Manual or automatics?

I have a 579 that is supposed to be built next week. I was going to get a 13spd, but the 18 was the same price. It’ll have a 500hp x15 efficiency running mainly around the Midwest hauling propane, hot oil, and herbicide. I’m not completely opposed to an auto, but I figured I’d get a standard on this truck at least. Another advantage to the auto is it is lighter than the standard.

 

Autos suck plain and simple.

 

+1 ^^^^^

 

We have 6 2018's vnl 630's. 5, 2019 vnl 740's and 15, 2020 vnl 740's. All are 6X2 lift axle configuration. I don't like this setup on ice and it eats drivers. Aa a matter of fact the boss mans next order is twin screws. Along with that turbo compounding D13. We have the hgh 425hp 1,750 torque in these.

 

It was for it's time. Just needed to shut the truck off for a hour or more each week. Thats all the bad thing about it.

IF I had any of the modern overbuilt BS autos today as a first auto, I would likely give serious consideration to getting out of the industry. It's just who I am and what I had become up until that time.

To wit, in the auction house as a crew boss I had to keep up on the current autos until 2010 to teach those in my CDL crew quickly how to get that rig moving to barn and back. Ive learned and stayed current on those for a while anyway. For them there were two buttons that mattered. D and P.

But the true joy of being alive in trucking is manual. Anything else is not the same.

 

Well I, at times pull two smooth bore tankers, grossing 151,000 and on some serious grades, and do not speed up when down shifting, there is no reason too at all.
Why would you even think about taking your foot off the brake when you down, or even upshift, shift on a down grade, that is what god gave you two feet for.

 

8:15

Auto 18 vs manual 18. Pretty much dead even.

 

A company here just sold 10 t680's w/ 13 speed autos. Ordered 10 new lol

 

It’s a matter of preference when gearing a tractor. Also the type of work your doing has a lot to do with it. Personally, I run all older equipment, nothing electronic at all. Manual fuel pumps, twin sticks, two transmissions, and lots of gauges. The trucks have been running this way for just over 35 yrs. Doesn’t get more reliable then that in my opinion. Maybe the new automatic transmissions will last more then 35 yrs. I don’t know, but I have my doubts. Running a main transmission with an auxiliary gives you plenty of options for pulling and creates good mpg. Plus they are super cool to drive. Downside is most of the general driving population doesn’t even know what they are let alone be able to operate them. The 13,15,18spd transmissions have been around for quiet sometime and are pretty rock solid in their design. The auto trans is still developing and has made positive strides in the last few years. But they have definitely created a major downward spiral in the industry as a whole. And they have set the stage to lay off a big percentage of drivers when companies go fully automated. Who knows when that will be. The less manually operated trucks become the more likely that fantasy becomes a reality.

 

I probably would get the rust off in a hour with your rig in some acreage before taking her out on a load. I would understand your truck more or less by the end of the day with it's gauge story etc. when I have it all organized and shes running well.

But I tell you, you cannot get a 21 year old into that truck today without maybe weeks of intensive retraining and teaching. They will learn well if they have a apitude to do so, but more than likely they would start complaining that they want a computer truck today. They are more than welcome to it.

I hope as we do in the sail and steam and other trades that future generations maintain the skills with the older trucks such as yours. I fear we will have a need of them some day into the future believe it or not.