What Annoyed You Today?

[Thumpalumpacus]

Driving home from banking/shopping errands today, following a fully-laden dump-truck through a hilly road. The driver of that beast clearly didn't know his gear-box, and stalled out once, rolling back towards me to the point I started looking for emergency egress to get my truck out of his path. He was continually one gear too high, lugging his engine, and clearly missing his down-shift points. Took me fifteen minutes behind him to get through roadway that normally takes me five minutes.

Commercial drivers are supposed to be professionals. Learn your damned truck already. When you see a hill coming up, build a head of steam. I too drive a (much smaller) standard-transmission vehicle. Know your gearbox and power-bands!

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Commercial drivers are supposed to be professionals. Learn your damned truck already. When you see a hill coming up, build a head of steam. I too drive a (much smaller) standard-transmission vehicle. Know your gearbox and power-bands!

"Hey, kid, whateveryourname is, Bill had to go home sick. That's his truck over there, and I need you to finish up his route TODAY!"
"But Sir, I've never driven or had training on one of those!"
"NO BUTS! You've got your CDL, so act like a professional and rise to the occasion. It's just another truck; you'll figure it out. Get cracking, you're already late! And don't you dare break Bill's truck!"
"... uh... yessir!"

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Commercial drivers are supposed to be professionals.

According to the driver ed teachers at school, CDL courses don't even teach crashbox double clutching any more. There's still plenty of older trucks on the road. A disconnect here? The teachers are also aghast that the dealerships don't supply manual transmission driver ed cars anymore. Half the student vehicles in the lot are stickshift SUVs and pickups.

 

[SaparotRob]

I bought a Mazda almost 20 years ago. They tried to sell me an alarm system. I told them "No thanks. It's got a manual transmission. No kid is going to know how to drive it".

 

[fubar57]

The 1967 off-highway Pacific P-10 gravel truck I drove in '77, when I was 18, had 6 forward gears and reverse on the main and 4 gears on the "A" box; double clutch the main and single clutch the "A" box or if your timing was right, no clutch at 1600rpm

 

[SaparotRob]

The 1967 off-highway Pacific P-10 gravel truck I drove in '77, when I was 18,had 6 forward gears and reverse on the main and 4 gears on the "A" box; double clutch the main and single clutch the "A" box or if your timing was right, no clutch at 1600rpm

I might not agree with what you said but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

 

[special ed]

A friend had a 1947 Federal 2 ton stake body truck. Although, when we could get it started, (the late 60s), he preferred my driving because of the long pause required when double clutching. While I had double clutched sport cars and my old Ford, the truck required one to feel for the right time to shift after the double clutch.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

The 1967 off-highway Pacific P-10 gravel truck I drove in '77, when I was 18,had 6 forward gears and reverse on the main and 4 gears on the "A" box; double clutch the main and single clutch the "A" box or if your timing was right, no clutch at 1600rpm

You can probably pat your belly and rub your head at the same time, then switch functions instantly on cue, right? You should have been a chopper pilot! The newfangled all volunteer army was desperate for fling wing pilots back then.

 

[SaparotRob]

"Fling wing". That's a new one for me!

 

[fubar57]

One thing the the guy who trained me told me but I never did get the grasp of was "split shifting" While travelling, he put his left arm through the steering wheel and grab the main stick shift and at the same time grabbed the auxiliary stick shift and in harmony, would shift them both. He would only do it while going up hill; it was like dropping half a gear. This isn't my truck but it seems to be in the same shape as the one I drove

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

"Hey, kid, whateveryourname is, Bill had to go home sick. That's his truck over there, and I need you to finish up his route TODAY!"
"But Sir, I've never driven or had training on one of those!"
"NO BUTS! You've got your CDL, so act like a professional and rise to the occasion. It's just another truck; you'll figure it out. Get cracking, you're already late! And don't you dare break Bill's truck!"
"... uh... yessir!"

Good golly ... you live in Texas too?

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

According to the driver ed teachers at school, CDL courses don't even teach crashbox double clutching any more. There's still plenty of older trucks on the road. A disconnect here? The teachers are also aghast that the dealerships don't supply manual transmission driver ed cars anymore. Half the student vehicles in the lot are stickshift SUVs and pickups.

This was a relatively modern dump-truck (judging by its drop-down wheels and general condition). I would have assumed it had an automatic transmission, given its newness. But clearly the gopher in the cab didn't know his ass from third base.

If you're putting someone behind the wheel of a 30 ton vehicle onto public roads, you'd better assure competence, goddamnit. This guy was literally rolling backwards downhill on me as I could tell he was frantically trying to restart after a stall.

ETA: Yes, I was "annoyed".

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

[...] or if your timing was right, no clutch at 1600rpm

I've owned mostly standard transmission vehicles through my life. The first thing I do on buying one is take it out on a back-road and learn the shift-points (by tach, or by sound if no tach) and teach myself to drive it without a clutch, just in case.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

I would have assumed it had an automatic transmission, given its newness.

Well, he disproved that, didn't he?

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Good golly ... you live in Texas too?

Nope, almost as far away from Texas as you can get and still be in CONUS. Literally and figuratively!

 

[XBe02Drvr]

"Fling wing". That's a new one for me!

FW = Fling Wing
RW = Rigid Wing

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Nope, almost as far away from Texas as you can get and still be in CONUS. Literally and figuratively!

Well, y'all's driver's training is apparently on par with ours.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Well, y'all's driver's training is apparently on par with ours.

Roger that. Except here they have to teach and practice winter driving. I swear driving instructors in this climate are way braver than flight instructors. I taught flying for years, but wouldn't touch driver training.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Roger that. Except here they have to teach and practice winter driving. I swear driving instructors in this climate are way braver than flight instructors. I taught flying for years, but wouldn't touch driver training.

One of the good things I've done as a father, by my own light, is teach my son (23 nowadays) how to drive a stick, and how to work on his own vehicle. Now if only he'd keep a sharp toolbox, there's a good lad.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

One of the good things I've done as a father, by my own light, is teach my son (23 nowadays) how to drive a stick, and how to work on his own vehicle. Now if only he'd keep a sharp toolbox, there's a good lad.

When next year's arctic vortex rolls around with its accompanying blizzard and grid failure, take the lad out in the biggest unobstructed parking lot you can find and cut donuts until you are both comfortable with your car's and truck's handling and you know where your limits are. You guys don't get the practice to stay sharp that we do. Y'all have fun now, hear?