Companies running automatic transmissions?

Automatics have been around for years in trucks such as the Hayes West Coast logging trucks , you all make it sound like they just invented them.

All the BIG TRUCKS ( off road ) are automatics http://www.vincelewis.net/trucks.html

Today it would be best to be able to master both a STANDARD and AUTO transmission in a truck to benefit you in the finding of employment.

 

Yea, What he said!

 

Just to clarify my position here...

I made the mistake of getting a KW T2000 with an auto shift in it when I was looking for a truck when it came trade in time for my old Western Star!
The KW dealer steered me away from the W900L that I was interested in and talked me into the T2000!
He told me that they were the coming thing and that the auto shift was gonna be the hot set up for highway trucks and Blah, Blah....Blah!

So I took the thing for a drive and it seemed nice enough (when it was new) and so I took it home and put it to work...The only good thing I can say about that truck is, It was roomy!
Other than that it was a Piece of ####!

Within a few months I just wanted to go back to a real truck!

The auto shift was OK, But I never really liked it except in rush hour traffic. I didn't like the way it would only let me downshift at lower RPM than I wanted and I didn't like the way it would use the jake to upshift whether the jake was on or not.
It was OK...But I'll never run another one!

I got the chance to get rid of the T2000 and get the truck that I have now and I jumped on it!
I'll never get another truck with a droopy lookin' sloped hood and I'll never get another auto shift transmission!

 

IMO the automatics (autoshift?) are best served in vocational trucks, like concrete mixers, etc. Another division of the company I drive for operates 22 Peterbilt mixer trucks, with only a few of the older ones left being 8 speed manuals, the rest are 6 speed Allison automatics. They work nice when on the job, constantly stop and go on chute pours, etc. These trucks are in the central valley of California and of course, having a perishable commodity on board, cannot go but maybe a 50 mile radius from the yard, there are no mountains that close. They work great for the guys on the flat land, and as I said earlier, especially on the job sites. But for those going long distances, over hills, etc.....get a manual shift, and use it right!

 

It may take a them a little while Rerun, but they'll catch on!

A little side note guys; Rerun is an instructor. He tends to state things he knows about!

As for me, I pull it out of my butt!

 

Oh yeah, just to make the original poster feel more it ease with his non-trucking abilities, even my wife drives a manual! If you start off at a company with just automatics you will surely be doomed whenever you decide to go somewhere else or the company decides to phase them out. A friend of mine works for USxpress and he claims all the new trucks they are getting are manuals and are phasing out the automatics.

 

I don't care what they put in the book, that's not how they test it and issue it. I know someone with a Wyo. CDL that drives an autoshift, he tested on it as well and there is no restriction on his license. It was issued in Feb. of 2010, I've seen the license, hell, he used my truck to test on while he was waiting on his truck to be delivered.

 

WOW, 4 whole years with an autoshift, may I inquire from when to when, make and model of truck and trans? and under what conditions?

 

So what your saying then is that you didn't like the transmission, because all an autoshift is, is a manual trans with the gearshift removed. We've been over this time and again, for about $1,500 or less (depending on truck and trans) you can convert an autoshift (as long as it has a clutch) back to a manual. So, therefore, you sold a truck that you could have readily converted back to a manual, hence you wasted your money.

However, I will agree, T2000's suck, I wouldn't want one either.

 

Make up your mind! You asked for it and Rerun gave it to you. Now that he has proved you wrong it's not good enough.

Gotta love ignorance.