Any companies still run manual transmissions?

I'd love for you to try the one I drive. Light on the pedal does nothing, with or without Hill Assist.

You continue to slowly push further down on the pedal as it does not move, and then BAM it jerks back and bounces on the driveline

It doesn't really do this when truck and trailer are straight, but if you stop while jacking into a spot for any reason with a heavy load, you're ####ed.

 

Call me crazy, but...........if you have your truck all jacked and you stop, it ain't gonna be pretty getting it going again with a manual either!
As I see it, the big problem here is too many get into a truck with an automated manual trans and have already decided it's going to suck! Because of their preconceived notion of AMT's sucking, they have no interest, or talent, to learn and master the truck. What a true driver does is master his equipment and operates it to the best of his abilities!
If you don't want to drive,or can't master, an AMT equipped truck...........go buy your own!

JD

 

Pride Transport gives drivers a choice of automatic or stick shift.
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Pride Transport runs the finest equipment on the road, running both automatic and manual transmission trucks. Our fleet average age is 23 months and all trucks come equipped with refrigerator, satellite radio, optimized idle, available 2000 watt inverter and fully installed DirecTV.
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www.pridetransport.com

 

I drove one auto, a VNL with an I-shift on a road test for a job I applied for. It took a few miles to get used to it, but it wasn't all that bad. Of course I was empty. I'm just young and want to shift honestly. I drive a Mack with a 10 spd manual now and I pass those autos on hills like it's nothing. It's extremely rare that I'm grossing under 79,300 too. I'm probably just a typical stubborn guy, but I still believe the manual is superior to the auto.

Can't blame companies for switching though, with the drivers that are out there now I'm sure they're saving thousands in drive line repairs.

 

As a company driver now, after many years as an O/O, the reason I prefer AMT's is as follows........
Driving a company truck that is speed limited, castrated at 1600 rpm's, with a POS 10 speed is a friggin' drag!
Why should I shift my keister off for no real benefit? Let the AMT do all the work with the cruise engaged.
Give me a truck with a "big hammer" under the hood, mated to a 13/18 speed and I can make a difference!
I have also passed many a large car with all kinds of bling and, probably, a bigger motor and trans than my company truck on hills because they don't know how to shift a 13/18 speed. We are always up around 80K when loaded. It all comes down to learning how to use the tools they give you!
BTW.......a couple of years ago, after driving a Volvo I-shift for about a year, I had to hop into this snaggle toothed day cab we had for a couple of days. 10 year old Volvo day cab with a D-12 and a 13 speed. Hadn't touched a 13 in over 10 years. Never missed a beat and had fun for about the first half day. Then reality crept back in regarding what a POS this truck was!

JD

 

Driving an automatic, governed at 81 mph, the only time something passes me on a hill, is if it's lighter than me, or faster than me. 2021 KW T680, MX13, PACCAR Auto. Colorado, Wyo., etc., if I'm loaded, I'm either very light, or 78K+, you have to be smarter than the truck. I have two gripes about my truck, my boss has suddenly decided he cares about the environment, and won't let us idle between 45 and 70 deg, and he geared this wrong. Otherwise, as others have pointed out, the OP has issues with the company.

I started driving autos, I'm now 2.2 million miles on autos, my coworkers gripe about these KW autos all the time as compared to the M-Drive Mack autos, the Mack's had their good points, the biggest plus I'll give the KW auto, it's easier to manually up/down shift with the paddle shifter.

 

Manual mode is disabled in my Cascadia. The Detroit transmission absolutely loses its #### on short rolling hills

 

It's part of the job, right.

 

I don't know what to tell you. It was never a problem in manual or automatic transmissions for me. I-Shift, Eaton, Allison automatics, all different and all with their own strengths and weaknesses, but I made them all work. I learned how to work the equipment and make it do what I wanted it to do.

But this is the first Detroit autotrans I've used, and there's nothing else I know to try differently. Push the go pedal down in reverse slowly or quickly or in between, to different amounts, and it just doesn't matter. Hill Start Assist on or off. It jerks back violently. I have watched videos on how to use creep mode. This seems like a known issue with the equipment.

It had a clutch replaced before I even really backed it anywhere, at 700 miles on the odometer, because the secondary air tank was losing air very fast when cruising in high gear.

 

When we first got our new Cascadias manual and performance mode were disabled. Yep, they would fall flat on their face on a hill! Our drivers figured out a little workaround regarding that. Push the stalk forward to downshift and hold it. Should keep it in the gear you have selected.
As far as creep mode.....yes it does disengage if you stop. If you have to stop while maneuvering try putting it in neutral and back into drive. Otherwise there might be issues with your particular truck.

JD