From Ishift to Eaton 10 speed

I don't know hiw they are all programmed... But I have been in Volvos, Frieghtliners, and a Pete with automated transmissions.... The ONLY one I like is the Volvo I-Shift with the premium shifter package that allows full manual control... I flat refuse to drive any other automated shift truck now. Manual or Premium I-Shift... Or I walk down the street and drive for someone else.

 

Just be glad you have an Eaton that shifts!

 

We bought a 17 Pete with the Eaton 10 speed autoshift almost bran new, I ran that truck until last year. Really liked it except for that dam transmission. It will only skip shift when the conditions are perfect, like heading down hill.
When I first got it I had an awful time trying to back up to docks and hook to trailers. It was setup so as soon as you took your foot off the brake the clutch fully engaged, I actually did some damage to the rail Gates on the trailers by slamming into the dock too hard.

We had an Eaton rep come out and changed the programming to let you feather the clutch by how far you push the gas peddle when you first start to move. That helped with the slow backing but it still was a terrible transmission on the road.

It worked fine on the highway but I travel alot of back roads and it really sucked on those, especially on rolling hills. I would be going over some small rolling hills and it would downshift from 10th to 8th and scream the engine at 2100 rpms going down hill. Then as soon as you got back on the gas peddle it would upshift back into 10th even though I was heading uphill and you lost all of your momentum before it shifted back to 8th gear and then scream the engine at 2100 rpm the rest of the way up the hill.

If I could have locked out 10 gear as 9th would have been fine running at that speed it would have been a much better ride, but I didn't have that option and the manual shift buttons were down low on the transmission console and very hard to use without taking your eyes off the road so I rarely used them.

I used to also hate taking off from a stop sign and turning uphill because it would sometimes refuse to shift and then it would allow the engine to over rev so it would start dinging at you and I would have to take my foot off the accelerator and wait for it to make up it's mind and shift, very frustrating.

At the end of 2019 the company decided to lease a new tractor from Penske and they let me spec it out. I was begging them to let me go back to a 10sp manual, but the other 2 bonehead class A drivers can't drive a manual worth ####. So they wouldn't budge on the auto, ended up with a 2021 Volvo I-shift 12sp and I can't believe how much better it is than that awful Eaton. I don't even miss the manual now!