https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8kDddnuv4

And many of the newest crop of truck drivers are complaining about :

P / R / N / D / 3 / 2 / 1

Did you notice that many of his shifts were withOUT the clutch?

Shifting without using the clutch is common practice ( floating ).

Using the clutch is necessary for three actions :

a. Starting from a dead stop.

b. When difficulty is experienced when changing range or shifting gears.

c. In reverse ( backing ).

That works as long as the gears you are meshing are turning at the same speed! Those transmissions have to be really rugged to put up with that.

It's interesting that the shift pattern for truck transmissions is different than the standard H pattern for cars.

Cars:

1 3

2 4

Trucks:

1 4

2 3