Is driving a manual an imperishable skill?

You’ll be fine, it’s like riding a bike or having sex. You’ll never forget.

 

You won’t forget. Might get rusty, but it’s a lot like riding a bike. When you have the coordination, you will keep it.

 

Muscle memory stays with you. I drove a manual most of my career, then went to work for a glass hauler with mDrives for 3 years. When they were merged with a unfavorable sister company, I went to work for a company who road tested me in a manual. I wasn't a mile down the road floating gears as smoothly as I always have.

 

I drove manuals for about 20 years. In 2022 I bought an auto and put 390k on it before I sold it. I took a company job with a manual and I can still get it down the road.

 

Being in automatic for so long spoiled me.

*engine revs*

Me: Why are the RPMs so high?
Also me: Oh

*clutch-shift-clutch*

 

The manual skill comes back to you within minutes of using it again. By the end of the day it's like you never stopped using it, except maybe for downshifting. If you force yourself to downshift every gear until you are comfortable again, it might be a day or two and then everything is like it was.

 

First couple of months your in the auto you will laugh & shake your head everytime you reach for the gear shifter & clutch.
You will grow to appreciate a auto the convenience is worth it.
Yes that meens no more Billy Big Rigger 4ft tall gear shifters & growling your jake brake through the truck stop parking lots at 2am.
So sorry for that bit of disappointing news.....

 

Not everyone shares your opinion about those gawd awful boat anchors (referring to AMTs). If given a choice between the best AMT and a million mile 13 speed, I would hands down take the 13 speed, without the 4' tall shifter or the 2 am wakeup. As far as I am concerned, AMTs are the bain of my existence. And the DT-12 Freightliner's E-coast and retarded shifting algorithm should be outlawed.