Are "manual transmissions only" types of drivers supertruckers?

It was a newer Freightliner. 2017 or 2018.

 

Good friend of mine I worked many years with had an 06 379 exhd 550 acert 18 spd. Ran it for a few years sold it and bought an 07 t600 cm870 565 with auto. Swore it was the best thing ever. No personal experience but felt his opinion was as good as any.

 

I got a first hand experience with those horrors.
I even lost a veteran driver that I was training.
He hasn't driven an auto yet.
3 days later, he hit a dock at the customer so hard,
he snapped the aluminum rail on one side of the trailer.
He came back in an angle, instead of being perfectly aligned with the dock.
He never got hired. I felt bad for him. It wasn't his fault in reality.
But what can you do? Those autos had improved now.
Still not an I-Shift.

 

I am afforded the privilege of driving one I really like and enjoy driving. I also have the privilege of hauling what I want, I think everyone should have the same privilege. What another man thinks of someone else’s ride shouldn’t matter. Some of the toughest ol buzzards I know broke out on 2 sticks and Armstrong steering and drive an auto today and love it. For every driver that claims his 10 speed makes him super there is one that has a chip on his shoulder because he drives an auto. If you both get the job done WTF does it matter???

 

The best about driving both is that you can drive either!

 

I drove the Ishift only one time but I thought the Detroit was better.

Wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to drive an auto but it'd be way less fun

 

Honestly in my line of work autos are and likely always will be junk. I hate the #### things in any type of gooy mud or snow or nasty terrain. Just not enough control and after my experinces with the junk in 16 weeny trucks trying to launch me out the windshield or in one memorable case having the computer fail as i started down a hill and disable the ####ing jake brake...... i have no intrest in wasteing my money trying some lazy underengined computer reliant system again. If that makes me some "over testosteroned rambo" then so be it. I could give less then two ####s what some know-it-all nose in other peoples business busybody self entitled snob thinks. And frankly i dont have any ####s whatsoever to give about what another driver likes or hates either for that matter.

I have a system that reliably makes ME money, is comfortable and feels safe for me to drive. I know how to work it for every single scrap of power, control, trick and stunt i need to work around problems and have zero intrest in these new systems unless and until i find one that works better for me. Something that is highly unlikely to happen. And yes i have used an ishift. Still junk as far as i am concerned.

And if you dont like my answer you shouldnt have asked the question in such a snarky manner. Because i will happily respond in kind.

 

I like automatics because I can drink coffee while getting on the on ramp to the interstate. I dislike autos because they are the biggest piles of horse #### ever made... I will shift the truck the correct way. Thank you Mr robot.

I will never drive another auto transmission. If that makes me a super trucker then so be it. Give me my super trucker cape.

 

Don't take a auto shift off road up a grade. You will spin out on dry land. Even with the diff lock.

 

Automatic transmissions really grind my gears.