Are manuals basically going away for the automatics?

The industry made a surge towards automatics when they come out to fill seats easier and promises of better fuel mileage. The numbers grew for years but is now on a decline. They aren't all they were promised to be with increase of maintenance and there was no real fuel savings. USXpress is a good example. They went all automatics and the last I heard were replacing the fleet with manuals. They might be good in traffic but a driver has better overall control with a manual. That's half the fun of driving is shifting.

There's nothing wrong with a driver going from a manual to an automatic if he chooses. But it's not good to learn in an automatic because it limits career choices. You really need a trainer with you that first 3 weeks of shifting.

I gave a guy a road test one time safety told me he had 2 years experience. I thought it would be a breeze. The guy couldn't shift worth a flip. I asked him, "I thought you had 2 years experience"? He said he did but only drove automatics. The company gave him a break and sent him out with a trainer. Our company required 2 years experience at that time and didn't train. So it was his lucky day. Many experienced companies would send you packing if you can't pass a road test.

The decision is yours but I would make sure I got down manuals first.

 

Usxpress still has a bunch but there are buying manuals again, Pam has em, I think Navajo does and USA truck was buying em but I'm not sure they still are. CalArk, and Interstate runs emand a suprising number of owner operaters like myself have bought them. I'm sure there are alot more big companies out there that have em too but those are the ones I could think up fairly quick

 

There must be a lot of companies buying automated transmissions.I see a lot of them.Our company has over 1000 of them and that is our standard spec.Volvo sells over 50% of their new trucks with the I-shift.They just made the I-shift standard on all their trucks.If you want a manual you have to order it.

 

Oh really?I have never drove for a company with automatics.Not that I would'nt but every company I have drove for were all standard 10s.Maybe there's more companies then I thought with automatics.

 

If you get a truck with an automatic transmission, you should get a manual that explains how it works.

Mikeeee

 

My take is whatever makes the company more money is what will prevail. Fuel savings, maintenance, reliability, weight all factor into that equation. Don't know much about big truck automatics but 13 years later I still see a lot of companies and drivers using manuals, which says to me they won't be replacing manuals anytime soon.

 

I just finished CDL school and Mavrick is one company that uses the Auto's. We were informed by every other recruiter that if we do go with Mavrick or any other company driving "auto" If we try to switch we will have to go back to school for the "refresher" course.

 

I am giving serious consideration to going with the Allison TC10 automatic when and if I order the next truck. I do not, and have never, wanted one of the auto shifts. I really didn't want a real automatic either until Allison came out with the TC10 this year. It is giving all the autoshifts a serious run for their money. And it isn't some form of bandaid deal where a computer is trying to shift a manual like the auto shifts do. It is a true automatic with torque converter. They have been around in trucks for a lot longer than the auto shifts, but they were not very fuel efficient. That has all changed now.

 

As long as you are driving "class A" then all it should take is a road test by any new employer.

Why even mention your last company had in you in an auto?

Mikeeee

 

Look at it this way all the new trucks in the military are automatics ,all the old duece&halfs were sticks,jeeps ,ect. The reason why is that most people 35 & younger dont know how to drive a stick ,& these companies want to get more women ,& kids bhind the wheel so they are pushing automatics