Auto vs. Manual Transmission......

Out on the road with cruise on? Maybe not. In town in traffic with a GPS not helping and you need to start looking around and shift when you might need a free hand to check an address, roll down a window, adjust a mirror out for a turn, etc., it can help.

 

Lol at this thread

 

Some people really suck at shifting... to the point it's a serious problem. So for these, this makes at least some sense.

 

Kinda like breathing. Wait, they sold them on the breathing machines too.

A few years back, some were commenting how having cattleprods in the truck made them a 'safer driver.' The unbelievable, unfathomable, damningest thing in all Dam Nation is...

They will judge us all according to the most moronic in the business. Enjoy your evening.

 

You don’t stare in a trance at the gearshift from the time you crank the truck? It’s a major distraction sometimes.

 

I love automatics, but I do think that with manual you pay more attention to the road. With auto you just grab a drink, chill and relax haha

 

Have pretty much always driven manuals and on the odd occasion an auto, recently i started a job with a Fuel hauler who has all auto's except for the spare truck which is a Western Star with an 18 speed road ranger. all the new trucks are auto's they are 18 speed KW's with ultra shift auto's i'm pretty impressed with there performance so far and you have the option of still using them like a manual just no clutch so at least you still kind of feel your changing the gears. i'm one of these guys from old school that still likes to feel like i'm actually doing something while driving it actually helps me concentrate better where as with an auto your really not doing anything however this is a debate that could go either way at the end of the day what really counts for either of us and anyone else for that matter is that we've gotten the job done we've made it safely to our destination and unloaded our freight.

 

"Automatics" have their own learning curve. The have a mind of their own and cant see what is going to happen, they only know what is happening now.

They require some attention so they don't drop the ball on you.

 

i drive an 18 speed milk tanker truck, locally. the company i work for has a mix of automatics and manuals, personally i prefer the old school 18 speed eaton transmission. i think a manual gives the driver more control, forces you to pay more attention to RPM and how fast you are going. it forces more focus on the road, you use your entire body to drive its a more engaged experience.

i drove an autoshift for a short while when i was in werner training program (which i promptly bailed for a local job before being assigned a truck). it made life too easy. i dont like the delay between the time you let off the brake and the time the truck actually moves under power. i also hated hooking up to a trailer. since you have NO clutch, you cannot back up slowly by feathering the clutch..... the truck i am driving right now also has a R-hi/lo, it has a high and low in every gear. you cant actually really creep up to the trailer when hooking, if its a loaded trailer i have no desire to back up to it quickly.

i think shifting is a skill and the ability to shift properly makes you more of a professional. if my boss were to try assign me a automatic truck, i would politely and promptly ask for a manual 18 speed.

i think the 18 speed eaton manual is the very BEST heavy truck transmission ever built and constructed. its an awesome unit.