Cameras and E-logs and Automatics oh my!

Your fears, at least concerning an automatic are unfounded, with the new autos you have just as much control as with a stick, you CAN, upshift manually, you CAN downshift manually, you CAN hold a gear manually.

You have been listing to too many people that have never driven a auto. JMHO

 

Some companies that went to automatics are now going back to manuals. No fear of companies turning to automatics for the most part, at least for the next foreseeable x amount of years.

The cameras are a different story. Some companies are experimenting with them now. They don't record 24-7 but only when an event, such a hard-braking maneuver or erratic steer, etc., triggers them.

 

I still have manual transmission but want an automatic. I think. The brakes keep you from going down hill to fast not the transmission. If you are relying on the Jake brake and transmission to get you down hill you might be in trouble if the Jake brake stops working and in the winter on snowy or ice hills you don't want to use the Jake brake. So automatic transmission has no affect going down hill that i can think of

 

I see your community college did not educate you very well on automatics and automated transmissions.

The company I drive for has three Volvos with the I-shift transmission. That is an 12 speed automated transmission. It is a manual where the truck does the clutching for you. It does have only two pedals, but does not have a torque converter. I have the option to shift every gear manually or let the truck do all the work. Also it has settings for power or economy.

We have trucks with 9, 13 and 15 speed transmissions as well. I love my automated transmission and cringe every time I have to drive a manual and get stuck in stop and go traffic. If I do our California runs I see downtown L.A., Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and lots of other places that are not the most driver friendly.

If you have one and understand the benefit you wont want to go back.

 

I don't see automatics ever gaining much more market share than they have now. They don't save fuel, they cost a lot, they're expensive to repair, and they have real-world operational issues. If they are going to heavily convert to autos to attract more newbies with no clutch experience or to appease a handful who think they're too good to have to deal with stick transmissions, we have bigger problems than that to worry about.

e-logs is a done deal for the most part at least insofar as any major carrier with more than 50 trucks. cameras? maybe coming to one degree or another but will primarily be positioned forward and perhaps behind or underneath mirrors looking back/down for accident investigation purposes and perhaps to conduct random driver "professionalism" monitoring but if that's a problem for a driver, perhaps he shouldn't be driving.

 

You make some good points, let me give you my perspective. I have just shy of 1.5 million safe miles with no chargeable accidents or moving violations. I always swore I would never drive an automatic, run e logs, and god forbid have a camera in the cab of my truck. Well I now drive an automatic...... I wouldn't give it up without a fight. As far as the argument of more co trol going down a grade, just switch the transmission to manual and shift how you want. I used to run paper logs and could teack
h a class on "creative" logging. I'm on e logs and again I would hate going back to paper. I run 3200+ miles a week on e logs. On a good day I can Ron 700 miles a day on e logs. My carrier doesn't pull for customers that sit us for hours waiting to get loaded or unloaded. The company I drive for has cameras installed in all there trucks. At first I didn't like the idea, but the more I
thought about it I'm not doing anything wrong. I have nothing to hide and it actually makes me a safer driver.
The industry is evolving, technology is available and companies are embracing it. Either be willing to adapt or get out of the industry. E logs are here to stay, the Feds will force those down our throats. Cameras are going to be the norm.....insurance companies are pushing those. Over in Europe most trucks have cameras in there trucks.

 

Lol you have no experience at all dealing with company's but yet ur saying this is how its gonna be. Lol

 

As far as the "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" propaganda, this is the exact thing (word for word) the Nazis said to the Jews, Poles, Gypsies and Christians. We deserve the government we elect.

 

I was told how to go downhill without Jake brake and snow covered roads without overheating the brakes. Because Jake brake could go out and you still need to be able to drive the truck. A jake brake is not a DOT requirement