Any companies still run manual transmissions?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by I like manuals, Jun 21, 2021.

  1. JustCallMeDriver

    JustCallMeDriver Light Load Member

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    I was just trying to help out anyone who forgot to set their wakeup alarm
     
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  3. Rontonio

    Rontonio Road Train Member

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    i run an Allison - that I spec’d specifically when I ordered my latest truck.
    I am over 60k empty right now and regularly grossing 130-140k ( should be 210 but that is another story) and I climb every hill everytime. Yes, it took me about 15k miles to figure out how to make the trans do what I wanted it to do when I wanted it to do it.

    I am not sure when climbing a hill at 75 mph became requirement. I remember when older trucks would climb every hill at 25 -35.

    Strangely, I don’t feel less like a real trucker. But my trucks are built as tools to do a job.
     
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  4. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    At one time, drivers/companies were afraid to trust air ride suspensions, yet today they are standard equipment, at one time drivers/companies were afraid to trust power steering, yet here we are, at one time drivers/companies were afraid to trust a/c systems, at one time drivers/companies were afraid to trust air ride seats, so, let me pose this question, you're afraid to trust an automatic transmission, and yet you trust those new fangled other pieces of equipment, why not order new trucks without all that new fangled equipment?

    BTW, all 4 trucks they've bought for me over 21 yrs have all had a/c system failures, on one truck I had to drive from Denver to Seattle and back in the heat of summer with no a/c, took 3 days to determine the problem when I returned, the truck I just came out of, the a/c failed going from Denver to Albuquerque, in July, it hit 105 on the drive to Alb., when I got there at 9 pm, it was still 96, not a hotel to be found, I tossed and turned all night, maybe slept 2 hours, the next morning, my 3 hour, 8 am live load took 12 hours, it hit 104, I was not allowed out of the truck except to go to the restroom, despite these failures, the company still orders a/c, I mean, why trust it, we know it's going to fail, guess we should order without. My current 2021 KW, every so often the a/c will turn off, still not sure why the company ordered a/c on the truck, it's a system prone to failure. Then, there's that darn air ride suspension, first truck they assigned me, back in 1998, loaded 44K of bricks at a place in Pueblo, Colo, 3 miles from the shipper as I'm getting on the interstate, the right rear airbag blew out, knew they shouldn't have bought a truck with air ride, sat on the side of the road for 2 hours before the company could get someone out to cap off the tee so I could inflate the system and limp back to Denver. Few months ago, I was passing an Allied truck on a rough stretch of interstate, one of his airbags blew out, still can't figure out why someone would trust that system.
     
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  5. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    So, they'll be equipped with spring ride suspensions, solid mount drivers seats, 2x55 a/c, armstrong steering and triple sticks with super granny low?
     
  6. I like manuals

    I like manuals Bobtail Member

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    I feel like nothing more than a steering wheel holder going along for the ride with the auto trans I drive
    My company eliminated the manual control option when they ordered the new trucks, you have to use their programming.
     
  7. I like manuals

    I like manuals Bobtail Member

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    It makes life on the road miserable. I crossed in to New Mexico from Texas on I 40 with more than enough time to make it to Albuquerque, I was going to stop in Moriarty but had to pull off 20 miles East of Moriarty because the P.O.S. would lose speed on every incline and counteract every attempt to downshift.
     
  8. I like manuals

    I like manuals Bobtail Member

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    That was the intent of the original post; to get info on companies that still have manual transmissions.
     
  9. Brettj3876

    Brettj3876 Road Train Member

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    You'll have better luck with smaller 5-20 truck fleet companies finding a manual. Might even get lucky and find a 13sp
     
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  10. I like manuals

    I like manuals Bobtail Member

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    It does have one hell of an engine brake, no problem going down hills and will even downshift for you with the engine brake on the highest setting which always made me a little nervous with a manual.
     
  11. I like manuals

    I like manuals Bobtail Member

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    The company I work for claims they spent over $180,000 in one year on clutch replacements and that was the main reason they switched to automatics.
     
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