Really disappointing to hear of training methods being changed part way through a course. You must be good to be able to cope with it! Rog’s answer is absolutely correct though I do empathise with your thoughts having been a keen biker myself until recently.
For test purposes, the examiner wont be phased by additional gear changes so long as they are at the correct speed (no clutch drag) and that the extra changes dont lead to any other problem eg lumpy braking.
It’s a topic that gets a lot more attention than it deserves. When I train, I start with a demo drive (as per Rog’s example) and try to show that this is the easy way. One of my favourite catch phrases is “I don’t do hard work!” Then, when the trainee starts driving I’ll try gently to get them to do it the easy way. But I dont persist with it. If someone wants to change gear 2 or 3 times on the approach to a junction, no problem. But I know it’s daft and it’s hard work. But having told them - not my problem. And it will pass a test.
Candidates sometimes get “lost” in the box - and that’s to be expected and perfectly fair. Sometimes, sequential changing will cure this and then, quite naturally, they’ll move on to more creative gear changes to make their own life easier.
Car learners are being taught in the way I described and have been for some time now
Advanced driving frowns on sequencial downchanging when not necessary and as an AD observer I find that trying to get those who passed years ago not to use all the gears to slow down is quite challenging - explaining the differences in the old and modern braking systems helps
Peter Smythe:
Candidates sometimes get “lost” in the box - and that’s to be expected and perfectly fair. Sometimes, sequential changing will cure this and then, quite naturally, they’ll move on to more creative gear changes to make their own life easier.
bazstan009:
Didn’t have much choice, non sync foden 8 legged.
Miss a [zb] while climbing and it wa crawler all the way.
There’s an honest driver, it could happen to any of us. When driving a manual truck if you don’t time your downshift on a step hill no matter how good your box is you ain’t goin into gear! However if you know how to DDC you’ve got some hope by revving the guts out of her and skipping a few gears.
I learned the hard way when I passed my class 2 and was fired into an old iveco 8 legger tipper. With no instruction let me tell ya it was no fun and plenty of Crrrrrrrrrunchin.
I remember a few years ago I had an old van and one day I gave a mate a hand to move some furniture, whilst driving along I decided to show him my little trick of changing gears without using the clutch no doubt he was amazed and was asking me how it’s done, so I tried to explain as best I could and left it at that.
A couple of days later he arrived at mine in his company berlingo, when inside he said “do you know there’s a shocking smell coming from the van” I asked, from where?
Don’t know he says. So I said let’s have a look.
When I got outside I knew straight away what was smelling. I said your clutch is burning (oblivious to the other day) I asked were you revving it hard when you were setting off.
No he replied, I was trying to change the gears without using the clutch
I’m still laughing now even thinking about it.
no doubt he was amazed and was asking me how it’s done, so I tried to explain as best I could and left it at that.