Maunal or Automatic Transmission??

Can you imagine the fuel mileage? 120 mph turning 500 rpms.

 

Sounds hard on stuff to me better drop a gear there.

 

lmao ####ing idiots lol

 

I love my automatic, yes it has "Manuel" and just push up or down. Or it'll hold the gear on snow & ice..it skips gears, gets good fuel mileage. Theoretically I'll never have to change the clutch..Volvo D11 with 12 speed I shift. Shifts smoothly. Ok I used to float the gears and could do it smooth too, but not with a cup of coffee in hand

 

A good driver can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while driving a manual OR automatic......

 

After getting into high gear and cruising, yes I could make PB&J while driving..but leaving the bumpy parking lot with a cup of coffee in one hand so it don't bounce out of the "cup holder" I like the automatic...I'll admit to missing a super 10 speed..till I get in heavy stop & go traffic.. my left knee no longer burns. The technology has vastly improved since the first auto shifts. To the OP.test drive each with the wife..see which she prefers.

 

Go with the manual. Yes your wife would love and probably prefer the auto. But if she learns on a 13. Then she will be able to drive anything. What happens if you get an auto but it breaks down. You go to Ryder or penske but they don't have any autos?
Sure some will disagree with me. But if I was buying a truck and was gonna train then team with my wife. Id buy a 5 or 6 year old freightliner. Run the dookie out of it for 2 years. If we were still married getting along and teaming after that. Id spec out a brand spanking new big bunk.

 

I have been driving auto's for over two years now and I feel both have their pluses and minuses. I have driven the Volvo I shift (best imo), peteterbilt auto (worst imo), freightliner auto (second best imo).

The good; easier to drive, enables you to pay more attention to your surroundings, easier on you body over time, one less thing to have to worry about.

The bad; your limited to what "settings" the manufacturer has available, some don't have a "manual" mode, even manual mode is regulated by the settings of the transmission, gearshift location in some models is not ideal (Volvo I shift is the worst imo), if you test for your cdl in an auto your license will be limited to auto's only.

I honestly feel the industry is heading toward autos as the main bulk of truck transmissions so we will see what happens with that. I know that Peterbilt switched over to an Allison fully automatic transmission in the new trucks for 2018 (at least the 579's). We have some in our fleet and the guys like them much better then the old Eaton automated manual transmission but I haven't been in one yet so I can't speak from personal experience. Here is my honest opinion. When it comes to auto transmissions they are nice for the long term, but when deciding what truck to go for you need to weigh out the reliability of the truck vs the type of auto transmission that comes with them. If I were looking to buy I would go for a freightliner. I have had good luck with the reliability of the truck and they can be worked on by someone other then the dealer mechanic. Their auto transmission is decent and the operating controls are in a good location with easy access (their on the steering colum),

 

hard enuff to finish my own homework