auto vs manual trans

USA's fleet is at 70% auto-shift, 30% manual. The auto-shifts are on there way out the door. I just went through orientation in Vandalia and am with a dedicated/run trainer now. The auto-shifts are turds going up hill plus get worse milage. On top of that USA seems to be a ###### company so it wld be best to be good on a manual when you leave for a better job(which I plan on as soon as i get my hazmat/tanker)

Goodluck

 

I prefer 10 spd.. automatic sucks especially taking off and backing up

 

Try volvos ishift or mack m drive, these work perfectly, none of the problems or control issues you describe, I've driven the Volvo version quiete a few times as well as owning a few Scania versions over here, they shift as smooth as an auto car but faster, actually newer ones are faster than a manual to shift plus you can change down as many gears as you want, instantly! They are also no worse on ice just takes getting used to, just different is all.
As regards downhill normally I can set the downhill speed control so let's say I wanna go down every hill I encounter on the motorway at 50 I can set it to that, when the truck starts down the hill the truck will put on the retarder and gear itself down to keep the rpm's at 2000 rpm ( that's where the retarder works best) otherwise u can gear down as you see fit and apply the retarder ( or jakes in your case ) the I shift is the best auto change on the Market, autos are improving and will continue to evolve and will take over in a few years

 

Willis Shaw, a Comcar company based out of Elm Springs Arkansas.

 

Really I had no idea they were all automatic.

Ed4104

 

I have driven both a manual 10 speed and the auto shift and I don't mind the auto shift at all. I drive all over the southeast, east and midwest and both the Volvo and the Freightliner I have had the auto shift's were great. None of the jumping mentioned however they can scream "clutch abuse" when you are heavy and backing up any kind of incline.

As far as climbing, no issues there either. I drive a good bit in WV and the mountains in Maryland and it climbs just fine. Get in the right gear for a descent and the jake holds it strong.

Where I fell in love with autoshift is in places like Atlanta, Dallas, etc where traffic can stop and go. My knees aren't worn out at the end of the day from all the shifting.

My company is almost all auto shift and fuel economy is up from when they ran manuals. If I moved back into a manual it wouldn't cause me to lose any sleep but I certainly prefer auto shift.