Have always wondered if a driver who had always driven a 10-speed transmission would have many problems graduating up to an 18-speed. Would the driver be required to hit all 18 (I always started out in third when I drove unless I was starting out uphill or had a very heavy load) or is it dependent on the weight of the load?

 

If you have a lot of weight on the truck you may use all 18 gears, but I don't think most will use all of them. There is no need unless you just like to shift gears. You probably won't need your top gears unless you are traveling at higher highway speeds. When I drove an 18 I found that it would lug the engine to be in the higher gears unless I was winding it up. It has been quite a few years since I drove an 18 speed. I believe the top 2 gears were not used most of the time unless I was at or above 70+. Again, it has been quite a few years and that is from memory. Some people will skip the middle gears all together. A friend of mine has an 18 speed transmission and he usually shifts it like a 10 or 13 speed. If you can drive a 10 you can drive an 18.

 

Nawah, you won't have any trouble learning an 18 speed. But you normally don't need those gearboxes unless you are pulling double flats, a Tanker, Rock Bucket, or B-Trains with loads of over 100k or climbing out of rough terrain.

Would a driver be required to hit all 18? Basically the answer is no. But again, it depends on what you are hauling and where. Sometimes missing a gear can bust your tranny, pretzel your driveshaft, or cause your load to shift, (fluids) etc. Extremes aside, like with any gearbox, you can skip gears.

Pre-select your shifts both range and splitter.
This is a pretty good guide. http://www.ttcautomotive.com/english...601012_178.pdf
only thing I do differently, is I'll just let off the fuel pedal and back on, and that's enough to engage the split, rather than single clutch. Just depends, I notice myself single clutching when I'm more concerned about missing a gear. Most loads on mild or flat terrain, I'm skipping gears. You notice which are your "go to" gears. Empty or light loads, I'll shift like a 9 speed.

 

An 18 speed is nothing more than a 9 speed with another button on the shift knob which can be used to split each of the 9 gears in half if necessary.

Empty, lightly loaded or on level ground, you can forget that other button is there and just shift it like a 9 speed. With a heavy load or steep hill you can split each gear.

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