How to navigate icy grades with Automatic 2015 Freightliner

I’ve had my CDL since 2000 and always have driven manual until a couple months ago when my company put me in an automatic. Hate is too nice of a term to describe how I feel about it. I’d rather be kicked in the nuts with a pair of steel toe boots than drive an automatic. I might feel better towards it if the shop didn’t disable the manual feature on it. The saving grace is that it is a 2016 T680 and a lot of the other trucks in the fleet are old 660’s with 800+ k on the clock.

 

The problem with freight shakers is companies usually disable manual mode.
With the Kenworth and peterbilt,even if manual is disabled,it will hold your current gear,when in manual mode.
With the freight shakers you'll need to keep the Jake on and keep the rpms below the 1400 rpm shift point to stay in your gear.

 

I would prefer to remain in a stick too, but the Detroit auto is not too bad to work with. I can now eat a corn dog and have an Icee at the same time. It gets about 1.00-1.50 MPG better all else being equal. Saves the boss lots of money and some of that will be given back to the drivers in one form or another.

We have manual mode option but have to stick with economy mode. The newer 2018 Detroit auto has some pretty neat improvements over prior generations from what I can gather.

 

Stick or auto you never use Jake in ice do you?

 

You have to use the Jake or the truck will continually upshift.
I always used the lowest setting..choose between 2 evils.

 

Main reason I only choose companies running the 579,587,and 680.
Hopefully companies will stop disabling manual operation.

 

Actually, they do, quite a bit. Lisa talked about speeds on one show. Doing the pushing on the heavy haul was 6mph, top speed. For 500 miles.
Anyone with experience knows. Ice, when it's cold, it's no huge problem. Just slow down some. Take it easy. But when it melts... that's trouble.

 

When snow melts it can turn into black ice when the temps drop....try climbing or desending a hill with the mother of all slippery s###.

 

I do.

But the caveat to that statement is you need to PRACTICE and you NEED to know what a Power Divider is and PRACTICE using it. The formal name for the Power Divider is:

Interaxle Differential Lock

Google it. Watch videos. Practice on a wide open parking lot with and without the Power Divider engaged and with and without the Jake engaged. That is time WELL spent BEFORE you need the skill set to safely get through nasty conditions.