Why Not Automatic?!

Automatics suck even in automobiles!. All this talk of it's to hard to shift and a pain in traffic . I very rarely ever use the clutch in heavy traffic love the deep reduction, have a 15&18 speed as for clutches both trucks have over a million miles on drive trains with no component failure. As for distracting the driver it's second nature like breathing. I'm up to speed and usually don't remember shifting. But the new drivers are having problems because a lot of them can't even drive a manual in a automobile. Because that's to hard of a task to master. They're to busy playing with phones and other gadgets and not paying attention. Most of them don't want to be out here anyway. It's just a job to them not a career!

 

hard enough to do some of that in a car with manual transmission. Can't imagine how much less safe it must be in something the size of a tractor-trailer.

I cringe everytime I see some truck driver making a turn with a cellphone stuck to their ear.

 

I love stick shifts. Cars, pickups, grain trucks, semi.... BUT was driving my car in winter and some kids driving on ice (like it was dry pavement) sent me on a 2 month hospital trip, 4 months wheel chair.....
Now I enjoy playing with stick shift for short time. (only have one car with stick anymore) everything else is auto.
Just bought a T600 with stick. We will see.

 

I trained on a 10 speed and when I got assigned my first truck it was a ten speed auto. At first I complained and was trying to wiggle my way out of it, but finally as time went on I see why the company wanted me in an auto, it's better to focus on the other million things you have to focus on as a driver and takes out the shifting until you can get use to maneuvering the truck, once I got the hang of it and the truck got close to retirement it was better, before I went on Medical leave I was upgraded to a 2013 Cascadia ten speed and I love it. The only thing I hated about the auto was backing up, I learned some tricks to make it easier to back, but sometimes it was an hassle to back it up.

 

the truth comes out.LOL.

 

I got the volvo 640 with ishift. I would like gears but this is what the company had open. It does the job and i get paid so im ok with the auto.

 

I converted an auto in a Freightshaker to a 10 speed. You'll hate auto if you are an owner/op or lease purchase and have to pay for a new tranny. If it's newer truck under warranty enjoy your downtime, but remember, your truck payment dont stop while truck is in shop. And if you are a newbie in a company truck, think how your next company will look at you when you tell them you have 2 years experience but cant drive a 10 speed.

 

dont downshift. i usually take it out of gear and go on neutral. ill put back in the right gear using rpm. is much more safer and easier. eventually when you guya gqin enough experience u wi shift without clutch. double clutching will mess up your tran and stuff and is much harsher ride.

 

Well, not much I can add here, but I'd just like to say that if you are in heavy traffic and complaining about shifting.... you are doing it wrong. Leave more room in front of you before taking off, only use 1st or 2nd, don't try to play that 4-wheeler game of keeping right on the bumper of the guy in front of you, and your leg will be fine. Heck, add in some float shifting and you will never be bothered by stop-and-go traffic again.

I've driven automatics, both 2 and 3 pedal, and I can say for sure I would NEVER want to have one a) in the winter or b) on a truck I own. The fuel mileages were less (significantly so when I pulled containers out of Harrisburg and had a ton of stop/start or low side time and the #### trans wouldn't shift on the low side until the engine was wound out to about 2200 rpms) and the things just shift retarded for me no matter what. This was with an eaton auto, forget which model but it was in a 2007 KW T600 from some flatbed/side kit running company here in the NE with red trucks, based out of PA (the guy I worked for pulling containers bought all his trucks from them.) The #### thing also loved to lug 10th gear down to 800 RPMs on LONG hills, but would downshift to 9th at 1300 from 10th on short hills at the very top (I also noticed the Eaton Super 10 with auto shift 9th/10th doing this)?????

Maybe they'll get better in time, but I still don't think a computer can substitute for experience in some conditions. Maybe to help you get that experience they are ok, but if I'm going to be blamed for anything that goes wrong I #### well better have the control to make sure it doesn't is my feeling.

 

I think the guys who complain about automatics tried them 30 years ago when they sucked and never tried them again. My truck is an automatic and drives just like a 4 wheeler. Even with heavy loads up and down mountains, np. There is no clutch either, and I can back it up and stop on a dime.