Looking for any legitimate advice I can get...

Experienced drivers that don't wanna take the time to figure out how it works? Truckers also are known to cry anytime anything changes even if it's for the better...that's a good part of this forum lol. If you don't like em that's fine, everyone has things they like and dislike but it's not some impossible to use need it constantly type of thing like a lot of guys make it out to be. There is also a metric #### ton of jobs out there with a manual too which is nice for the guys that want that. Come run delivery like I do and you can put as many miles on the truck in reverse as you do forward with a manual transmission lol.

 

I have experience with three auto transmissions.
Volvo was a dream come true. Wonderful transmission.
I had one in a heavy T880, 26 wheels. Didn't see any problem with it? Drove it just a little.
Now an Eaton in a Pete 579. That was awful. Supposed to learn you. I got it much of the time. Feathering it. Getting it to settle down on backing. But still, at times it would just decide to be a kicking mule. Nothing I could do could stop it. Driving in general was lacking greatly. The whole system with the transmission was inadequate. Paccar didn't match up the communications well with the transmission. To give the transmission the benefit of the doubt... I could hypothesize that it was set up for the torque of a 15 liter. When they had a 13 liter in the truck. The transmission just couldn't respond adequately?
I've said it before and will again....
The workings of the engine brake, transmission, and all working together....
A Volvo was like playing a piano duet with a partner who really knew what they were doing.
The Eaton was like playing a piano duet with a partner who hasn't learned how to play piano yet.

 

It was literally brand new, I got to use it for like two months before they gave it to a more senior line haul driver.

 

You rep

Sure super trucker. You try getting to some docks in seattle or other places in the PNW.

 

I prefer Souper trucker and I did city p&d in Philadelphia so yea.......I have no idea what hitting docks in a tight city that was laid out 200 years ago is like.....

 

So what's your point. I stated I didn't want a auto. If I want a manual that's fine. Sure is funny you are driving a manual

 

2 months in a auto & light city loads =expert

 

Whys that? All we have are manuals and it's not because the company thinks they are better or worse. It's because they are cheaper and most of the trucks we have are old...like 20 years old when there wasn't a whole lot of autos (if any? Not sure) out there. They are talking about buying auto trucks because the fleet is getting way too old and they need new trucks.

 

I can say my Pete was a 2018. Newer....
I don't know why Pete/Paccar/ and Eaton haven't straightened this out yet? Keep selling the same donkey dung. They know.

I can remember one time. Slowly backing to a dock. It wanted to kick. But kept it down successfully. Yet very very slow. Got to the dock. Touched it and rolled off 6 inches. Went to bring it back against the dock.... BAM! It hit the dock hard. I said to the truck: "You just had to do that!"
I apologized to a shipper one time for hitting his dock hard. He laughed and said: "An auto, right? See that crack in the wall? An auto!"

EDIT: When (most of the time) it wanted to kick like a mule backing. I had to shift to neutral to stop the transmission against the dock. It would keep trying to push against the dock. It was like it just wasn't getting any signal from the brake pedal?

 

The other company drivers that had automatics said they were harder to chain due to that same problem.