Me thinks you mean “baulk” not bulk. 
Very easy to change gear smoothly without using the clutch if you can match revs to road speed.
All this reminds me of being in the mrs car before she had an auto ,on approaching a junction she would pull it out of top and hold the stick against first position you could hear the box screaming!
Dan Punchard:
All this reminds me of being in the mrs car before she had an auto ,on approaching a junction she would pull it out of top and hold the stick against first position you could hear the box screaming!
Sounds like the idea of block changing from top into first at 70 mph + on the approach a roundabout and let the synchros sort it all out.According to lots of them on here it won’t damage the box so long as the clutch is disengaged. 
Just thought i’d post a picture so all those that are giving advice but don’t actually know what a manual lorry looks like, can see.
Carryfast:
Dan Punchard:
All this reminds me of being in the mrs car before she had an auto ,on approaching a junction she would pull it out of top and hold the stick against first position you could hear the box screaming!Sounds like the idea of block changing from top into first at 70 mph + on the approach a roundabout and let the synchros sort it all out.According to lots of them on here it won’t damage the box so long as the clutch is disengaged.
It will be noisy, a whine at first, then screeching, then clonking, then screeching again as the drive tyres lock up…
Saaamon:
Just thought i’d post a picture so all those that are giving advice but don’t actually know what a manual lorry looks like, can see.
cool sneaks
Saaamon:
Just thought i’d post a picture so all those that are giving advice but don’t actually know what a manual lorry looks like, can see.
Chav
newmercman:
Carryfast:
Dan Punchard:
All this reminds me of being in the mrs car before she had an auto ,on approaching a junction she would pull it out of top and hold the stick against first position you could hear the box screaming!Sounds like the idea of block changing from top into first at 70 mph + on the approach a roundabout and let the synchros sort it all out.According to lots of them on here it won’t damage the box so long as the clutch is disengaged.
It will be noisy, a whine at first, then screeching, then clonking, then screeching again as the drive tyres lock up…
Maybe not as they slide along the road on all the gear oil dropped on the road when first gear and it’s synchro explodes as the layshaft and input shaft try to escape out of the box.
GasGas:
One note of warning is that excessive engine braking is bad if the road is slippery. In rain, ice, snow etc I’d only use it (and only with caution) if there’s a good load on the back axle.
Exhaust brakes on modern trucks are also linked into the ABS and if the module senses lock up it disables the engine brake.
Javiatrix:
Hey there, trucking godsI’m a new driver (to HGV that is), passed my Cat C in the last month, and been driving the company vehicle for a couple of weeks now.
I have a question…
The vehicle is a brand new DAF LF, fitted with engine braking and (I assume like most modern vehicles) a synchromesh gearbox. The vehicle handbook specifically states that using the engine braking where possible will seriously improve the life of the service brakes, makes sense. But am I doing it properly?
For example, I’ve become quite fond of the engine braking button now, and usually switch it on after the engine’s started and leave it on until shutdown.
My real question is, am I abusing the clutch and/or gearbox by using the following technique… Let’s say I’m driving along a dual carriageway (at 50 mph of course!) and I’m approaching a roundabout. My current way of doing things is (it’s a 6 speed, like a van), off the gas so the engine braking becomes active, I let the speed drop to about 45 ish, then drop to 5th gear, and come completely off the clutch so the revs jump up to nearly the blue zone, then at about 35-40, I’ll drop it to 4th, which puts the revs in the blue zone, and leave it there all the way down until the engine braking disengages once the revs have dropped to below the green band, all the while applying gentle service brakes as necessary to achieve a smooth deceleration.
Should I be matching the revs before clutching out? Or on these gearboxes is it fine, once off the gas, to simply clutch in, drop the gear, then clutch out, resulting in a large jump in revs, meaning little delay in getting effective engine braking going?
May seem a silly question, but I mentioned the vehicle is brand new because it is effectively ‘mine’, I’m the only one driving it and, provided I stay with the company, will be driving it for the next five years. I’m genuinely not worried about getting blame placed on me, I want to look after it and make sure I’m not abusing it, after all it cost my company a lot of money to purchase, given we’re not a huge business!
Cheers people
It’s better to match the revs if you can, but engine braking doesn’t become active until the clutch is fully engaged. So don’t worry about it putting extra torque into the gearbox and clutch when changing gear, because it won’t.
Newmercman Your gearbox sounds like the one in the NH14 that my cousins briefly had ,eaton fuller sounds normal but was different, i didn’t get to drive it .
Dan Punchard:
Newmercman Your gearbox sounds like the one in the NH14 that my cousins briefly had ,eaton fuller sounds normal but was different, i didn’t get to drive it .
Mine is an Eaton Fuller 18speed constant mesh, the RPMs have to be matched when changing gears or it makes a lot of horrible noises
Got a new truck on order and I was asked if I wanted autoshift or manual I went for the manual 
i think it was.
NH14 Eaton super 10 only available in the U.S.
Saaamon:
Just thought i’d post a picture so all those that are giving advice but don’t actually know what a manual lorry looks like, can see.
[zb] me the invisible man driving wearing only trainers.
Dan Punchard:
NH14 Eaton super 10 only available in the U.S.
Never used a super 10, Pat Hasler had one so he could tell you more about them.