Automatic vs. Standard

First, with the eception of the rare truck having an Allison trans installed, there are very few trucks using automatic transmissions in highway service. There are plenty of trucks using "Automated" transmissions, which are standard mechanical transmissions, with controls adapted to the transmission to allow the shifting to be done with little or no input from the driver.

We have to understand and use the appropriate terms to have this discussion, or it bogs down into misunderstanding of the points each side is trying to make.

As for the trans, I spent almost 3 out of the last 3.5 yars driving trucks equipped with Autoshift transmissions, and have about 350k miles on them. And I like them. They do make it easier for the driver, allowing him to spend more time paying attention to other driving tasks than shifting. They never miss a gear, and never miss a downshift. They are a great design and once you get used to one you will probably not want to go back to a regular stick.

However, many people who have not driven them do not care for them, feeling that they take away some of the independence and skill level that identifies them as drivers. This feelin that you have to shift gears to be in full control of your truck is a pretty common theme and the majority of people I have met with negative opinions of autoshift's tend to come out of this group.

That being said, many people, including myself do not recommend to someone buying a truck that they buy one with an automated transmission, and were I to buy a truck I would not buy one for myself. I come at this conclusion as a matter of risk management, in that there are several multi thousand dollar components to these transmissions that I am not able to repair or even diagnose should a problem occur. When trans replacement time comes up in a used truck, the autoshift is a pricey piece of equipment to have installed, typically at least twice the price of a rebuilt standard trans. So despite the fact that I like driving them, it is a less financially risky business in a used truck to buy a manual trans when shopping.

They are a technology that has improved greatly since their introduction, and they are getting better and much more common. In the future, they will probably be much more accepted by the drivers that have grown up around them. As for now, there are stlll some naysayers, some with valid reasons, some without.

 

Me personaly don'tlike them for training purposes,for one most of the company's that use them have a high turnover rate, where does that leave the driver that has done nothing but drive autoshifts.I think if/until they become more wide spread they shouldn't be a training tool.just my 2 cents.
that being said i wouldn't mind trying one out,just to see what all the hype is.........

 

The local old trucker told me he did not like the Auto Shift trucks because you could not shift down more then one gear at a time. So, when you come up to a stop sign you can't go from like 8th directly to 5th. You have to go through 7th and 6th to get there.

 

One thing nice about the auto trannys is city driving or traffic jams around Nashville where you are just creeping along. Holding that clutch in used to kill my knee.

 

My response to the old trucker would be who cares! The transmission is doing the work, and as long as it downshifts and makes the transmission do it's work in slowing the truck, I care not what particular gear it uses to do so. It downshifts and selects whatever gear is appropriate without going through the intermediate gears to get there when upshifting, but it usually slects all the gears when downshifting to maximize the braking effect. If i needed to, I selected the jake, and pulled the lever back all the way to low, and the controls allowed the truck t downshift at the highest possible rpm for the most effective engine braking.

I say again, most people who have complaints against auto shifts are people who have not driven them, or people too set in their ways to ever accept them. I happen to like them, and have experienced both sides of the coin. Right now, the 2006 Mack I drive has a 10 speed manual, and I am just as good on it as I ever was. When in taffic, I do miss my autoshift.

I do stand on my argument as to why I would not recommend one to someone buying a used truck, and I agree with the idea that you should learn on a stick first and master those skills as a part of learning to drive. But in general, I am in favor of the Autoshift trans, even though I have some doubts about some specific models and configurations, though here is not the time nor the place to get into that.

 

If your check out the Meritor Freedom Line 12 speeds you will see the skip gears automatically as it senses the load factor. Great transmission.

Had the Eaton 10 speed auto shift before. ( 3 pedal ) Didn't work real good as sometimes it would max out every gear even just bobtailing. Sometimes it would not shift in time and I would have to go to manual. Now this meritor is just as nice as a automatic in a car. The only down side is they are expensive.

Me I love my auto shifts.

 

Two comments here relating to what you just said. On your previous Autoshift 10 speed, there is a torque sensing capability built into the fuel control that ties in with the operating software for the transmission. That's a mouthful, but what it basically means is that the transmission has two programs within that determine shift rpm. One program is for loaded, the other is for bobtail or an empty trailer. When you pull a loaded trailer, the truck shifts at a higher rpm to put the truck into the "meatier" part of the torque range. As long as you stay loaded, the software selects that pattern of rpm and shift points.

When you go to a bobntail or empty situation, the lesser amount of fuel called upon in the fuel control sends a signal to the trans controller and tells it to use the lower rpm shift points in the 'empty" mode. It typically takes about 20 shifts of the transmission to detect this info and it has to get at least to 8th gear once among those shifts t complete the transition. As a result, the truck tends to wind up higher in each gear and, hit max rpm in each gear until the transition is complete. I made it a point to short shift those first 20 shifts manually with the button until the truck settled into the appropriate shifting mode. Newer models aren't as prone to this as the software interface between the engne management and the trans management gets mproved each year.

Second issue. I have some personal problms with the idea of a 2 pedal automated trans in a truck. I really like the control of my foot on the clutch pedal, and my ability to ease the truck up to a dock or back into a hose tube hen needed. I used to have to back in to a connection tube in Iowa City that literally required me to have less than 1/4" of movement in the truck to be in spot for the connection. My foot on a clutch is an amazingly precise instrument, and I am vey leery of allowing the connection between the engine and the transmission to be controlled by any set of electronics or automated controls. I have alo heard some real horror stories about people hooking up to trailers in their first weeks of a 2 pedl operation, and that is another area where I feel a lot of what the truck is doing through my left foot.

Possibly, this is just me being resistant to technology, but I have some issues with the concept of a 2 pedal transmission. I have no real problems with 3 pedals and an autoshift, but the 2 pedal design has some complexities that I am not yet comfortable with.

 

Yes with 2 pedal you have to keep one foot on brake and one foot on gas. I will admit when I am inching my way back to dock I miss my clutch. But brake works just as good.

What was bad then may be great now. We all know technology changes fast.

As for problems with my Eaton they were just that. I had talked with Eaton and my dealer several times. But this is not about my past trouble.

Also what one person hates the other may love. That's the nice thing about trucks, lots of options.

 

Shifting is part of what makes trucking fun, I just don't like automatics, all my personal vehicles are sticks to. I like to be able to control the power of my vehicle.:smt109