Stay Away!

i cant see why they would switch to an automatic trans unless they wanted only untalented apes

 

The reality is that with continued rising fuel costs many companies may begin to move to autos since they are reportedly better on fuel. Having driven school bus with autos and trucks with standards, I think it is a toss up. There are things I like about both. Biggest problem I see with autos is we would no longer be called gear jammers. LOL

 

i doubt an automatic trans will do any good on the down side when it decides it wants to be in high gear and you cant hold it back youll be in the excape ramp getting fired by your company for having an accident that wasnt your fault i still say drivers need better training not gagets todo the job if you cant drive do us all a favor get off the road before sombody gets killed

 

Now that's just down right silly. Automatic Transmissions have a Manual Mode that allows you to choose what gear you want to be in and it will hold it in that gear until you choose a higher or lower gear. They also have what is called a "Low" Feature. Which allows the transmission to force itself in to lower gears at high RPMs incase you need emergency extra engine braking power goin down a hill.

While now I do agree that everyone should be trained on a stick and get to know one, I will add that automatics are wonderful for my poor ole knee that has just worn itself away in rush hour traffic in NYC and Chicago over the years. I love my automatic, but I can jump in to any ole stick anyday and grab em up n down. When I aint in rush hour in NYC and Chicago, If i have a stick, I prefer to float em myself.

 

how wrong you are lapurr 3 years with an auto trans at speed motor in buff ny and it was constant valve problems and fluid leaks when fully loaded and it cost thousands to fix would you trust your life to a machine that may fail at any time i know i wouldent

 

Welcome to NAFTA. I've driven manual TT and see a safety flaw in decelerating while shifting without the brake because you have to be using the clutch to down shift. I too have been driving an automatic school bus and am impressed at it's ability to down shift and decelerate while I'm applying brakes. Granted I'm a third of the weight of a truck, but the more automatic equipment is, the more able humans are to adapt to emergencies. by the way, auto trans have three other settings below "D". Put me in an airplane in IFR flight, and I'd gladly accept auto pilot. Oh yea, I'm an instrument rated pilot too.

 

yes the auto trans has its place but when your at full gross(80,000lbs) i cant see it holding up to that for very long

 

Well, obviously transmission manufacturers are smart enough to build and test a transmissions under full operational conditions and put thousands of miles of testing in before they were released to the market. And, autos have been used for many years and are continually being approved. Are you still popping popcorn by shaking a pan with oil and kernels in it over the burner on the stove? It is called progress.