why does everyone seem to dislike auto trans

True it may be "easier"...but there are reasons a driver should understand and know how to manually shift a big rig.

With the manual transmission, the driver learns how to match road speed, with RPMs, and to what levels an engine begins to lug (bad on engine components and gear box and drive line), when the engine is "maxing out" (over rev).

The auto shifts want to shift too much when pulling weight up a large hill...this is unnecessary wear on the clutch and tranny, by switching the auto to manual, an experienced driver will know how to maintain the correct gear/rpm/speed for the most efficient and least damaging pull.

 

also it limits your job opportunities down the line, if I was an owner of a fleet and I had a guy who only had experience and a guy who drove manual, and everything else was equal, of course im gonna choose the manual driver, cause any clown can drive an auto

 

just like in the car world, if you know how to drive stick, and you drive a stick, you look down upon those who cant, in australia its an actual seperate license and you are looked as a better driver if you have a manual license

 

Autos are too easy to break. One bolt is out of place, your screwed on the side of the road. Manuals are tougher. Autos are for those who cant shift.

 

I would strongly encourage you to learn to drive a manual transmission proficiently. I have and can do so well. HOWEVER, do not believe half of the negatives you're going to hear about them on this board. I was naysayer for a long time too. I finally drove one. I really liked it. It's easier on my knee in traffic and makes no difference on the open road. Mine pulls mountains just fine, you have the option of shifting manually when you want.

Autos are not perfect. Like any other part on a truck they break sometimes (mine never has BUT my second truck was towed due to an issue in the wiring harness). If your auto transmission has an issue it's unlikely you're going to be able to limp it to a shop like you MIGHT be able to do with a manual. I would wager however that companies spend more money replacing clutches on manual transmission trucks with drivers that THINK they know how to drive them than on issues with automatics. Just saying.

 

"...I was naysayer for a long time too. I finally drove one. I really liked it. It's easier on my knee in traffic and makes no difference on the open road."

My 2013 Freightliner 'requires' for the automatic clutch adjustment, that I clutch when shifting gears. Still, when in traffic, I avoid it to save the knees. RPM shifing, when properly done, will not only save your knees but is easy on the clutch, drive train and transmission as you are matching transmission synchronization with engine speed.

What's the advantage to this? If you're going up or down a hill and you clutch into a gear, it's entirely possible that the speed of your vehicle will NOT match transmission to engine speed when you release the clutch, possibly snapping your drive shaft. RPM shifting will not allow you to go into an 'unmatched' gear therefore preventing such a catastrophic incident.

Just my two cents.

 

The Eaton Smartshift, Volvo I-Shift, et. al, I'm indifferent about... I've never driven any of those. The only automatic truck I've driven was a tandem dump with a six speed Allison automatic, which I was using to plow snow with. While I did appreciate that the Allison prevented me from having to shift and adjust the plow simultaneously while going around corners or curves, the rough and erratic shifting on a slick road was a bit of a concern for me.
As for my thoughts on the automatics such as the Smartshift and I-Shift... I suppose I'm a bit mixed on it. For a new driver coming into the industry, who starts off driving only automatics, I agree that it's an Achilles' heel if they should try moving on to another company which doesn't run automatics. You might think you've got shifting figured out in driving school, but the reality of it is that you'll still have a lot to learn. But, on the same note, the bigger concern regarding them in the here and now is whether or not they can move that vehicle safely down the road and do what's expected of them rather than how their shifting is done.
If I were looking to run OTR again, and someone offered me a great job driving an automatic, I wouldn't turn it down because of the auto trans. Don't think I'd want one in a sitework truck, though. AFAIK, these are intended for on-road use, and even then require some time before they can adjust to be optimal for each load. What happens when you're driving down a dirt access road, say in fifth or sixth gear, then you hit a soft spot and suddenly find yourself having to drop it down to second or first gear in order to keep rolling? In those situations, you don't get time to make multiple downshifts, and you need to be able to react and hit your gear right away.

 

I like my automatic transmission (mDrive) most of the time. It's really nice when you get into stop and go city traffic or a construction or accident delay. However, there are times, even with the better mDrive, that it shifts quirky. Pulling out from a stop with a load is usually pretty smooth, but sometimes it likes to do dumb stuff like skip a gear and then realize it shouldn't have and then downshift, making the truck jump and lurch.