Automatic Trucks

At Eagle all our trucks were autos, I actually recently quit there and moved to a company with manual 10 speeds.

I figured I'd give it a year and I worked there almost a year and a half and couldn't stand it anymore.

When coming up to a light, especially loaded, and it turns back to green and you give it fuel, it would downshift too low and and rev the engine to 2k+ rpm before shifting up. Plus the autos didn't apply the power like a manual does. The trucks at the new company I'm at get up and fly.

 

We've been using the Volvos with the 13 speed autos since November with our milk tankers and they work just fine for the most part.
However, I heard and witnessed some issues with them in some of the snow and ice conditions we got between December and February.

We still had quite a few, straight-10 Freightliners in the fleet.
So any time it got icy and dicey, I'd head straight for one of those.

 

Where I work, we are converting entirely to KW T880's with 13 speed automatics. I've driven a couple and they're alright, but I have to put it in manual mode. Fortunately for me, I move into a day position next week with one of the newest manuals. A 2012 T800 with a 525 ISX and an 18 speed. Need it to pull 105k of fuel up here in the PACNW. I'm not going out without a fight when they go to replace it.

 

After 20 years of driving, gimme an auto any day especially when fighting the inner city traffic.
The euro autos, volvo, Scania , merc, daf, iveco etc work way better than the eaton autos

 

We are going to the T880s as well god I think they are ugly but at least we are keeping are sticks

 

they said the same thing about power steering
the newer autos especially the mercedes 12 speed shifts better smoother then any driver
pulls the hills the same as the 13 speed
more control in traffic because your just concentrating on the 4 wheelers
those lil pesky hills in WY I have never put mine in manual
oh I was driving a 2 stick in 75 so I think I have enough experience
not to need a clutch just to be a real man

 

For me, I just didn't like them anymore. When I first hired on I told myself to give it a year and see if my mind changes. After a year and 5 months I couldn't take it anymore and wanted to get back into a truck with a stick. My boss didn't believe me when I told him that was the reason I was giving my two week notice.

I just finished my 1st week with my new company and love it so far.

 

I sure would like the option to switch to an auto during traffic jams. I think once the technology advances more, the autos will meet everyone's expectations.

 

You already can do that... you can manually shift an automatic...

 

heard the same rhetoric about power steering
all auto shifts are not created equal
these new Mercedes pared with a DD15 are a wonderful combination. I never put it in manual shifts better then the 13 speed I had before on the same run
Green Bay to Ca and back have 6.8 mpg in a 75 mph truck with 85000 on odometer
sitting at 8.1 this trip halfway thru Green Bay to Stockton