned before we are restricted by the company to 1600rpm. We can exceed this, but the truck will phone home and if we do it too often we get to drive the boss around for a review. This only applies if we have more than 5% throttle applied. If we are off the accelerator then the rpm is not counted against us. This is a company policy, based on the truck achieving the highest horsepower at close to 1600 rpm so going over that has no real benefit. Torque maximum is anywhere from 1000rpm (in some cases less) to 1600rpm after which it drops off. This is actually useful when climbing a snowy or icy hill as we often do when starting out of a mill in winter. By over revving past 1600rpm you have the most momentum for the gear, but because of the reduced torque and horsepower you tend to spin less. Just make sure you're in the right gear before you start to climb, shifting robs you of that all-important momentum. Often it's easier to play it safe and chain up instead. Our trucks have 2 difflocks (front and rear drives) as well as an interaxle lock, all of which can be used in any combination. Note that steering with difflocks on on a slippery road often means you cannot steer. In theory interaxle can be used at any speed, but I don't use it on the highway, and only very minimally affects your steering. I also never use difflocks going down a hill since your brakes work better (anti-lock, and way more tires affected esp on a super-b), and if you have a tire skid with difflocks on going down a hill... it means they are all skidding and affects your ability to feel your brakes and correct in time once this happens. If your trailer angle goes much past 5 degrees in a slide it almost always results in a jackknife whether its your drives sliding or your trailer. Always lightly accelerate out of a skid unless its your steers.

As for rpm's going downhill... we have a summit with 8-12% grade for 23km (15 miles) with no letup. The general rule of thumb here is to go down the hill in the same gear as you would climbing it, some say 1 lower. With our high weights and low gears we are already so slow that this is enough to hold us back without using our brake pedal. The truck's rpm will vary from 1500rpm on 8% to 1900rpm on 12% while decending. I've been told you can safely descend that hill at 2000rpm constant over an hour) without breaking anything....it feels wrong to me tho. One thing tho, if you are using your foot brake going down a summit, you're doing it wrong. The only time your footbrake is required is if you're catching up to someone that is somehow moving even slower than you or a similar type of situation (you're generally going about 17kph (11mph) max climbing and descending this grade). So-called 'snubbing' the gears as many drivers try to do down this summit results in their brakes starting on fire and a very exciting ride down the summit which some don't survive. I have seen trucks rolling 100mph+ down this hill before getting to the next runaway lane, and almost running out of runaway lane before they can stop, and then rolling backward because they have no brakes to hold them once they've stopped rolling (try to get in as low of gear as possible while you're slowing down in the run-away lane, and shut off your truck when you stop). A lighter truck can get away with more obviously (53' trailer in Canada is max 46500kg (102500 lbs) with a tridem (3 axles). Tags are not allowed to be used in BC at all either on trailer or truck (they have to be lifted). My truck has a tag as I often drive in the states for loads.

The most important aspect of driving truck is patience. Remember every vehicle around you is either a mini-van fully loaded with family or a school bus loaded with kids. Don't go too fast, drive methodically, shift methodically, and never rush or get annoyed by other drivers. Leave lots of space (minimum 4 car lengths in BC when moving, or you can face a fine). When stopping at a red light etc you should be able to see the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you. When taking my CDL I was in an older long-nose International and in a modern short nose Kenworth, and the rule was the same for both. We are also taught when stopping don't drop through all the gears right up until you stop. Generally I was in 11th around 25kph (15mph) when I stopped (so you don't have to use the paddle) and shifted into 3rd after I stopped. This is so you can concentrate on stopping smoothly instead of shifting. The risk is missing a gear and not having enough feet for all your pedals to recover quick enough, or lurching into the car in front of you because you're in such a low gear, lurched, and missed the clutch pedal. If the traffic starts moving again before you stop... then you shift into the appropriate gear, which requires practice to know what rpm for what gear for that speed. We were allowed a generous 5 seconds to find our next gear in any circumstance or you failed; you shouldn't normally need anywhere near this once you get some experience shifting. Our autos take about 1.5 seconds to switch between any gears including skipped gears. We were also required in our test on an 8% grade at 50kph (30mph) 15th gear to shift down smoothly and sequentially to a complete stop before getting to the bottom of the hill. This requires 3 feet (j/k), but it does require good coordination and timing to double-clutch while braking while blipping the accelerator to rpm match. Using heel-toe methods is forbidden.

