Companies running automatic transmissions?

The fact you’re even saying this just shows how far truck drivers have fallen.

 

The company I'm with now has been all autoshift going back at least a decade now, and we're licensed up to 105,500.

As much as some drivers complain about the rise of autoshift trucks, the fact is that there's no turning back at this point, and I personally don't have a huge issue with it (although I still think it's a better idea for trainees to learn on manuals for practical/principal reasons). My guess is that ten years from now just about the only manual transmission trucks out there will be O/O trucks, and even then it will only be about 50% of O/Os that have them.

 

Halvor Lines is 100% auto.

 

While I agree that learning to shift is an important aspect to the job, if your not the driver driving the automatic, why the hell would you care. I have been driving for 20+ years, have drove manual and automatics, and can honestly tell you the newer auto's give you much more control in the mountains and inclement weather, IF you take the time to actually learn how to use the features the auto has available. It is a old school vs new school scenario. So maybe your just being left behind?? In 10 years or less 75% or more of trucks on the road will be auto. Maybe you should quit whining and start the learning process so you can continue to have a job!!!

 

Personally I will take a manual as long as I can get a manual. Truck 84 just turned 67k and she's got 3 pedals and a stick. There are situations almost everyday in crappy winter weather I'm greatful I have a manual. Getting a trailer moving that's on ice, rocking the truck can be quite useful. I don't see how you can do that with an auto. Backing into to oatka is not the easiest. Control a clutch offers is very usefull. Not to mention some of the hills I must travel. My job requires I operate some extreme conditions..... Conditions that will shut down otr trucks. I have observed that otr trucks passing through western ny during a snow storm don't have as much winter driving skills. I'm not very familiar with driving tractor trailer in major cities but I have other skills. Driving in snow has to be one of them. I don't think an auto is well suited for that type of work.

One of our long term drivers has a truck almost identical to what I drive except it's an auto. He doesn't care for it and says he operates in manual mode almost all of the time.

 

Time flies... most companies that I know now, big and small are running automatic transmissions.

 

It really depends what sector of trucking you're in.

OTR dry van and reefer? Yeah, you should have 0 problem with a restriction on your license and enough of the smaller mom and pop companies have autos too.

LTL? Saia is the ONLY LTL company that I know of that has 100% automatics in their fleets. And they're also the only LTL company that I know of that has cameras facing the drivers in 100% of all their trucks.

Estes. Old Dominion. Southeast. Ward. Pretty sure R&L as well - All of these have both automatics and manuals. At my Estes Terminal earlier this year it was about 50/50 in terms of manuals and automatics that Estes had on the yard.

 

R&L has both. I chatted one of their recruiters earlier this year.

 

I always drove 10 speed...
Found a company, almost 500 trucks... They said they have "a few" 10 speed... don't know how many though... but they have drivers on a waiting list for those trucks...