Manual vs Automatic Transmissions

Alright, so I've driven both...

Manuals:
-You can 'shift' the truck which means you can take off faster AND you can always generate the power you need to get out of a "sticky" situation like being trapped on ice by pushing into a higher gear.
-You can control your speed much easier since the manual trans will hold you in the specified range.
-You have to anticipate what gear you need well in advance of a turn or city traffic.
-You can get caught "out of gear" meaning that the weight and relative speed of the truck will determine your gains and losses when this happens.
--Manuals can pull heavier loads easier than an automatic can because there is no calibration.
-Manuals have a learning curve.

Automatics:
-The truck decides when it wants to shift and the computer needs time to calibrate the weight meaning you are going to start off SLOW- You may need to hold the fuel pedal down for ten seconds just to take off.
-You can get stuck since the truck won't shift any higher than its range and speed allows (good luck going any higher than 2nd if your stuck on ice and you may end up rolling backward). Getting stuck on ice or mud can make for a bad day.
-Due to calibration, heavier loads wil result in slower take off and make it much harder to gain speed, I wouldn't try to pull anything that requires a size/weight permit in an auto if I had the choice.
-Automatics make for a SMOOTHER ride and generally give better fuel mileage- autos handle shifting on the road a bit better than human beings do (example I went from 6.7 mpg in an manual to 8.5 mpg in an auto, same truck)
-Since the truck does the thinking for you there is no need to select gears in advance, just hit the brakes AND you'll never be out of gear. If someone cuts you off, no more frantic gear jamming.
-No learning curve that's noticeable, just put it in drive and off you go.
-Computer issues are a real pain in the ###... right now I'm dealing with some bs with the ABS where the brakes partially apply destroying my fuel mileage (and possibly my braking system in the process)... looking at some other threads this seems like just another day at the office.

My big problem with autos is the lack of power but given how much safer and easier they are to drive I prefer them hands down especially in places like New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. The notable exceptions to this would be stuff like crossing the badlands west in winter or in Canada where you just never know. I'm a fairly new driver but I go and have been places that scare most super truckers... some quite regularly. So that's it... when it comes to handling rough terrain, dirt roads, and some shippers/receivers/truck stops who have yet to discover the snow plow I'd prefer a stick but when it comes to cornering, maneuverability, and dealing with traffic, the auto wins. So for super-trucking across harsh terrain the manual is probably better but when it comes to normal everyday driving I like the auto a lot more... but then again I don't pay the wrecker for a tow as a company driver.

 

But with auto's, you can place them in manual mode and select the shift when you want. You can hold them in a particular gear also. That is true for automated manuals, allison automatics, and even the 6 speed auto in my pickup truck.

 

There is no comparison: disk brakes >>> drums

 

Well Jr., I can hop from my auto truck to a manual any day of the week, and be banging gears alongside you within 20 minutes, in fact I've spent the last two weeks driving an 18 spd Pete manual, that thankfully we gave back to Pete today, biggest POS going. The only time I wear gloves is cranking landing gear or putting on chains.....oh wait, I'll bet your one of those sunshine truckers aren't you?

 

Anyone have any feedback on the DT12 they are putting in new Cascadias?

 

They seem to doing well. Have 5 in service now 125 coming . Still be only 10% of the fleet thou.

 

I just think it's funny how some truckers think that jiggling a stick on the floor makes them more "manly" or some how "tougher" than anyone else. Guys like that must have identity issues.

 

You can select a gear with a manual. There's nothing a manual can do that a auto can't do. They are designed like that. I can shift my auto the same way I would a manual including skip shifting.
I think it's more that truckers resist change of any kind. Rules, regs, truck designs, transmissions, emissions etc.