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Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears is a required knowledge area under 49 CFR 383.111(a)(5), which names double clutching, shift patterns, and the consequences of improper shifting as topics without specifying the technique for any of them. The specific shifting procedures tested here are standard driver-training practice, cited to the manual topic map rather than federal regulation.

Practice Shifting Gears

5 Questions

  1. Why do most heavy vehicles with transmissions that lack synchronizers require double clutching when changing gears?
  2. What are the two basic ways a driver can know when to shift up in a vehicle with a manual transmission?
  3. Why should a driver shift down into a lower gear before a long or steep grade begins, rather than waiting until already partway down it?
  4. Why should a driver downshift to the correct gear before entering a curve, rather than while turning through it?
  5. What is the purpose of selecting a low range on a vehicle with an automatic transmission before going down a grade?