clutch  pedal  with  your  left  foot.  To  shift  gears  smoothly and quietly, you must keep the pedal fully depressed until the shift has been completed. You should understand that the clutch provides the means of applying engine power to the wheels smoothly and gradually. To be a professional operator, you must learn just where the clutch starts to engage, how far the pedal must move to become fully engaged how much free play there is in the pedal, and how fast you should engage  the  clutch. Keep your foot off the clutch pedal except when actually starting, stopping, or shifting gears. Even the slight constant pressure on the clutch pedal causes excessive wear. For the same reason, when stopped on a  hill,  never  slip  your  clutch  to  keep  from  rolling backward; instead, use the brakes. Depress the clutch pedal and shift the transmission shift lever into neutral while waiting for a long traffic light or when halted for other reasons. Release the clutch after shifting into neutral. When slowing your vehicle to stop or make a turn, be sure to reduce the vehicle speed to 15 miles per hour or  less  before  depressing  the  clutch  pedal.  Coasting  a vehicle at a high rate of speed with the clutch pedal depressed is dangerous, because control becomes more difficult and damage to the clutch may occur. This kind of practice is abusive to the vehicle. CLUTCH   SHIFTING.—   After   the   prestart operation  has  been  performed  and  you  have  acquainted yourself  with  the  instruments  and  controls  of  the vehicle,  warm  the  engine  with  the  transmission  in neutral. Start the vehicle moving with the transmission in low or first gear by following these steps: 1. Depress the clutch pedal and shift into low gear. 2. Check the mirrors, check blind spots, and give signals  as  required. 3. Let the clutch pedal up slowly, pausing at the friction point or when you feel it taking hold. Again, recheck  the  mirrors  for  traffic. 4. Release the parking brake and slowly release the clutch pedal, and at the same time, slightly depress the accelerator. 5.  When  the  driving  operation  is  under  way, remove your left foot completely from the clutch pedal. DOUBLE-CLUTCH SHIFTING.—  Professional driving practice in trucks (1 1/2 ton or larger) often requires  double  clutching  to  permit  proper  engagement of the gears and to prevent loss of momentum. To shift to a lower gear by double clutching, follow these steps: 1. Release the pressure from the accelerator as you begin  depressing  the  clutch  pedal. 2. When the clutch pedal is fully depressed, move the  gearshift  lever  to  neutral  position 3. Release the clutch pedal, and at the same time, depress the accelerator to speed up the engine. 4. Letup on the accelerator and depress the clutch pedal. 5. While the pedal is depressed move the gearshift lever to the next lower gear. 6. Release the clutch pedal, and at the same time, depress the accelerator to maintain engine speed as the load is again connected to the engine by the engagement of the clutch. The procedure is the same for shifting to a higher gear speed, except that the engine is  NOT  accelerated while the transmission is in neutral. CAUTION When  you  are  shifting  gears  in  rough terrain and on hills, never let your vehicle slow down to a point where the engine begins to labor or jerk before shifting into a lower gear ratio. Always anticipate the need for extra power and shift gears accordingly. When descending a hill, with or without a heavy cargo load, always drive with your vehicle in gear and the clutch pedal out. NOTE: You may encounter vehicles that may have more complicated transmissions, such as multigear ranges, dual-speed axles, or other special features. As an operator, read and understand the operator’s manual pertaining to a particular vehicle before attempting to operate it. AUTOMATIC  TRANSMISSION The  automatic  transmission,  like  the  manual transmission, is designed to match the load requirements of the vehicle to the power and speed range of the engine. However, the automatic transmission (fig. 2-6) performs this automatically, depending on the throttle position, vehicle Speed, and position of the shift control lever. Automatic transmissions are manufactured in models that have two, three, four, or more forward 2-4