Starting road training - go Manual or Auto?

You'll probably never need the stick shift, but since it's offered, may as well take it.

 

Choosing Auto MAY never harm your future job prospects, but if or when it does, it will cost you some money and time to learn it later. Choosing manual for training now, and then later driving auto will not cost you any money or time. So the wisest decision would be pick a manual truck now and you'll have no restriction, never have to pay for additional training or take time out of work to learn manual. Newbies are constantly looking for the easiest way out and then later learning they should not have done that. But NOBODY can tell them anything when they are taking those easy decisions.
What if I told you there was a way to learn an extra skill and it would cost you nothing to have that skill for the rest of your career? Get the free skill that MIGHT help you later. Either way, having that skill will never hurt your career.

THERE IS NO DRIVER SHORTAGE. Find the job before you go to CDL school. Lots of newbies are sitting after graduation and still looking for jobs.

 

Manual is with taking. You never know what that next job might need for skills. Some specialized jobs only use manual transmissions.

May never need it but at least you have it in your back pocket if the need arises.

 

You will sometimes feel like you can never learn manual. That's normal. Then you will feel comfortable upshifting (when you accelerate) and have more difficulty downshifting (when slowing). That's also normal. MOST students at my CDL school felt they needed another 1-2 weeks of training of shifting to be COMFORTABLE on the day they tested. That's normal.

If you have no experience shifting gears in ANY vehicle you are in the best possible position to learn to shift gears in a truck because the way you shift gears in a light 4-wheeler with a synchronized transmission is VERY different than the way you shift gears in a heavy truck without a synchronized transmission. Please understand any past experience shifting gears will make it more difficult for you to operate the clutch in the truck the proper way. Shifting is a MUCH LESS complicated skill than every newbie believes. AND you shift gears hundreds of times every day. Within 1-2 weeks of shifting on your own you will be far more than good enough and only get better. DO NOT BECOME YOUR WORST CRITIC during training. Lots of newbies that are less skilled and less sharp learn this job. You can do it if you don't sabotage yourself.

 

Learn everything my friend. One can never have too many skills in this industry. Most companies don't use manuals anymore, but once you learn it, you'll never forget it. I haven't driven a manual in 6 years and I can get in one today and not miss a beat.

 

I would read this again.

 

Heres the thing - you can read an instruction manual and learn how an auto works in about 20 minutes. Not gonna happen with a stick. Choose the manual trans. Godspeed