The Declaration:
As a person whom has never been in the cab of an LGV I think the thread is excellent very well written and easy to understand with the pics, others may give you different feedback but that is my opinion.
Many thanks for that. I personally welcome all feedback, whether good, bad or indifferent.
I find that it’s an important tool for improving the quality of information.
Bang on,on of the most useful threads on this site,ive used both of the ones youve posted and also a 16 gear range changer(although you dont really need it un-less your on the drag).Wished youd have posted this a couple of years back,when i was a newbie.I got sent out in 4 over 4 one morning,at silly-oclock and there was no-one in the depo to show me how to use one! i spent 25 minutes stuck in 4th gear,panicking trying to slap it over and all sorts,i was about to turn around and head back to depo and wait for some-one who could show me,when by pure luck i hit the switch and hey presto! sussed it.It was a cold saturday morning and i had to pick-up the keys from the security office,because the traffic office didnt open till 8am.Would have looked a right prat if i hadnt found the switch, 
Maybe you could put a thred for some of the auto-boxes for all us class 1 wanabees sometime 
i definetly wouldnt want to make same mistake in a artic! you cant always ask other drivers,especially if your on the 3.30 saturday morning run!
thank you dave.
I have just passed class 2 in a 4 over 4 box and was a little concerned about slapover boxes as i have never even seen one. This post makes perfect sense to me and now i understand how to use it.
This means that the first time i get an agency job with a slapover i wont have to ask the ultimate noob question “erm…how does it work??”
Cheers, very understandable.
Thats how i need to read information like that Dave, laymans, great post.
Great post Mate
One question. Whats the “C” postion used for??
Thanks
Jim
truckerjimbo:
Great post MateOne question. Whats the “C” postion used for??
Thanks
Jim
crawler gear jim. you use it when fully loaded and you want to make a hill start (it is such a low gear that it will basically let you pull away on tickover fully freighted) or when you need to drive slowly and controlled.
Hi Dave, Yes mate thats spot on. I have used the slap over gears and your description is spot on. Not used 4over4 yet but that info is most useful. Thanks for taking the time to explain to us newbies mate.
Nige
I’d just like to say a big thank you to everybody who’s left a feedback.
THANK YOU
It really does help me to get this type of post just right… So it’s much appreciated.
Thanks again.
Hi there,
Really like the descriptions of the different types of manual gearboxes that you can expect to encounter driving LGVs.
However, the LGV industry now seems to be following the path of the “Automated” Manual (semi-automatic, clutchless manual) gearbox due to the fact it saves weight, driver concentration and fuel!
Can you see manual gearboxes being cast into the history books, especially with MAN and Iveco now supplying the ZF AS Tronic (sold as the TipMatic and EuroTronic respectivly) transmission as standard across most of their ranges with a manual gearbox option no longer available?
Personally I can see it happening, as Buses have not had clutch pedals for almost 40 years and these AMTs will be snapped up by Coach companies on the double, so I can even see the PCV industry not having any clutch pedals soon as well!
Richard
The Lyonator:
Hi there,Really like the descriptions of the different types of manual gearboxes that you can expect to encounter driving LGVs.
Thanks for the comment, I stuck to straightforward descriptions of gearboxes likely to be found in driving school trucks by the new guys and it seems to have worked.
The Lyonator:
However, the LGV industry now seems to be following the path of the “Automated” Manual (semi-automatic, clutchless manual) gearbox due to the fact it saves weight, driver concentration and fuel!Can you see manual gearboxes being cast into the history books, especially with MAN and Iveco now supplying the ZF AS Tronic (sold as the TipMatic and EuroTronic respectivly) transmission as standard across most of their ranges with a manual gearbox option no longer available?
Personally I can see it happening, as Buses have not had clutch pedals for almost 40 years and these AMTs will be snapped up by Coach companies on the double, so I can even see the PCV industry not having any clutch pedals soon as well!
Richard
Those are very interesting points. Not being of the bus fraternity, I have to ask whether you mean the pre-select type gearbox?? (Wasn’t that in a Leyland with a TL12 engine??) I remember them, but I’ve never driven one. (Please excuse my ignorance of bus “stuff.”) As a general point, I think the various types of auto boxes might take more market share, but to balance that I also think that there’ll always be some demand for manual boxes. There’s one old dinosaur (me) who hasn’t had the benefit of any training or knowledge of the modern auto type boxes. My own opinion is that I think I’d prefer a manual box, but I recognise that I’m very probably biased due to my own lack of knowledge of auto boxes.
Just to put this into some sort of perspective, the truck with the “slap-over” box in the photo was registered in February of this year. It’s an Iveco 18tonner hired in by an LGV driving school whilst their new truck is on order. The truck with the 4 over 4 box is owned by the same LGV driving school. IMHO, it might be some time before driving schools buy trucks that have auto boxes, but I’m always prepared to be wrong… 
Your question about manual gearboxes and history books might provoke something of a “debate” in the PDF.
