U.S. Xpress going to manual transmissions in all trucks?

Sounds good to me. Wish Prime would make the change. Being neutered and governed, it really sucks having to shift at every slight incline.

 

My about to be former co - Driver seems to think that a loud thunking sound, accompanied by the truck jumping and jerking, is the sign of an experienced driver demonstrating superior shifting skills. At least , I think that's what he's trying to say in his broken, heavily accented English As He Screams "I am Truck Driver, you don't teach me anything!"

 

Your talking insanity. The majority of trucks are manual, a "Truck Driver" should be competent in shifting. I like my Auto as I'm a city driver but I also have no issue driving a manual when I have to which is typically twice a week. I shift no different than somebody that does it every day. No sane company is going to spends hundred of thousands on almost duplicate fleet so they can let people choose what to drive. They also shouldn't have to take an "extensive" test to prove they can do what their license already says they can.

 

common sense aint too common

we all see idiots everyday,, sometimes from fellow truckers, sometimes from cops, sometimes from joe the plumber or his wife or daughter

 

Huh? You mean they cut your HP too? I thought they would just limit the max speed. What size engine in your truck....displacement?

 

Do you like I did, put in your time and move on to a better company. I hated all the extra crap they put on their trucks.

 

No, they (the companies) should pick whichever one they'd prefer to use and expect their drivers to be competent with whichever one.
This job isn't for everyone. Unfortunately, this notion is not sinking in. Which is why you have the ridiculous CSA scores, absurd driver turnover rates, etc. Then the ones who don't make it come on here whining about, "WAAAAH! My company was so horrible to me, and there's bad stuff on my DAC now, so nobody will hire me! (Nevermind the multiple traffic and CSA violations I accrued while driving for them). IT'S SO UNFAIR! I'M SUCH A GREAT DRIVER!"
You know what... #### these people, and #### those who coddle these people. And there's my trucking rant for the day.

 

They've done gone that direction already.
Autos aren't a result of carriers going in that direction... they're the result of improvements in technology. Granted, they might be at times (but I'm not saying always) used to further the stride in that direction, but the concept isn't new... I used to live next to a guy who was a tank driver in WWII... what a pain in the ### that must've been, having to shift one of those while you were under fire, and knowing that, if you missed your gear, that could cause you to get hit, and.. well, the Germans referred to the M4 Sherman as the "Tommy Cooker" for a reason.
I've talked to old hands in the 70s who ran trucks with an Allison five speed, so the concept isn't anything new, although the execution is much different. If that's the same transmission (or a close relative to) the five speed Allisons they used in the 923 series five tons and several other military vehicles, it had to suck, all the same.
It is what it is, and perhaps I'll again be serenaded by some [term for a male donkey] with a rant of, "well, that's what proponents of EOBRs say" without the first having read exactly what I had to say on the matter, but, in the end, getting into a pissing match over it is worthless... will it really be a shame when manual transmissions become an oddity? I really don't think so. The guy/gal behind the wheel... well, let's talk about what actually matters.
Can they back up without hitting something? Can they get down the road, stay in their own lane, and not sideswipe someone else? Do they have the good judgment to know when they should stop and take a break?
Those things matter - what system is in place for shifting their truck... so long as it's effective, not so much a priority, or at least it shouldn't be.
I don't let out a shorter string of expletives when a four wheeler with a manual cuts me off than I do when one with an automatic does, nor do I think proficiency with a manual... it makes you a more dynamic driver, but I don't necessarily believe it makes someone a better driver, the criteria of which includes a whole hell of a lot more than how well they shift. Remember, these megacarriers (Swift, England, et. al.) acquired the reputations they have, in spite of having manual trucks.
Just my $.02 worth.