All the above is my opinion, based on 8 years experience in all sorts of conditions pulling heavily loaded super-b's and significantly lighter loaded 53' trailers. This is also the sum of driving with or being driven by many very experienced truckers well above my experience level with all kinds of experiences and stories, as well as many below my experience level. They all have their own opinions for you to consider and sort through that may work better than what you've been doing, or maybe even not at all for you. Opinions are not intended for arguing, they are to be considered, possibly modified, combined, and applied to your own experiences and circumstances after which you will form your own opinions for you to share.

Driving should be an enjoyable experience (playing ATS likely indicates you like this sort of driving), and not be a stressful event, even in winter.
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Showing 1-15 of 31 comments
Qrazy Dec 5, 2022 @ 7:04am 
1. I have experience with a 10 speed and 13 speed IRL. Never driven a truck with an 18 speed.
I skipped gears all the time when empty or bobtail. My trainers never corrected me so I can only assume it wasn't causing any damage.

2. If you never used high gears or range IRL you wouldn't go very fast. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your meaning.

3. Depends on the truck really. There isn't a one size fits all for when to up/downshift. Some trucks don't have a problem with shifting at 900 RPM and some don't have an issue at 1800. Takes a few mins to get the feel for me.

All in all my time driving a manual truck was pretty small. About 6 months. The rest of my time has been in an auto. Luckily there people here who will definitely have more experience and can answer you.
#1
Gale Dec 5, 2022 @ 8:13am 
Originally posted by Qrazy:
1. I have experience with a 10 speed and 13 speed IRL. Never driven a truck with an 18 speed.
I skipped gears all the time when empty or bobtail. My trainers never corrected me so I can only assume it wasn't causing any damage.

2. If you never used high gears or range IRL you wouldn't go very fast. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your meaning.

3. Depends on the truck really. There isn't a one size fits all for when to up/downshift. Some trucks don't have a problem with shifting at 900 RPM and some don't have an issue at 1800. Takes a few mins to get the feel for me.

All in all my time driving a manual truck was pretty small. About 6 months. The rest of my time has been in an auto. Luckily there people here who will definitely have more experience and can answer you.

About 2nd questin, not using the high gears: In game, I'm using the Range setting, which means the gears go like this 1(Low and High - L/H), 2(L/H), 3(L/H), 4(L/H). Then I click the range and use 5(L/H), 6(L/H), 7(L/H), and 8th gear (L/H). Most of the time I'm using Low gear, like 1L, 2L, 3L, 4L... When I'm reach 8L, truck reaches 70 or 75 mph, so reaching max speed isn't the problem. I just don't use High options and I don't know If it's ok or not in real life.
Last edited by Gale; Dec 5, 2022 @ 8:13am
#2
wingersb Dec 5, 2022 @ 9:49am 
In your google...
eaton fuller 18 speeds
HOW TO Shift 18-Speed Manual Eaton Transmission.
#3
wingersb Dec 5, 2022 @ 10:59am 
Personnaly I use to start: LH then 1h,2h,3h,4h,5h,6l,6h,7l,7h,8l and 8h
With my engine I'm 65 mph at 1200 t/mn and 6.8m/gl that very nice
I pass my gears beetween 1200 to 1500... 1600 t/mn UP OR DOWN
have a nice drive.
:steamthumbsup:
#4
ttower Dec 5, 2022 @ 12:32pm 
Not an actual trucker, I do drive manual transmission cars.

Skipping gears is just fine, as long as you stay within the range of gears that the RPM can take. I personally stick to the high gears, ie 2H, 3H, 4H, personally. I usually start in 2H empty, and 1H loaded. When empty, I skip 2H to 4H, then 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H. When loaded, 1H to 2H with heavier loads, 1H to 3H with lighter loads, then 4H, 5H, and so on.

