Automatic or manual?

The DT-12 automatic has a 5 year or 750,000 mile warranty and 3 year or 350,000 miles on the clutch. That's a pretty good warranty. I would rather have the automatic vs a manual. It's more room in the truck and it cool technology they can even do this. Yeah it lets more people drive that would not because of the fear of learning a manual transmission.

 

Here's what I don't like about automatic transmissions, especially pulling a smooth bore tank.
1. Impossible to get in a rhythm with the slosh. Occasionally it will match up, but that's rare.
2. Pulling out at an intersection and turning either direction, especially going slightly up hill... it shifts. It needs to stay in a gear until the turn is completed. Yes, I could make it stay manually and I did that a lot.
3. Taking off at an intersection in the wrong gear and the truck thinking is has to down shift, and staying in the intersection FOREVER while it finds the right gear... just power through it, it will go.
4. In general, searching for the correct gear or any gear period. Sometimes it takes several seconds.
5. Pulling a hill that it won't pull in 10th, but will pull in 9th (or pick your 2 gears). Down shift, up shift, down shift, upshift, and on and on and on. Yep, put it in manual mode.
6. It won't stay in manual mode, the computer makes it go into automatic after a certain amount of time, or rpms, or whatever it does.

Even with all that said, if I purchased my own truck I'd buy an automatic and I wouldn't pull a tank.
I have nothing against a standard for a road truck. For a city truck, you can keep the clutch, I'm too old for that.

 

More like 700, but who's counting?

Oh and those weren't all at once company. My question about turnover was partly rhetorical, but not completely. The industry has a turnover problem, not a driver shortage. There's a huge difference between those two.

 

The automated system has a controller, just like the engine. It can be programmed. Most are just set for a basic profile. Tune it to your operation, you just might be surprised.

 

Apparently you are. Lol

 

I want both.

 

I am sorry. Get that manual shifter lengthened and truck like a man. Reach up for the gearshift! Woo hoo.