Any companies still run manual transmissions?

It depends on the year of the auto and how it's programmed. My first two autoshifts, I could never imagine hauling a tanker (ISO tank) with, the last Mack, I ran loaded ISO tanks 30 or 40 times from Denver to Casper, other than getting used to being sea sick, never had a problem with shifting, you simply learn to be gentle, and let the truck adjust, most of these computers have sensors programmed in that detect the sloshing movement, true they will never 100% match what you might accomplish with a manual, but, then again, there are guys with 40 yrs exp. hauling tankers driving manuals who've probably never mastered it.

 

It was spec'd by a bean counter, not by someone with driving exp.

 

And vice versa, I can drive either, I see the benefit of both, but at the same time, 90% of those who bash auto's have never driven one, and are solely basing it one what they heard on the CB or sitting around the lunch, right before the conversation shifted to Navy Seals, or what they might have once heard from their sisters, boyfriends, best friends, cousins, Uncles lover.

 

Hurricane express runs all stick, valley transport runs 18 speeds

 

And yet, I climb hills weekly in my auto, frequently in the 75k to 80k range, and have no problem, and keep up with manuals, and frequently pass them, how do you explain that? Maybe, just maybe, my company doesn't castrate my truck and lets all the available features work, or maybe, just maybe, I've learned how to turn off my inner caveman and use my brain, to outsmart the computer, or maybe it's a combination of the two

 

The Auto M-Drive Mack's of today are light years difference from what you encountered in the 70's, the same with the I-shift and PACCAR auto

 

The clutch in a manual trans pickup used to last 80K under normal use, but in a class 8 might last 700K.

 

The 2000 CHU Mack I drove had an autoshift, in 978K miles, every 4 or 5 months we had to replace the shift motors, was like that for 8 yrs, got to the point where I could replace them on the side of the road in 45 minutes or less including R&R the floor pan. Then tech improved, the '09 CXU was still an auto-shift, in 600K, we only replaced the shift motors twice, BUT, we had to replace the clutch due to a change in design in the clutch brake. On that CHU, every few months they would adjust it, it was a two piece design and other than it falling out once, never an issue. But in that CXU, it was a one piece, when it failed, so did the trans, and 500K the clutch brake and clutch were replaced, despite the clutch being estimated to still have 40% of life left. That '15 CXU had an M-drive, no clutch pedal, in 550K I had one trans issue, and it was more an air leak issue, there was a known internal trans issue that the lead mechanic at Mack says means the trans should be replaced, it never was, our O/O bought it last year from the company, so far he's been very happy with it. The PACCAR auto I have now, it light years better than that autoshift, but, I will agree there are times, like backing that the M-drives and autoshifts had advantages, mainly a better creep mode, but over time I've learned to feather the brake pedal.

 

Replaced the clutch in our turbo diesel Volkswagen at 250k and it still had some life left on it .
I’ve seen people fry a clutch in 600 miles.

and I understand. When I bought more trucks and hired drivers, they would get maybe 9 minutes from a clutch , that I would have gotten three or four years out of in the exact same truck.
If you’re hiring drivers , you have to make the truck as child proof as possible.
I’m sure autos are a money saver in clutches and U joints .

I’d just be afraid to trust them.

when they first started putting them in school buses , they had a 75% failure rate in the first two years.
But I guess they finally got it figured out .
Going from a 360 V8 gasser with a Clark five speed with arm strong steering and hydraulic brakes to a turbo diesel automatic bus with power steering and air brakes has to be a massive improvement.

 

The main problem with AutoTrans are they can't roll thru the truck stop in 2nd gear at 2100 RPM popping the jake every 10 seconds.