anyone train and run on full automatics??

Fuel efficiency is controlled by the Driver not the Transmission. It doesn't matter what your driving. Automatics may reduce fatigue in City driving but overall have some serious drawbacks. Less control on Snow and slick road surfaces. Slower to accelerate. Less control in Mountain driving. A tendency to make the driver less attentive because of boredom. They are more expensive and harder to repair because of there complexity and a shortage of Technicians trained to repair them. The Manufacturers of Automatic Transmissions offer extended Warranties not offered on Standard Transmissions because they are much more likely to malfunction. And the Mega Companies are using them because the type of Drivers they can attract are unable or unwilling to drive a Truck with a Standard Transmission.

 

You can control what gear you're in manually for mountains and slick roads with automatics.
Slow take-offs are annoying, but a very minimal issue in the grand scheme of things.

 

I am well aware of the driving Characteristics of an Automatic Transmission in a big Truck. I drove one for several months and discovered you have much less control of the Truck in many different situations. If your satisfied with it then that's all that matters. I personally will never drive a big Truck with an Automatic Transmission ever again. I will also never drive a Truck with a Driver facing Camera. If the day ever comes when all Trucks are equipped with these types of equipment I'll soon be doing something else to make a living.

 

Well, according to Eaton Corp:
"self-shifting gearboxes are steadily catching on, and now have 20 percent of the Class 8 market, says Eaton, which also makes automated mechanical transmissions, or AMTs. Fleets buying AMTs report longer life for U-joints and driveshafts, which clumsy drivers can break when rough shifting of manual transmissions sends shocks through the driveline and not requiring to replace a clutch 3-4x on average throughout the life of the rig. Fuel efficiency largely depends on the driver with Manuel transmissions, but not even master drivers have the ability to control the transmission at 100% efficiency 100% of the time. AMT's do."

The $$$ being saved is undeniable.

 

A recruiter at Prime told me they're switching to autos because they want to attract more female drivers. Even though autos are more expensive to service than manuals, rookies tear up manuals so it costs megas a lot.

I driven some autos and they're not all built equally some were nice, others were garbage.

I would reccomend learning on a manual and then switch later to auto. I mean what kinda truck driver are you if you don't know how to drive stick and float gears (that in it self a trained monkey can do)

 

I agree 100%. All drivers should definitely learn on a manual tranny...it's a right of passage.

 

it's a AUTO-SHIFT... not a "Automatic Transmission" the only extra part's is a X-Y shifter ($1,200) computer ($500) wiring harness ($200) clutch actuator ($750) and ANY dealer can work on them

 

I can't wait until the new autos have failures with the e-coast feature. Going down a mountain e-coast kicks in and take the vehicle out of gear and gets stuck out of gear. Funny how coasting down a hill in an automatic is safe but coasting in a manual is an automatic failure on a Cdl test

 

I stay away from auto not that i hate them just not for me. I am a local driver so the most i do is 50 miles a day. I drove my father auto and didnt like the down shift and upshift each time it moved i like to skip gears at the light i know the newers auto have that now. The one thing i heard him say was if you reverse a lot it's a nightmare or a pain the transmission sometimes stays in limbo and doesnt want to back up and starts to buck well going uphill or slope.I also have killed the battery a couple of times so i always have a long chain in my truck and just pull start it. Impossible with a auto plus the transmission is three times as much as a manual. Here are the good about the auto better fuel mpg i think. No blown out knees and huge caps from that clutch workout. You can drive and Actually drink your coffee with and not worry about shifting. Less stress less work

 

I never said there was a Dealership that cant work on them. And they are AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS not STANDARD TRANSMISSIONS. It doesn't matter what technical name is used to describe it. You don't use a Hand Shift pattern or shifting tower connected to a shifting pattern with a splitter do you? A Clutch thats activated by your foot? You Don't have to synchronize your speed with the Tachometer to shift do you? I got my information from a technical journal. And obviously you haven't been at a Dealership or Garage waiting for days even weeks to get a qualified Technician to repair your Truck when it breaks down. And it is a lot more expensive to get an Automatic worked on then a Standard. And the Automatics do malfunction more frequently. Why else would they offer the extended Warranty on them?