No more manuals?

Off road autos have to be in manual mode or you'll never get your foot off the brakes. Our dedicated highway units are auto but anything in the bulk(off road) is manual. I like autos for highway application but they have left me broke down on the side of road many times,,,fine with me a I get hourly when stopped

 

One of the limitations of the auto-shift is "pulling". By "pulling" I mean trying to move under say 5 or 6 inches ONLY. I have seen auto-shifts "jump" and hit things. The reason is you have to use more RPMs than normal and when this happens an auto-shift will jump. With this said, however, I have smelled a lot of burned clutch in some similar situations with manuals. It all goes back to knowing how to frickin drive a dang truck! I always liked and preferred a manual. I know of more than one auto-shift driver that though a jake would hold them on a grade in drive, that discovered later it won't!

I won't take the time to go back and post the comment # here. But as has already been said, the MEGAs would have the majority of their units parked right now if they were 100% manual. Auto-shifts are here to stay. I suspect as much as 70% of all truckers today can't correctly operate a manual. I have seen broken and rounded off gears and more burned clutches then I care to admit. It is what it is. Learning how to AND correctly operating a manual is a dying skill. I give it another 20+ years and it's very likely 90+% of all CDL holders will have that dang auto restriction!

I should also add busted Power Dividers and Universal Joint's to those things I made bold!

 

It's unreal how many trucks I see parked for their 10 and their reverse lights are on all night.

 

I drove an automatic/automated whatever one time and I have never felt more out of control of a vehicle in my life. The free wheeling and constantly shifting to a higher gear is not how trucks should be operated, especially trucks pulling tankers.

In my opinion, automatics are the reason there's so many dumb truck drivers out there. All they need to learn is what "D, N and R" stand for. Start everyone out in a 13, 15 or 18 speed and if they want an automatic later on down the road that's fine, but spend at least a year shifting gears so you know how the freaking truck operates.

Are autos completely useless? Absolutely not. I know many drivers who prefer them due to previous surgeries or arthritis. They do have major benefits to some people.

 

Are autos completely useless? Absolutely not. I know many drivers who prefer them due to previous surgeries or arthritis. They do have major benefits to some people.

This was the case for my dad, about 10 years before he passed the side effects from polio started to set in and really bothered his legs and shoulders so when he replaced his truck the last time he went automatic and it worked out good for him, once he learned how to use it, but he even would still say on occasion he wished he had the control of the 13 speed he normally ran.
This truck is now in my driveway a hair over 1.2m and the trans has only had its timely PM's. (As I knock on wood for saying it)

 

For many years I felt the same way. Still, to this day there is a part of me that wishes it were possible to do. Unfortunately, that dog will never hunt! It's not possible to teach the average newcomer how to operate a manual in a few weeks or even a month or two. It takes a while to become seasoned. Over the years I have spoken to many mechanics, both company mechanics, and mechanics in the dealerships and private shops. These people are destroying transmission gears, burning up clutches, busting power dividers and universal joints almost as quick as a mechanic can fix them. I know of two carriers that made this switch to auto shifts because it was costing them out the yang to keep their manuals on the road. YES, both were training carriers. I can remember many years ago being I think it was the Kroger warehouse in Houston and the smell of burned clutch was so bad it almost gagged me. Same in some truckstops. It's almost like some greenhorns loved the smell of clutch.

 

I agree. Mega training carriers are taking the easy way out and buying trucks that anyone can drive. I'm sure they're spending just as much money in torn off bumpers and fairings though! LOL

 

Res ipsa loquitur!!

 

Stay away from plastic trucks and you may find more 18 and 13 speeds. Old iron is still going to be around because some people still care about a work ethic and class.