Automatic Manual Transmissions vs Manual Transmissions

Why are you stopping to pee? I don't.

 

I've put 70k miles on this year for the first time in an auto. I do notice I become a little less attentive in an auto. Just to easy to be doing something else besides paying attention. I pull a spread and when loaded in a slow turn it will stop the truck because it decides to shift half way through the light. Backing sucks! If I had the chance to buy a brand new truck of my own I may look at a different brand of auto but not my choice today.

 

Actually the next generation of AMT's will integrate with a GPS to provide predictive information so they know in advance when approaching a grade and will select an appropriate gear just like you do now.

Technology changes are here to stat, get used to it. The first truck I drove had manual steering, a mechanical engine that produced a whole 290 hp with no AC or any real creature comforts. I like my new truck much better, I also prefer a manual but the AMT is going to take over the fleet market and eventually the O/O market as well due to increased fuel economy and reduced maintenance costs.

 

I like your Heinlein quote, Jac. I respectfully disagree about the inevitability of auto trannys in big rigs. I have heard that some fleets have run them and went back. I have heard some fleets have tried tag axle trucks, and went back. I know some fleets have tried super singles and went back to duals. Just because something seems like a good idea now doesn't mean it will stand the test of time.

I completely agree that technology is here to stay, and I'm convinced that's a good thing. Which is a good thing for me, because technology never goes backward, it only knows how to move into the future. That's what engineers do. But the automatic transmission in big rigs, I believe, will surely happen, just about when driverless trucks happen. My $.02.

 

Uh huh, go tell that to the ladies the Sheridan scale in Wyo., not flagging a 2 minute pee stop cost me $150 for a falsified log book.

exactly

 

WOW, after reading all these comments, I'm completely shocked that I managed to log 570,000 miles in my last AMT equipped truck (actually between two AMT equipped trucks I logged 1.4 million miles) without a single instance of whiplash (from backing), smoked brakes (from running those pesky mountains Colorado is covered in), or rolling the truck on a turn from going to fast or not being able to shift................In conclusion, I guess that me a better driver than 75% of the people in this discussion.

I'm now 80,000 miles into my Mack M-drive (push button automatic) truck, I've run all but two of Colorado's paved (and two unpaved) mountain passes with it, have yet to smoke the brakes (If I'm in the mountains, I'm typically grossing 70,000 lbs +), have yet to get whiplash, have yet to spinout, have yet to get stuck..........again, I guess that makes me a better driver than 75% of the people commenting in this discussion.

Now, I will agree that at times, the transmission does make my brain wander off and get lost, which isn't always a bad thing.

I've driven manuals, autoshifts and now a push button auto, personally, whatever the company gives me, I'm going to drive. I'm here to make a living, not worry about whether or not I'm a real trucker because I can shift gears manually or a computer does it, BTW, all those situations above, I generally tell the computer what to do, either by putting the truck in manual or hold mode, oh and with my hill descent control, I'll set my truck at 37 mph and never once touch the brakes between Eisenhower and Silverthorne, or I'll set it at 45 mph and never touch the brakes between the top of Vail and the town of Vail, if anything I'm having to give it throttle to keep the computer from brining it to a stop.....without touching the brakes.

 

I can only drive amt. They taught us manual in school but the company put us in autos for training so when they turned around and put me in a manual right out of training...well...that didn't last. There's a huge difference between being able to drive around the block with an instructor in the passenger seat and actually taking one down the road.

I don't like how it jerks like crazy when I'm trying to go slow; they have "creep modes" but in my 14 it's not effective. I'm shortly over 10k miles from where they normally trade them in so maybe my next one will be a 16 and will have improved since then.

I also had to go down a 9% grade with sharp turns where the truck speed limit was 20mph or so. I was 79k lbs and the #### thing kept tossing me out of manual mode so in that case a manual would've been much preferred.

And since this seems to be attracting the old manual vs automatic debate of the "I'm better than you" variety here's my weigh in: as long as a driver takes pride in their work and can do it safely it doesn't make a lick of difference which their preferred transmission style is. Everything has its ups, downs, and ticks that have to be worked around. It is up to us to figure out what meshes best with our way of doing things and roll on, safely.

 

26 years driving a manual shift and they're retiring my '06 t600 with 1,700,000 on it in 2 weeks.

My new truck is a Freightliner Columbia w a 12spd autoshift. .. I'm not happy.

I want the control. I drive in winter weather a lot. Had to climb Snoqualmie just the other morn and I like to be able to choose my gear ratio and pedal pressure relevant to the situation.

I have driven a rental truck recently with autoshift in it and wasn't thrilled about it, but it's probably got a lot to do with having done it MY WAY for so long. I'm sure pride has something to do with it too.

I won't get into the fact that I absolutely hate Freightliners. Cheapest crap on the road. That's just my opinion , too.

I don't like change. I am a Dinosaur. But I am an efficient Dinosaur that is very good at his craft. They are making me change.

 

You've given me hope. I'm gonna try... I have not much choice , except to buy my own.

 

Only if he was timing you on a certified stopwatch and you stopped for more than 7 minutes.