Personal opinion if you can't ride I mean drive stick your not a real trucker

I hear ya. There's levels to this game just like there is with any game. The hardcore owner-op guys who cruise around the country in the big ride, it has to be a 13 or 18 speed Fuller or no thanks. The really hardcore 1%'er old school drivers maybe a Spicer twin-stick setup. Same thing with some of the purist sports car guys...the modern auto shifting transmissions are faster around the track and all but it just ain't as cool or involving as a 3-pedal manual shift gearbox. 40-50 years ago trucking was a trade only for the dedicated...the trucks were uncomfortable and hard to learn how to drive. Many of the people who drive today wouldn't hack it if they had to climb in and out of an old school cabover with a butt beater spring ride rear axle, no A/C and a 5x4 set of sticks in it.

 

They sell it at the Town Pump Flying J locations in Montana. Aside from making the exhaust smell nice (like burning Kerosene) it's a waste of money unless it is down below zero.

 

Well now of course anybody can fly an airplane once it's already flying. It's the taking off and landing safely part where you earn your money.

 

And we make our money with superb backing!!!

 

Funny you mention slow speed control. Funny thing happened this morning. Some butt munch blocked my truck in with his manual quad super tanker. I've drove plenty of manuals in cars and trucks. I did enjoy said slow speed control.

Honestly wasn't that hard to figure out. Backup lights come on, yup thats reverse. 1st above or below, i forget, lol. Just wanted to kick the tires and light the fire under my comfy auto volvo. Man as other old timers have told me, i'm glad i dont have to give my one arm and leg a workout, i'd start walking funny....

 

Starting that much weight on that steep of grade, as easily as it did it, is pretty danged impressive. It would take me a long time to figure out everything that little shift lever on the right does though!

 

Started on a 13 speed, moved to a 10 speed, and have been in an auto ever since. You could say ‘by choice’ because I’ve been at companies that don’t run manuals anymore, but it’s not by choice when the pros of a company outweigh an auto. I started driving when autos were becoming commonplace at every large carrier, so I don’t have much option. Never found driving a manual impressive and never found it embarrassing if someone didn’t know how. Seems like the only companies running exclusively manuals now are large cars, specialized carriers, or carriers running raggedy old equipment. Us door swingers pretty much only have the choice of auto if we want to work somewhere with newer equipment.

 

Many a manual has twisted the driveshaft or got snuffed out with less weight and smaller grades .. the tow truck owner was so impressed he inquired about conversion of his 18 speed manual..

 

The old “if you can’t do this then you’re not a real that bs.”

so is a O/O a real trucker vs a L/O?

or is a O/O a real trucker vs company driver?

All that matters is making money safely. It doesn’t matter If you’re doing it in a jalopy or a high end rig that’s polished everyday.

In the end we all know who the real truckers are. It’s those guys that need 15 escorts, 50 engineers, construction crews, and the roads all to themselves going about 4 miles per hour.