A note to the anti-auto crowd

"and you'll be a real truck driver"

This is such a funny comment. But I suppose we should take this drivers comments to heart.

I suppose to be a real truck driver, you must drive a 5 - 4 twin stick, with a spring ride suspension, solid mount drivers seat, no A/C, marginal heating, a coffin sleeper with no vents, no engine brakes and it must be a cabover.

Now, which one of the anti-automatic/autoshift crowd want to drive one of those truck every day for their entire career? I'll guarentee we can find one, then you'll be a real truck driver.

I'm on my second auto-shift truck, the first one had 978K on it when we traded it in. It currently has 1.3 million. The clutch was replaced at 690K and it still had at least 100K on it, but the clutch brake was shot so they decided to do it all at once. My current truck has 329K, other than a clutch brake that seperated, no problems with the trans itself. I run the Rockies, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, rain, snow, ice, hail, wind, probably a few pestilance. Since Feb. '00, I've sat a total of 11 days due to transmission related issues, and 5 of those were because of the clutch being replaced. Every other time, it's been parked a matter of a few hours which has added upto about 6 days. We have two '04 Freightshaker Columbia's with 9 spd manuals. Both have been rebuilt twice, both are on their second clutch, and neither one has a million miles. Now, which is more reliable?

Pay attention to the opinions of those who hate autoshifts or automatics. Not a single one of them has more than 6 mos. exp. the truck, I've watched and read the comments over the last few years on here.

It's a common theme "I drove an autoshift for 2 months (hours, days, weeks), I hated the #### thing, it wouldn't let me do anything" really driver what wouldn't it let you do? Upshift early? downshift early? maybe the computer is as smart or smarter than you an it doesn't want you to break or screw something up. I've hualed 80,000 lbs over Vail, Eisenhower, Rabbit Ears, Berthoud, Loveland, Genesse and Floyd Hill in an autoshift and never had a problem. Never once hit the runaway ramp, never once had a ticket for speeding, never over-revved, hell my first autoshift had worthless engine brakes and I can count on one hand the number of times I smoked the brakes.

"If my boss makes me drive one of those #### auto trucks, I'll quit" and when they did away with cabovers some old fart said this, when they did away with twin sticks they said it, when they did away with spring ride suspensions, etc. If it was my company, when you said that, I'd hold out two hands, one would have the keys to that shiny new truck the other would have your final paycheck and the address for unemployment, let's see how many take the keys vs. unemployment.

I'm really surprised these anti-autoshift/automatic drivers are able to function on the internet. I mean it's basically the samething, you have to use your brain to get online, you have to use your brain to drive an automatic/autoshift. My company is in the process of buying 4 new trucks, all 4 are two peddle automatics with Mack M-drive. I drove one for a week back in Oct. (did a lovely write up on it), if your able to dial and use a smart phone you can drive an automatic. Our oldest (by age) driver is refusing to drive one, the boss has given him this choice, drive it or find a new job. He wants to keep his beat up Freightshaker, the company has told him then he needs to become an O/O and be responsible for the truck himself, as they are tired of fixing it.

Now do we have this solved? Nope, I guarentee you someone will try and debate me on this, good, go for it, I'll be more than happy.