Cdl training on a Automatic transmission

I think thats what my Dad always talked about having to do. Hydromax (?) or Hydrostatic Transmissions? Said he used to have to shift with both hands when he wanted to change gears. I just looked at him like he had a horn growing on his forehead.

 

Learning a Manual is the best thing you can do for yourself. If you stick yourself into a plush automatic half the things you need to think about as a driver will literally atrophy and die on the head inside you unused skills because you are push a button marked D and lower your foot until speed is reached. Brainless. No thinking required.

That is why many states STAMP a restriction against YOU for failing to test successfully in a Manual Transmission tractor trailer. Those things are viewed as a liability to many trucking companies.

I don't know why don't like the 13 speeds. If its a double over or under set up you should be enjoying not having to shift at least twice around at every light. 10's are pretty crappy sometimes depending on how far you have to cross the box from 5th to 6th high or 6th high down to 5th low. It's a long way plus a spring to deal with as well.

Autos are nice to have. But get your CDL in a manual truck FIRST, then you will have absolute freedom to enjoy your precious automatic. We enjoyed ours when they first started putting them on big trucks as a experiement in FFE back in 2000's and finally we understood that the transmission was carefully tuned to the detroit and kept there constantly by computer laptop so that every time she starts to lug down< I reach down to shift and she's goes ahead and shifts right then. That gives me a joy.

There was also one time she got away from us on ice in winter west of Knoxville.

All of the potential can of worms.. no. Make that a exploded barrel of angry silverbacks climbing out through everything looking to beat us black and silver. With stacks of technical problems during the middle of a proper jackknife experience. If she had been a manual, we would have gone into the canyon with the rest of the convoy. But because she was a auto and my spouse froze at the wheel with the power just so on her foot that truck went ahead and calculated especially quickly and with awesome precision what it has to do to keep moving at that speed. And tires came back into line from a properly vicious tractor jack knife. Again if it was a manual, my spouse would have had it dumped into the canyon in the middle.

As far as the flaws? There is only one. True Reefer teams of the husband wife kind do not stop for nothing. Two trips back and forth across the USA in 6 days? 7400 to 8500 miles depending on which sets of destination cities on both coasts. Do it again next week. and the week after. Add up 30,000 miles, two oil changes per month (Rotella T 15K miles without fail) and toss down 320 gallons every 30 hours or less without fail. glug glug glug. Also known as kachking ....

63 is still not fast enough. If we were properly governed at 75 like all the other Elite FFE teams we would have done better being on time with certain loads that cannot be late. Even today since 2001, we are somewhat angry with FFE for giving us such a Crappy slow governed truck for such important loads in which FFE's ability to get any more loads or do business with a customer threatening to quit the contract is in doubt. With that kind of work saving eveyrone involved, we needed a truck from hell capable of 120 plus and the laws be ######. But nooo 63 is all we got.

We were so stupid. What about the flaw? There are two.

First is FFE Dispatch. You there yet? You gonna make it there ont ime? What about that 9 minutes late? You can make that up right? (Sure, how bout issuing us a dollar truck for the night so we can make that 90 minutes to go the good instead of 9 measly minutes late for which you will lose your account...)

The other flaw is in the automatic. If you do NOT shut it off every few days each week for at least 30 minutes. She bricks on you. Requiring nothing less than a proper tow however far with a 3 axle heavy wrecker rotator to get you to where you need to go. It's liek 3000 dollars to call one out and then 1500 an hour I think it is.

I sure hope that nice load paid a profit. Because this is one Shiva that will get hers and you get zip.

 

I think to go along with Asia35 and Philkenssebben on that idea.

Someone says that to a dispatcher pretty much assured his or her replacement by someone who will take that manual tractor out right away for a few weeks run without whine, complaining or excuses.

 

@asia35, I need some clarification here: are you in a driving school, or are you going through company training right now?

 

Who was teaching you, then?

 

You don't want to get a CDL and be restricted to automatic only. My little 5"2 wife had no problem learning on a 10 speed. We actually both love the 13 speed the best. You will grind a few gears at first thats to expected.