As for when to shift, shift when it makes sense for the truck, load, and road you are on. With floating gears, as far as the game is concerned, you are doing it right if the gears dont grind. This is essentially how it works IRL too, which I have tried and succeeded, but the game is more lenient about doing it wrong.
#5
bolero3232 Dec 6, 2022 @ 5:43am 
Never drove an 18-wheeler, but lots of straight jobs. I know about H/L as it relates to snow plowing and light hauling. It's not reflected in this game, but IRL if you start in higher ranges you will tend to burn out clutches. I'm sure the same would apply to semi's.
#6
ttower Dec 6, 2022 @ 9:49am 
Originally posted by bolero3232:
Never drove an 18-wheeler, but lots of straight jobs. I know about H/L as it relates to snow plowing and light hauling. It's not reflected in this game, but IRL if you start in higher ranges you will tend to burn out clutches. I'm sure the same would apply to semi's.
I dont know how it works exactly, but in the game, it appears that H/L splits are essentially just the next gear. 1L, 1H, 2L, 2H is gears 3, 4, 5, 6 for example. If this is the case, starting in High range wont cause a clutch to burn out, as it is just another gear. However, in regular cars, H/L transfer cases work differently, reducing the gear ratios for the drive train after the transmission for better low speed control and torque.
#7
Greyhawke Dec 6, 2022 @ 10:30am 
FTR: Not a professional/commercial driver. However, I have driven a lot of manual transmission vehicles, both trucks and 4-wheelers.

I think the problem with burning out clutches that "bolero3232" mentions, is from having a heavy load and then riding the clutch to get your rig moving from a full stop with 1H; instead of releasing the clutch as you normally would, or be able to, if you were using 1L to get rolling from a standing stop.

Not sure this has any effect on truck wear in the game, but depending on the load I'm hauling and the truck I'm doing the hauling with, when I'm using an EF18 I'll often start out using 1L and then maybe 2L, but then shift in the High gear set after that.

Unless I'm hauling a really heavy load in which case I stay in the Low gear set until I'm at cruising speed, or if I'm hauling a heavy load on a route with a lot of grade or speed changes or stop and go traffic, in which cases I stay in the Low gear set for better power and acceleration.

Yes, I skip gears all the time so long as I can stay reasonably close to the power band of the gear I'm shifting into. Not doing so is what can cause damage to your transmission and/or stall you out is my understanding . . .

EDIT: substituted transmission for t*anny due to forum auto-filter
Last edited by Greyhawke; Dec 6, 2022 @ 10:34am
#8
bolero3232 Dec 6, 2022 @ 1:05pm 
Exactly right Greyhawke.
Yeah, burning out clutches is not in the game. OP was looking for R/L examples.
#9
Gale Dec 6, 2022 @ 2:24pm 
Originally posted by bolero3232:
Never drove an 18-wheeler, but lots of straight jobs. I know about H/L as it relates to snow plowing and light hauling. It's not reflected in this game, but IRL if you start in higher ranges you will tend to burn out clutches. I'm sure the same would apply to semi's.

When you say "if you start in higher ranges you will tend to burn out clutches", do you mean starting in 4L for example? or Anything higher than first gear?

That was a good detail btw, thank you. I love learning things like this.
#10
Gale Dec 6, 2022 @ 2:30pm 
Originally posted by Greyhawke:
FTR: Not a professional/commercial driver. However, I have driven a lot of manual transmission vehicles, both trucks and 4-wheelers.

I think the problem with burning out clutches that "bolero3232" mentions, is from having a heavy load and then riding the clutch to get your rig moving from a full stop with 1H; instead of releasing the clutch as you normally would, or be able to, if you were using 1L to get rolling from a standing stop.

Not sure this has any effect on truck wear in the game, but depending on the load I'm hauling and the truck I'm doing the hauling with, when I'm using an EF18 I'll often start out using 1L and then maybe 2L, but then shift in the High gear set after that.

Unless I'm hauling a really heavy load in which case I stay in the Low gear set until I'm at cruising speed, or if I'm hauling a heavy load on a route with a lot of grade or speed changes or stop and go traffic, in which cases I stay in the Low gear set for better power and acceleration.

Yes, I skip gears all the time so long as I can stay reasonably close to the power band of the gear I'm shifting into. Not doing so is what can cause damage to your transmission and/or stall you out is my understanding . . .

EDIT: substituted transmission for t*anny due to forum auto-filter

I'm start out as same as you. I only start to move from full stop in higher that first gear if I was bobtailing or my load is super light.

I know these are not effective in game but I love to pretend as they do. :)
#11
RynoHawk Dec 6, 2022 @ 3:36pm 
Been a while and only briefly, but...

If we were really doing it right to make your driver instructor or DOT inspector proud, we would be double clutching. ;) I don't know if your standard game shifter and clutch can do that though (let alone the game). Honestly it's been so long I don't even know if more modern manual trucks require that (many would argue they never did).

