Autos vs Manual transmissions

The new truck the computers can also take care idling also. So it idles only when needed for heat or a/c or battery voltage or engine oil temperature. That not really new, they had it on my 2000 truck and it was out before even o believe in the 90s

 

No, we don't drive the same truck, although I have driven the Freightliner automatic and I-Shift. Your comment is an attack on a proven technology, that you say doesn't work, yet has been in use in Europe, successfully for more than a decade, including heavy haul. If you can't master it, then you have a problem. If you don't like being attacked for your comments, by those with more, different or better exp. or an opinion different from yours, than maybe the internet isn't for you. I drove Eaton Fuller autoshifts from 2000 to 2015, with more than 1.2 million miles exp. (I'd venture that gives me a good opinion and understanding of them) I've driven my current M-Drive 270,000 miles running the Rockies and doing local work, in addition to demo'ing one of the first M-drive trucks released in my area, I've driven other automatics as a test/demo truck. Instead of closing my mind to this technology, I've sought to learn it and learn how to work with it. I'm lucky enough to work for a Mom and Pop where my opinion counts, if a truck salesman or service manager is there to talk to the bosses, I'm been known to frequently chime in and give my feedback/opinion (as long as I don't step on toes, my bosses don't mind, after 20 yrs with the company and being the senior driver whose encountered the most #### they give me some leeway), and at the same time learned from these people about the trucks. The broken air line situation I heard about long before I started driving an automatic, actually from a Volvo I-Shift driver who was able to jerry rig it enough to limp into town and get it fixed the next day at Volvo, yeah, it sucks. I carry an air line splice kit for my tractor/trailer airlines, and I carry a smaller one for those small air lines routed within the frame and going to the trans. NAPA carries them, cheap insurance. Ask your company for some extra air line to carry in the event you need it.

 

@striker

What I didn’t like was the condescending tone of your reply since I didn’t address you or the m-drive personally. I have driven two pedal and three pedal automatics, Ishift and Eaton. I am currently in a 10 speed because these auto transmissions respond much too slowly to some of the situations I get in backing across city streets making multi stops.

You assume I don’t know basic repairs, but if you search my posts you would find differently. I am a third generation trucker, having grown up working on them with my father and various companies I worked for. I carry a tool box with me, a sledge hammer, multimeter, fittings etc.

If you like the auto and it works for you, more power to you. I will personally never own one, the only auto I will own is my built 4L80 and triple disk behind my turbo 402 LS. The autos we have would probably work better if they were programmed differently, but I chose to avoid them until they shift like I want, no higher than 1400 rpms, starting off in 4th if lightly loaded and 6th if empty, and downshifting accordingly on a two lane passing situation. None I have driven ever did that.

 

You may not like my tone, but after 17 yrs of listening to this BS, it gets old, when 90% of the complaints are either from people who heard it sitting around the diner counter, or exp. it in a first gen. truck (you know, I know an old timer who drove for 10 yrs on a spring ride seat because he didn't trust an airride seat after hearing about the bag blowing out). I've driven the 1st gen autoshifts, I drove a 10 th gen autoshift, big difference. The 1st gen M-drive I drove, is different from the 4th gen M-drive I currently drive. Programming, changes in software, changes in parameters. Are there still changes that need to be made, yep.

None of the autos are designed, for the protection of the system, to start off in those high of gears, there is no reason for it to. I had an autoshift that would start off in 4th, in fact a couple of our trucks did, and brain dead coworkers burned out clutches doing it, and you could tell the idiots that did it because at the end of the day you could smell the clutches.

Most of your complaints sound like programming issues, maybe the company has it set that way for a purpose, that's something you should take up with them. I've driven a fleet spec'd M-drive, it's night/day different from mine. As is often discussed elsewhere in here, fleets will spec trucks a certain way, toss the driver to the wolves with zero training, and often the desk jockey that spec's these trucks hasn't driven one. We have a new hire that drove an M-drive fleet spec for his previous company, it's night/day different from the current one, because as I said before, my boss doesn't nanny us and lock out everything but the basics. I've never had a backing issue with my M-drive, anytime I even remotely think the computer will engage the hill hold, I tap the button, I too do a ton of mutli stop and city deliveries, as do all of my coworkers.

Someday, when I have the notion, I'm going to make a video to counter some of the common complaints I read on here about backing an auto, will it solve anything, Nope, complainers will still complain. It's like the guys who complain about auto's in the mountains and on snow/ice, yet, I run those conditions constantly and never have a problem.

 

I am sure things improved since 2009 when I was getting 5mpg with automatic transmission while blocking traffic almost every week somewhere because darn thing would not shift without a reset. But truck mpg did not improve that much over the past decades no matter what they do. I was pushing 7 mpg with my new Volvo hauling mostly medium to light loads, and now I am pushing 6 mpg with my 1997 international hauling 80,000 +/- loads.

 

Our company keeps track of our fuel mileage and gives us a performance based fuel bonus each month. I wore those auto trucks out with my ten speed because I shift low rpms, start out in higher gears when light, and keep my idle time as low as possible. I usually was .8 to 1 mile per gallon better than the average even though I run multi stops compared to most of our fleet being all interstate drop and hook where they have the advantage. Fuel mileage is all in the right foot along with the right drivetrain specs.

I will always start out in higher gears when light or empty as it doesn’t lug the motor, my clutch lasts a lot longer than other company drivers manual trans and my fuel mileage is higher consistently.

 

Even if you get slightly better fuel economy it really depends on the driver. If you like to shift then stick with a manual, if you don’t want the hassle of constantly shifting in traffic or going up and down hills, get an automatic. I started with an automatic and it was easy and way better in the cities. I now drive a 10 speed and I like shifting but I wouldn’t care either way.

 

WTF

 

Yep. Drove both. The manual tranny doesn't have the good compression braking the auto does. And more than once I went to get out of the drivers seat and into the sleeper area and tripped over the stick boot.

Funny I never had that issue during training in the auto.

 

The transmission has nothing to do with the jake brake.