Transitioning to Manuals

I got my CDL back in Oct 2023. Truck I passed my CDL test in was a 6 speed manual 🤣 no double clutching and literally was like driving a Honda. I had no automatic restriction on my license but knew I had no idea how to drive a real manual twuck.

Was with 2 Megas OTR for about a year and a half before going local. Obviously I was driving automatics. Local company has 10-13 speeds and they knew I had no experience with them and took a chance to train me because I wanted to learn.

The first couple weeks were rough. I had driven for a year and a half, 45 states, no accidents, and a top driver in my fleet with my Megas. But god damn, my confidence and ego were rattled. Straight up a completely different game man. I been driving a long nose Pete as well with no convex hood mirrors. Driving that felt hella weird at first. Automatics literally take no skill at all, other than backing into a tight spot, no skill 😩

I been with my local company now for 3 months and can float gears a lot smoother now and can handle shifting when going up hills when heavy and down hills really well. Overall I’m glad this local company took a chance on me. I wanted to learn how to drive a manual so bad. Definitely worth it and gained a HUGE respect for manual drivers.