Auto vs. Manual Transmission......

my boss has been buying both automatics and manuals, it seems like allot of day cabs he has been buying at manuals and the sleeper trucks automatics. there is a brand new KW T880 sleeper cab in our shop right now (literally brand new), the shop goes through it before it gets decals. its an automatic..... im not to interested in it, looks nice but that's about it. its an automatic

the in the other bay they have a freightliner classic (with sleeper) they are doing a full re-hab on. cat engine. they are fully repainting the truck, frame cab everything. everything that is worn out is being replaced..... if i was going to take any transport loads (which i dont), i would much rather drive that completely overhauled frieghtliner classic. she's gonna be a sweet rig when all done.

 

The earth used to have dinosaurs, but they died off.

 

That's not altogether true anymore. Mine knows what the grade is going to be a 1/2 mile in advance and reacts accordingly to conserve fuel and/or prepare for a controlled descent. A well-designed and coded auto paired with an enhanced cruise control system and a big hp engine is pretty slick.

I'd still prefer a 13 stick if given a choice but the new autos are not bad and getting still better every year.

 

a 13 stick? good transmission but an 18 is much better yet. allows you to split all gears. there is a hill i go up everyday that you going to want that capability.

 

Not really the latest ones use GPS , they record road conditions , grades etcetera and then when you travel that road again they know exactly what is happening up front. Adapt shift patterns.

 

I could see how a driver would like to have an automatic transmission, and if you learned on that or if you mainly drove that I guess the manual transmission would seem like something extra that you have to do.

But I have driven manual transmissions for so many years that it's just second nature, and I think most drivers that have driven for a long time it's that way. It's unfortunate that some younger drivers never really learn the skills required to be able to drive and steer and shift Etc. You really should be able to do that if you are in this business. It's not that hard to do but if someone sits you in an automatic transmission truck and you never do it you never acquire the skill.

It's kind of like nowadays when you see a very young person running a cash register the computer tells them what change to give you. If they had to actually sit down and figure it out and count the change out like in the old days they would bang their head up against the wall and probably give away most of the cash register. But it's not that difficult if you develop the skill. It is simple math and being able to count.

I think that there are quite a number now of younger drivers that if you put them in a manual transmission truck they are perplexed by it or it becomes almost like a safety hazard for them. I think that's very unfortunate.

The guys that have been driving for a long time have done this forever and that's never even been a question. It's unfortunate but technology can make you less of a good driver or less of a complete driver, no offense. It's almost like drivers are going to be split into two categories. Drivers that can only drive automatics and drivers that can drive anything.

It is always been hard to find good drivers that don't destroy your truck. But it seems funny to me that a professional driver that earns a living driving would not know how to use a clutch or shift gears.

I'm not blaming the new drivers. It's not their fault. If you are never taught the skill or never are able to practice the skill how can you learn it? It's just kind of crazy that technology is supposed to move us forward but it actually moves us backwards.

 

i have driven "automated shift transmissions" and fully automatic transmissions, by i cut my teeth on manuals.

i can pay attention to "other things" just as easily shifting gears, then to just sit back and cruise.

to me, from what i read from you, "free's up the the driver" means you are saying, more time texting, cell phone calling, eating, drinking, etc. even though you do not really say those words, it's what "I read between the lines"

 

Did the dinosaurs die off because they were in automatic trucks with dead batteries that you can’t roll start or pull start like a manual?

Did they die off because their automatic truck’s starter went out, and they couldn’t go anywhere? (No road calls back then)

Didn’t they die off because they were T-boned and killed when there DT12 couldn’t figure out which gear to choose during a turn?

I always wondered what happened to Dinosaurs. Now I know.

 

The one I drove was supposed to do that also. It didn't. If it wasn't in top gear it would shift into top gear right as the climb started, and then fall on it's face and loose 15mph before it even realized it was actually climbing a hill.

You want to make a right turn off city streets? It would skip shift 2 gears because it though you were going straight and leave you in the wrong gear for the rest of the turn while the trailer (spead axle) slow it down even more. Then it would figure it out and down shift, and downshift again so it would have the torque to finish the turn. Complete letdown.

If was wasn't trying to go somewhere, let alone in traffic, it might work...

 

i have only had my license for 1 year 7 months. i can shift fairly well. i agree 100% and prefer to keep and maintain a skill that many people are no longer willing or even able to learn. there is a particularly lazy driver at work. he had an automatic T660 but the boss sold it because the truck had major issues. he has been driving a t800 manual complaining about it the whole time. driver thinks he is getting that new t880 auto. guy in the shop says he will quit when he finds out he is not getting that new truck with an auto.

really? he would quit because he has to do the job of a truck driver and shift? boo hoo. maybe he shouldnt be driving then.