Why not give it a whirl?? I bet there’d be lots of opinions on that one. You’d get better answers than I could give- that’s for sure…
That’s a good question: Does anybody know of an LGV driving school that already has trucks with some kind of auto gearbox??
Another question: Would an auto box meet the DSA’s spec for a driving school truck?? - I honestly don’t know.
Would passing your test in an auto truck not give you a restricted licence, the same as if you do it in an automatic car?
Aye, passing in a vehicle with an automated manual transmission (i.e. Volvo I-Shift, ZF AS Tronic, and etc.) will restrict you to vehicles with automatic transmission (Restriction Code: 78 ).
In the bus industry there’s plenty of 78 Restricted licences because of the fact that buses haven’t had clutches for about 4 decades! Now that AMTs are here I can guess that the Coaching side will start taking people on with 78 Restricted licences - a coach company I have recently applied to join has just renewed its fleet and all of their manuals have been replaced with Volvo I-Shifts - so they can now take on people with a 78 Restricted licences as the whole fleet now has Two-Pedal operations!
I agree with dieseldave that manuals should still exist - I myself cannot truly appreciate what kind of a difference a gearbox without a clutch does because it’s all I’ve ever had the chance to drive. I suppose the most experience I have of driving manuals was during the Driving School…and that’s probably about it!
Even tiny citycars can now be supplied with an AMT for a £500 optional extra! But personally I can’t see the Car industry falling the same way as the Commercial Vehicle industry - cars will still have clutches for years and years. Mind you in America they sell cars with autos as standard!
If anyone does know of a Driving School that offers tuition in a vehicle with an automated manual gearbox could you please let me know!? Thanks.
Richard
My prefered manual is the “four over four” gearbox, the slap-over version always got me confused! The four over four just seemed easier to use and remember - only 4 gear ports, whereas the slap-over is all over the place! Always kept on getting curfuddled!
I did notice that where I was so use to driving autos that I had to sequential gear change when slowing down - for example, I’d start slowing down for a red traffic light and half-way through it’d change to green…I’d try to pull away in the gear I was using before braking, so I always had to go 1 cog down all the time as otherwise I wouldn’t have a clue what gear to use!! This caused my instructor to moan at me for using the gearbox to slow down, but then also went on about the good ol’ days when the brakes were weak that you HAD to use the gearbox to slow yourself down! Luckily none of my exams resulted in me even being marked a driving fault for using the gearbox when slowing down, they always mentioned the fact that I didn’t need to - but that the DSA don’t recognise it as a fault because you’re “technically” not doing anything wrong, you’re just simply using the gearbox!
I do the same in my car, strange I know as there’s only 5 gears…but believe me, I pulled up at a roundabout in 4th gear and “Attempted” very unsuccessfully to pull away in 4th gear! Completely forgot to use that 3rd pedal and that weird looking stick in the middle!!
Maybe I’m just losing it!?
Richard
The Lyonator:
If anyone does know of a Driving School that offers tuition in a vehicle with an automated manual gearbox could you please let me know!? Thanks.
does an AMT gearbox meet the minimum test vehicle standards - ( at least 8 forward ratios) ?
Well on that I really couldn’t say as after reading the DT1 form given to the examiners the MTV section doesn’t actually say that automatic transmissions are exempt, it simply says “Ratios - 8”.
However, common sense would tell me that if you turned up in an AMT or an Allison automatic then you wouldn’t have to worry. It would be funny it that were the case, as the maximum gear ratios that can be found on an Allison automatic is Seven and that’s for the really heavy rigs…otherwise it’s common to get Six of Five speed Allison autos!
But I’m pretty sure that if you turned up in an automatic of Any kind that you’d be exempt from the Ratio requirement, especially as the Gear Changing exercise is not performed on a vehicle classified as an auto.
Richard
By the way, I should mention that C1 and C1+E tests do not have the requirement for a set number of Gear Ratios - they are exempt.
Richard
Dave - thanks, a really helpful & well-written article. Thanks for all the info on the twin-splitter gearbox too !
gerontius:
Dave - thanks, a really helpful & well-written article. Thanks for all the info on the twin-splitter gearbox too !
Hi gerontius, Many thanks for your comment.
Info on twin-splitters-- my pleasure. I hope it works for you.
Good luck mate, and please let me know how you get on with it
Denis F:
The Lyonator:
If anyone does know of a Driving School that offers tuition in a vehicle with an automated manual gearbox could you please let me know!? Thanks.
does an AMT gearbox meet the minimum test vehicle standards - ( at least 8 forward ratios) ?
To get a manual licence you must pass your test by using the clutch for every gear change - DSA rules
ROG:
To get a manual licence you must pass your test by using the clutch for every gear change - DSA rules
That’s interesting ROG. All I remember on that subject was that the candidate had to show “competence” in the selection and use of “appropriate” gears. I don’t have the latest DSA rule-book, so has that change been in for long??
Blimey, so if a candidate used a twin-splitter correctly, they’d fail?? IMHO, that seems a bit daft to me, since a twin-splitter requires some “real” skill. I suppose rules are rules after all though… 