Automatic trucks??????

Nothing I can find mandated by the Feds on manual transmission endorsement and nothing in Texas. Also I didn't see anything in the proposed rule changes for 2010 Just HOS and Might be a state mandated rule.

This is the document from DOT on proposed rule changes:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/TOPICS/hos-proposed/HOS NPRM.pdf

There is some other changes on medical certificates but more to do with state reporting.

Here are some resources on endorsements and demonstrated skills:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2010/octqtr/pdf/49cfr383.113.pdf

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/cdl.htm

http://law.justia.com/cfr/title49/49-5.1.1.2.26.7.11.3.html

Just states that you will take your driving test in a vehicle representative of what you will be operating.

Probably why companies have a training program for new hires that already have their CDL and experience. At least they should...

 

when I said proposed rule changes for 2010 I should have stated 2012. Fat fingered it.

 

I understand that as a newbie, you think automatics are the way to go. But I havent met one experienced driver that prefers them, or even likes them.

Automatics are terrible. I cant stand them. No control. I have only driven them a few times and hope I never have to again.

 

I'm in a smart shift freightliner now and it is ok. Not great, I would prefer a manual in the mountains, but for city driving it isn't bad. I do like the little high-speed (lol) paddle shifter for when you are in manual mode. I miss the 13 speed though.

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I think they could be a double edged sword. I've never driven one, so I'm not in much of a position to speak on experience with an automatic, but I could see the advantage at least for the local driver who does a lot of stop-and-go, and stays on the paved road. When you're in a position where you do more shifting in a day than an OTR driver would in three or four days, the appeal is understandable.
There probably will come a day when the manuals go the way of the twin stick, springing up on occasion as a sort of curiosity - a relic harking back to older days. But that time probably won't be for a little while. The transmissions are far from perfected, they're definitely going to be less-than-ideal for off-road applications, and from what I gather, they're a bit on the costly side. Hence, they're not in the majority right now. Which is why they're a bad way to learn to drive a truck. If that's how you learn to drive one, you're giving yourself a major handicap, and restriction yourself to employers who either run automatics themselves, or else are willing to take the time to train you how to shift. Consider the turnover rates the major entry level companies experience, and it comes into light further how this is a bad thing once you understand the likelihood that the carrier you start off will only serve as a stepping stone in your career. Yes, while there are drivers who remain with Swift, Schneider, Prime, PAM, USXpress, et. al for years, these companies still experience very high turnover - enough that it would seem safe to assume your odds of making them your choice for the remainder of your career are a bit on the slim side.

 

Spent the last 4email yrs in one and loved it in the summer but in the winter....... DANGEROUS!!!!! Had one start freewheeling on me going down the west side of rabbit ears with the road covered in ice and snow and hadn't been plowed yet. Talk about pucker.....

 

The manual will probably never go away. I drove an automatic for a little while running Detroit to Dallas on a dedicated. It was ok but I never felt like I had control like I did with a manual. The reason I don't think they'll ever totally go away is that they don't do well hooked to tanks. Especially smooth bore tanks where the surge is pretty rough. I drove those and I cannot imagine what it would have been like trying to pull tanks with an automatic trans.

 

I worked for a company that tried them with tanks and the tanks kept breaking them =)

 

The clutch on a truck doesn't work the same as it does a car. With double-clutching, it takes very little pressure on the clutch to engage it. You only clutch to the floor when at a stop in gear.

I hate automatics. Simply because I hate not being in control of what gear I'm in. I'll take a 9 speed or 13 speed Cascadia any day. The 780 can sit and collect dust for all I care as I'll never drive it.

 

I thought USX was getting rid of the autos and all of their new replacement tractors were 10's now?