Q&A for How to Shift a Semi Truck

On every Eaton transmission there is a different setup. For the one that is mentioned, the "splitter" is on the left side of the knob and the range selector is the toggle switch directly on the front portion of the shaft. On a 10 speed, you do not have a "splitter" but only a "range selector", however on a "Super 10" all it has is a "splitter".

That's too dangerous because you are free wheeling in neutral and may gain so much road speed that you'll be unable to get back in gear in time.

If in gear, pull out and you'll be in neutral. Neutral is what you should always put your truck in when parking and when starting it up.

The range switch for when you go through the first set of gears, Lo/1-4, then when you get to the last position for that range, you pull up on the range selector and go through the gears again. An easy way to remember this is, Lo through 4/5 is all below 15mph, and 6th on up is 25mph+. Having the ability to "split gears" on 13s and 18s are nice for trucking on steep grades. Split gears are 500 RPM steps instead of 1k. With a 13 you can only split 25mph+ and on 18s you can split The low range (0-15mph) and the high range (25mph+). 18s are ideal for logging trucks and 13s are ideal for mountain driving. Supers 10s are best to learn on, as they do not require you to go through the pattern twice.

No, you just lift off the throttle to release the pressure when up shifting, and for down shifting, you will give it a little shot of fuel to bump up the RPM.

You step on the clutch, put the gear leaver in neutral, clutch, and then downshift.

Each truck is different, depending on it's equipment. For the higher gears, add the two digits of the speed and that tells you what gear you should be in for 1300 engine RPMs. For example, at 15 MPH, 1+5 is 6, so you should rev the engine to 1300 and shift into 6th. For 25 MPH 2+5 is 7 so shift into 7th at 1300 rpm.

It depends. When selecting a higher gear, no. Since the RPMs need to fall, you don't have to do anything else. For a lower gear, yes, you need to give it some throttle. Since large diesel engines respond fairly slowly, this usually means a very short stomp of full throttle.

Probably not. If it is loaded, definitely not.

RL is reverse and would be with your range switch down or in low, and RH would be reverse with the range switch in the up position or in high.

No. You "preselect" either high or low while you're still in gear and then shift into the next gear as normal. While you're shifting through neutral, it will shift into high or low range on its own, depending on the position you chose for the selector.

There would never be a need to. If upshifting at the correct RPM you should be able to float the gears all the way to top gear. Double clutching is mostly a down shifting thing, but is also not necessary.

It is not safe to pass anyone on the right. It is especially dangerous to pass semis on the right because semi trucks have a blind spots. It is safer to pass on the left because you can look out the window or adjust your mirror easier.

Most long-time truckers will only use the clutch to start moving the truck from a dead stop; otherwise, they float through gears. Some beginning truckers are recommended to always double-clutch while shifting gears while they familiarize themselves with other elements of driving a semi.

Up shifting is just based on RPM. Once you get to 1500 to1700, upshift. Downshifting depends on speed and situation. If you miss a gear when shifting, look at your speed and determine the gear to pop it into.

No. The only time you need to clutch is when stopping or starting from a stop. All other gears are up- and down-shifted without the clutch. You will learn the truck you are driving and know when you can drop it into gear. When shifting from the low to high side, flip the button before you shift. The transmission will not shift into high side until the gear shift is moved to the next gear. The same works for down-shifting. You should NEVER clutch between each gear, you will only wear out your leg, the clutch, and other things. The only clutching between gears that is necessary is occasionally when the transmission feels like it won't let you shift, usually under a heavy load pulling a hill.

Release the clutch slowly until you feel the transmission grab, then release the brake pedal.

Normally you don’t need to split the low end unless you have a really heavy load, but if you feel the need then do so.