1. No worries skipping gears in a bobtail. It'll be less jerky that way anyways as you would likely jerk a bit with each shift. Trucks are torqued up high to pull loaded trailers and will likely shift smoother under a load.

2. I don't know. Only used a 10 speed.

3. It depends on the truck/engine. Some tachometers have a green "sweet spot" marking the preferred shifting range. Probably my best guesstimate would be somewhere between 1300 and 1800 RPM.
#12
_KC76_ Dec 6, 2022 @ 4:01pm 
Originally posted by ttower:
Originally posted by bolero3232:
Never drove an 18-wheeler, but lots of straight jobs. I know about H/L as it relates to snow plowing and light hauling. It's not reflected in this game, but IRL if you start in higher ranges you will tend to burn out clutches. I'm sure the same would apply to semi's.
I dont know how it works exactly, but in the game, it appears that H/L splits are essentially just the next gear. 1L, 1H, 2L, 2H is gears 3, 4, 5, 6 for example. If this is the case, starting in High range wont cause a clutch to burn out, as it is just another gear. However, in regular cars, H/L transfer cases work differently, reducing the gear ratios for the drive train after the transmission for better low speed control and torque.

This^^

And, it depends on the transmission model/manufacture as to how they "name" their gears ..
-Example: A "10 speed" trans can be an actual 10 normal driving gears, or it can be a 8 spd+L+LL, where you have 8 normal driving gears, and 2 "low" gears; Low and Low-Low.
#13
Greyhawke Dec 6, 2022 @ 6:09pm 
Originally posted by KingConrail:
Originally posted by ttower:
I dont know how it works exactly, but in the game, it appears that H/L splits are essentially just the next gear. 1L, 1H, 2L, 2H is gears 3, 4, 5, 6 for example. If this is the case, starting in High range wont cause a clutch to burn out, as it is just another gear. However, in regular cars, H/L transfer cases work differently, reducing the gear ratios for the drive train after the transmission for better low speed control and torque.

This^^

And, it depends on the transmission model/manufacture as to how they "name" their gears ..
-Example: A "10 speed" trans can be an actual 10 normal driving gears, or it can be a 8 spd+L+LL, where you have 8 normal driving gears, and 2 "low" gears; Low and Low-Low.

Originally posted by Emre Özdemir:

. . . I know these are not effective in game but I love to pretend as they do. :)

Absolutely "Emre Özdemir", almost everybody enjoys this game for the escape of playing make-believe to one degree or another.

Enjoying this thread, had to say.
#14
Gale Dec 7, 2022 @ 5:46am 
Thank you everyone for the answers.

First of all, I droped my rpm usage. I'm upshifting at 1500 or 1700 now and downshifting at 1200 or 1000. Also, I'm giving a little gas when downshifting to match the rpm. For example, when I downshift from 7 to 6, I'm slowing down the truck and wait for the rpm to drop 1200 or 1000, clutch, I put the gear to the 6th, give a little gas so rpm reach 1500 or 1700 and then I release the clutch.

This whole using lower RPMs and matcihng the speed thing make me realized I was driving in a hurry. Now, I fell I'm in control. :)

I downshift the same way when I use jake brake but sometimes I need a stronger jake brake so I just downshift and let the engine roar at 2000+ rpm :D I don't know if I would damage the engine if I did this in real life.


Originally posted by RynoHawk:
Been a while and only briefly, but...

If we were really doing it right to make your driver instructor or DOT inspector proud, we would be double clutching. ;) I don't know if your standard game shifter and clutch can do that though (let alone the game). Honestly it's been so long I don't even know if more modern manual trucks require that (many would argue they never did).

1. No worries skipping gears in a bobtail. It'll be less jerky that way anyways as you would likely jerk a bit with each shift. Trucks are torqued up high to pull loaded trailers and will likely shift smoother under a load.

2. I don't know. Only used a 10 speed.

3. It depends on the truck/engine. Some tachometers have a green "sweet spot" marking the preferred shifting range. Probably my best guesstimate would be somewhere between 1300 and 1800 RPM.

I'm watching a lot of CDL and truck videos about how to use it properly :D I did know the double clutching but someone, in the videos that mention, said the new truck engines doesn't need double clutching, so I'm using single clutch. Tho, I believe there is a option for the double clutch in the game and I used for a while :D
#15
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Date Posted: Dec 5, 2022 @ 6:02am
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