Afraid to drive again.

That's harsh... Not the 2 stick, the 35. I was broke in on a 42 stop meat TT route as a young man.
Still shows on me .

 

Always have been "drivers" and "skilled drivers". Everyone is able to choose which they wanna be.

 

Pretty much the only thing that has kept me out of a big sleeper truck is the fact that 90% of the older ones are automatic. OP is looking for a job that does half the work for them, I'm looking for a transmission with more gears.....
With my manual transmission I can creep just as slow or as fast as I want to in reverse. Try creeping in an auto, I've seen many try.

 

A old cabover FL with no p/s was a full body workout. Getting in, getting out, and standing up to turn the wheel. Great full body motion and no a/c. Oh and climbing in and out of the bunk over dog house and putting your pants on laying down. They really were doing you a favor.

 

*Bangs head./ Right forgot that non power steering.

I was a wimp when I was in school. Those old wheels got the best of me for a little while.

I wonder how many of our fine esteemed CDLA trainees would enjoy cranking on a non power steering wheel while preparing to move a pig that does not want to move against it's dry 5th wheel.

 

Not true. Alot of megas are getting away from them, just like super singles. The cost, weight and maintenance does not offset fuel savings. Besides what most Co. Drivers are paid, your much cheaper than a transmission. At this time no one makes a automatic that is more efficent than a manual trans. They make autos that are more efficent than a improperly shifted manual trans. Just remember as a Co. driver your the cheapest part of the equation. They don't buy or spec trucks for your comfort. It's for there operation in mind to afford the cheapest driver they can make due with.

 

Now you're full of it . Knight/swift doesn't have a single Manual they claimed to get away from stick because of the cost, maintenance, fuel etc. Cr England and places like that won't even train you in a manual . All companies are phasing out manual trucks even flatbed companies. Places that run rgn, lowboys etc still use 18 speeds and may never change but to say megas are going back to manual transmissions is pure hogwash.
And yes the Volvo I shift is more efficient than any human.

 

There are more fleets than Swift. A Volvo I shift last I knew cost 20k for a reman. Add that to original cost. Now factor in that no one has shown more than 4% increase over a poorly shifted eaton manual that cost 3500 bucks reman plus original cost. If it was me with a simple high school math education I would say stupid drivers are more expensive than a manual transmission. What do I know.

 

H63 Macks had a lot of those features. Helped make me what I am today.