Is it true that Oilfield Fleets are Phasing Out Manual Trucks?

Eaton Cummins Endurant XD Pro. It carries an unlimited Gross Combined Weight Rating and can be built with up to six reverse gears for long backing distances, with roughly 160 hp or 610 lb-ft of combined PTO output - enough to run a pump, crane, or winch straight off the transmission. It uses an Extreme Duty clutch for precise low-speed control and a "Rock Free" feature that modulates throttle to help free the truck from mud, sand, or snow. It only pairs with the Cummins X15, and while it debuted on Kenworth and Peterbilt, Freightliner and Western Star have since added it to their vocational lineups too.

Paccar TX-18 / TX-18 Pro. Same underlying Eaton-Cummins hardware, but with Paccar's own calibration, and it's built to work exclusively with Paccar's MX-11 and MX-13 engines. Kenworth/Peterbilt only. It's rated for up to 140,000 lb GCWR, handles up to 1,850 lb-ft of torque, and comes with dual PTO openings totaling 160 hp, and the standard TX-18 gives three reverse speeds, doubling to six on the Pro version for spotting equipment on location.

Endurant XD Pro TX-18 / TX-18 Pro
Forward / reverse 18 / up to 6 18 / 3 (Pro: 6)
GCWR rating Unlimited 140,000 lb
Engine Cummins X15 only Paccar MX-11/MX-13 only
Chassis Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, Western Star Kenworth, Peterbilt only

This is already in the field, not just a spec sheet. Current listings show 2026 Kenworth W990 and 2027 Peterbilt 589 winch trucks built from the factory with the Endurant XD Pro 18-speed.

Worth flagging: the manual 18-speed everyone in the oilfield already knows, the Eaton Fuller RT-18, is on its way out. Eaton discontinued the RTLO-16918B in June 2023 and the RTLO-18918B in June 2024. These AMTs aren't just an alternative to it; they're effectively the replacement.

Two more things worth knowing. Mack skipped the 18-speed route entirely — its mDRIVE XHD tops out at 14 forward speeds with dual creeper gears, and Mack markets it directly at oilfield rigs, just solving low-speed control differently. And if "automatic" to you actually means a true torque-converter unit with no clutch — Allison — that doesn't come in 18-speed either: Allison's 3000–9000 series covers heavy-haul with full power-shift capability, but the torque converter does enough of the ratio-spreading that Allison's heaviest units stay well under 18 gears. Those show up more on vac trucks and water haulers doing constant stop-and-go than on winch trucks

 

Yeah I've noticed that too in my research that oilfields companies are very fond of driver-facing cameras. I'd think it'd be less so than with OTR since they're mostly out driving rural areas with little four-wheeler traffic on lease roads and whatnot - however, it appears there's more prevalence of driver-facing cameras in the oilfields.

 

Don't those automated transmissions have a manual mode where you control the shifting with a press of a button?

 

I'm just looking for a company that does 3/3 with company housing. Doesn't matter the transmission. I'd rather not have a driver-facing camera though.