auto shift tractors

Dex, no ill to you. Local is about all I know of for an auto. In the mountains an auto would eat your fuel costs alive. Flat ground their great, but not a road tractor.

 

A bum foot or leg won't stop anyone from failing a DOT physical. I've seen drivers with both artificial legs, but you wouldn't know it unless they showed you. I have no physical problems, but I still prefer automatic; drove one pulling tanker/hazmat 48 states & Canada and it was the most relaxed driving ever. The loads were usually sloshing acid or sometimes dry bulk. The one I drove was a company truck, Volvo with Volvo engine & Volvo automatic transmission.

 

U mean passing a DOT physical there Chinatown?

 

Yes, evidently there are restrictions & waivers involved though. I saw one guy, it looked like his legs were welded together and he walked on crutches. He had some modifications inside the truck. I do remember he was with a household moving company.
The guy I talked to with 2 artificial legs, didn't even limp. He saw me looking at him at the fuel islands, the wind was blowing very hard and his pants looked like two broom sticks for legs. We talked for awhile, very nice guy. His only complaint was other truckers parking in the handicap spots, when they aren't handicapped. He said even though he doesn't limp, it is tiring and painful at times.

 

As far as the physical goes we all know how many handicapped spaces there are at fuel stops m on the automatics , I saw a pretty impressive road test of a Mack pulling a loaded trailer on I-68 across WV and MD .
Quality Carriers has bought quite a few Macks with autos . They require a year experience but even though they have a $1,000 recruiting bonus I wouldn't refer anyone to them . Pay and working conditions vary terminal to terminal .

 

I've been in an automatic Mack for going on a year now and it is by fay the worst thing for a road truck. No horsepower (companies fault ), no pulling power, its a pain in the backside in traffic even though everyone seems to think they're amazing in traffic, and I've had my truck put out of service for transmission problems more than everything else combined. And it's not that the trannys break its always some sensor or other BS like that that will leave the truck hung in 10th trying to pull a mountain.. not to mention I always drive mine in manual mode due to the fact that whoever programmed the computer to tell the truck when to shift must have never even ridden in a truck much less drove or worked on one hands on because it shifts at times that no trucker would shift at, I've shifted entire loads backwards due to taking off from a stop and the truck just riding in 2nd for a while then saying "oh **** I should probably go up a gear" and slamming into 3rd. Long story short autos are a cluster eff :end rant

 

My truck is company, Volvo, Auto, and it handles the mountains and hills fine. It is best however in LA with a lot of stop and go.

 

You must have a Cummins with an I shift. God knows a Volvo engine and UltraShift transmission are horrible. My boss just got rid of my 780, what a big sigh of relief

 

Funny how out of nine trucks I run five are autoshift and I don't have a problem at all with them. Two of the trucks are pushing 1,000,000 miles. Funny how we also get better fuel milage out of them than the manuals. Funny how we do run west coast and still pull the hills just fine and still get better fuel milage than the manuals out there too. Funny how all the drivers request to run in an autoshift vs a manual. They work fine for me and what we do.