Yes it is correct these things are not true automatics. However like everything else there are good and bad things. I have discovered these things have several undesirable things. 1. They can cause (jumping) if you are really heavy and at a stop. You only have to move maybe 2 inches anymore and you will hit something. If your not careful with your RPMs it will jump. 2. if you are going down a steep grade and don't properly select a setting the jake is almost useless. 3. If you have to slide tandems and they are really stuck the truck will throw warning codes and shut down. You keep these 3 basic things in mind you will make the change OK.
I have an easier time overall with the auto I am in. But they yank and rock a lot more than what I remember with a clutch. I don’t know how my trainer sleeps through it.
I have a mDrive Mack, and I hope you don't test in one of these boat anchors...mine can't make up it's mind how many gears to upshift, and reverse...forgetaboutit. it doesn't have "creep mode" so, it tries to reverse, dumps the clutch, then when you try to touch the brake just slightly to slow it down a little...it hits the clutch, and you surge. I couldn't imagine driving an unbaffled tanker with one. As far as roll back on takeoff, most have a "grade gripper" feature that holds the brakes on for a short period so you can get to the throttle to take off without rolling back.
I haven’t done anything with tankers so I didn’t say anything, but had the same thought. Those things jerk quite a bit. Esp driving bobtail. You just barely hit the accelerator and it jerks forward and bounces up.. which causes you to hit the accelerator harder because the bump pushes the accelerator into your foot. So each it bumps again even more, pushing the accelerator into you even harder. Next thing you know you are bouncing down the drop yard like a circus wagon.. or like you are driving bouncing to a beat. Lol!
Ask the instructor if you can either put a bag over your head or tint the driver window really dark so no one can see you driving an auto.
I pulled food grade tanks in a volvo auto. Was a rough learning experience doing it smoithly, but it's possible
My mDrive misses more gears in a month than I miss in a decade...some days it has to try 2 or 3 times before it gets it in gear...and now my R1(low range) is funky, I have to back in R2(high range).
