Commercial Driver Handbook ( PDF ) - California Department of ...

BaCking With a trailer
Backing with a trailer. When backing a car,
straight truck, or bus, turn the steering wheel
toward the direction you want to go. When backing
a trailer, turn the steering wheel in the opposite
direction. Once the trailer starts to turn, you must
turn the wheel the other way to follow the trailer.
Whenever you back with a trailer, try to position
your vehicle so you can back in a straight line. If
you must back on a curved path, back to the driver’s
side so you can see. Back slowly so you can make
corrections before you get too far off course.
Correct drift immediately. As soon as you see
the trailer getting off the proper path, correct it
by turning the steering wheel in the direction of
the drift.
Pull forward. When backing, make pull-ups to
reposition your vehicle when needed.
Use a helper. Use a helper when you can. He or
she can see blind spots that you can’t. The helper
should stand near the back of the vehicle where you
can see him or her. Before you begin backing, work
out a set of hand signals that you both understand.
Agree on a signal for STOP.
ShIFtIng geARS
Shifting gears correctly is important. If you can’t
get your vehicle into the correct gear while driving,
you will have less control.
manual transmissions
Basic method for shifting up. Most heavy vehicles
with manual transmissions require double clutching
to change gears. This is the basic method:
• Release accelerator, push in clutch, and shift
into neutral at the same time.
• Release clutch.
• Let engine and gears slow down to the revolutions
per minute (rpm) required for the next
gear (this takes practice).
• Push in clutch and shift into the higher gear
at the same time.
• Release clutch and press accelerator at the
same time.
Shifting gears using double clutching requires
practice. If you remain in neutral too long, you may
have difficulty putting the vehicle into the next gear.
If so, don’t try to force it. Return to neutral and
release the clutch, and increase the engine speed
to match the road speed, then try again.
There are two ways of knowing when to shift:
• Engine speed or rpm. Study the owner’s manual
for your vehicle and learn the operating rpm
range. Watch your tachometer, and shift up
when your engine reaches the top of the range.
(Some newer vehicles use “progressive”
shifting: the rpm at which you shift becomes
higher as you move up in the gears. Find out
what is right for your vehicle.)
• Road speed or mph. Learn the correct speed
for each gear. Then, by using the speedometer,
you will know when to shift up.
With either method, you may learn to use engine
sounds to know when to shift.
Basic procedures for shifting down
• Release accelerator, push in clutch, and shift
into neutral at the same time.
• Release clutch.
• Press accelerator. Increase engine and gear
speed to the rpm required in the lower gear.
• Push in clutch and shift to lower gear at the
same time.
• Release clutch and press accelerator at the
same time.
Downshifting, like upshifting, requires knowing
when to shift. Use either the tachometer or the
speedometer and downshift at the right rpm or
road speed. Some special conditions where you
should downshift are:
• Before starting down a hill. Slow down and
shift down to a speed that you can control
without using the brakes hard. Otherwise, the
brakes can overheat and lose their braking
power. Downshift before starting down the
hill. Make sure you are in a low enough gear,
usually lower than the gear required to climb
the same hill. The braking effect of the engine
is greatest when it is near the governed rpms
and the transmission is in the lower gears. Save
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