How to Shift a Semi Truck

Thứ bảy - 27/04/2024 01:12
Learning to drive a semi truck properly requires lots of training and experience, but if you're curious about the basics of shifting one, you can get a primer on the steps that you'll need to practice if you want to drive the big rigs....
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Learning to drive a semi truck properly requires lots of training and experience, but if you're curious about the basics of shifting one, you can get a primer on the steps that you'll need to practice if you want to drive the big rigs. Learn how the gear shifter works, how to shift between gears, and some tips for knowing when to shift.

Shifting Gears in a Manual Semi-Truck

Release the accelerator, press the clutch, and shift into neutral. Release the clutch, push the accelerator, and shift into a lower gear. Shift directly into gears 1-4, but for fifth gear and higher, shift back to the first position. First gear is in the same position as fifth, second in the same as sixth, etc.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Understanding the Gear Shifter

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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Getting into Gear

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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Knowing When to Shift

  1. Step 2 Get used to the general shifting conditions.
    After a while, you'll be able to familiarize yourself with the general positions that you need to shift, but in instruction school, you learn a few basic rules of thumb.
    • Be in top gear at 50 mph (80.5 km/h) or greater. Generally speaking, if you're traveling at highway speeds or greater, you should be at top gear always.
    • Be in fifth or sixth gear for sharp turns in city conditions. To avoid stalling, it's good to be switched over into the upper gears.
    • Other general speed guidelines will vary from transmission to transmission, for different trucks. You'll need to ask your instructor or other experienced drivers for tips.
    Gain CDL exam confidence. "Working toward my CDL, I'm glad I found this site explaining how to shift a semi. It was super helpful and easy to understand, clearly walking through upshifting and downshifting. The Q&A section was useful, too. This gave me confidence that I'd ace the shifting portion of the CDL exam." - Bert J.
    Refresh a retired driver's knowledge. "As a retired truck driver, I wanted to share information with my son, who is interested in the field. I sent him this article to learn about different transmissions. It was the perfect refresher, even for me, on the steps for smooth shifting. Now, my son and I both benefitted from the clear explanations." - Bobby R.
    Drive successfully as a beginner. "With no prior experience, I worried about driving a semi. But reading and following the step-by-step shifting instructions here, I was able to drive the truck successfully! The article gave me the knowledge I needed as a total beginner." - Eddie M.
    Regain proficiency after time away. "As a Class A driver, this article refreshed my memory on shifting. After two years of driving automatic trucks, my manual shifting got rusty. The instructions brought me back up to speed on proper shifting techniques. Now, I regained my proficiency after time away from it." - Robert H.
    We want to hear from you! Advice from our readers makes our articles better. If you have a story you’d like to share, tell us here.
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Warnings

  • Do not use the splitter button in neutral.
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Professional Semi-Truck drivers don't use the clutch except for selecting the first gear. Listen to the engine sound to judge shift points, and lightly feel for the gear, don't grind the tranny. Also, depending on load weight, you don't have to split every gear

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