Automatic or manual?

Good points.

 

The only 2 things I hate about the auto, I pull tankers, is under the wrong conditions (tank surge and hills) the tranny will hunt for a gear. This usually causes me to wind up going much slower than I would do with a manual. I found a trick that prevents this. The other thing is backing uphill with an auto I have to back faster than I like or it slips into neutral. 95% of the time I like the auto. To me the perfect solution is an auto that can be put into manual mode when you need it. My truck has a button for that but it is disabled.

 

The auto I have now constantly hunts gears at 54-60 MPH.

The DT12 I drove for 8 months, in a 2016 Cascadia, would not shift if the tranny oil temp wasn't above 85 degrees.

I've heard drivers complain about lurching when backing, which can be resolved by disabling Hill Hold or Traction Control, depending on the AMT.

 

Freightliner now specs the DT-12 transmission as the standard base transmission. Started doing that on the 2018 models. You want a manual on a new truck, it starts at a $3500 up charge for one.

The one thing that is somewhat interesting, is the number of people who say “ Death before automated” that have never been in a truck with an automated transmission.

 

Snuggle up against a building and wait a minute. All that surging will calm down soon enough.

Now the snuggling part is a fine art. You just want only the rivets to to make contact with the brick walls.

 

I had an auto that got stuck in gear, couldn't do nothing but hope to stall the engine standing on the brakes os my main dislike of autos. The fact when i roll up somewhere to load i take it as a compliment when the operator loading me says "i have to remember you stop as soon as i tell you to." Are my main rrasons. Also found pulling heavy stuff i like choosing whether i lug it or rev it based on how much further the hill is

 

Automatics are fine for some things like a Walmart truck in the Midwest primarily for example. But some things an automatic can’t deal with properly like a 40 ton excavator.

Some transmissions are being designed for auto only now. But there will always be manuals around for some things

 

Many fleets of dump trucks are automatic here in Little Rock AR.