Tired of shifting

It isn't so much about offering greater control, an automatic could allow a lesser experienced driver less to pay attention to and/or less to watch over. Which would allow the younger driver a bit more concentration value on what is around him/her.

No, in fact, it can easily work against an inexperienced driver. Downhill with heavy load, the tranny will shift up as the speed increases...or uphill, will be shifting up and down when the rig should be being held at a more constant speed and proper RPM's to keep the engine from overheating.

see above

Just as no two people tie their shoes the same way, no two snowflakes are identical...no two drivers will be exactly the same, no matter how similar the conditions are. Experience teaches an individual how he/she handles each situation...and no two situations, even the exact same load on the same section of road, will be encountered in an exact same circumstance. We deal with far too many variables with each mile we drive...4 wheelers, construction, LEO issuing a ticket or inspection on the side of the road, other trucks in the equation. Nothing is exactly the same as it was yesterday, nor will it be tomorrow!

Exactly...when will all of those variables remain constant(?).....NEVER!

You begin by listening to your first instructor at driving school....remember(?)....Driver's Ed in high school?!? Then after that you put what you learned to use in a little car or pickup truck. Now you attend Truck School...you listen to that instructor, then your trainer (Mentor), and as before...you apply what they taught you to your personal experience and now YOU have become your next teacher....this teacher (YOU) is who you really need to pay attention to....YOU are giving yourself a multitude of experiences to use as your example for what lies around the next corner, just over that next summit, and what that next dock or parking lot offers as challenges. Now it is YOU who decides how you are going to solve this puzzle and get through your day and on to your next load....keeping in mind, that every action you take, has an unknown reaction from every other person, or vehicle, you come in any proximity of.

The day....nay, the moment you think you have all the answers in your little book of knowledge is the moment you need to hang up your keys and get out from behind that steering wheel!!

 

So what I get from that is, and just my opinion, autos are ok for inexperienced drivers in relatively run-of-the-mill terrain and in traffic where you can focus more on your surroundings. As for mountain driving, until you have the experience to know what speeds and how you should be driving, autos are a hindrance as the inexperienced driver might pay less attention because he isn't worried about being in the proper gear because the computer will handle it.

I also take from the above that if I ever do become a driver, or for any rookie driver, I/they will want to drive manual until I/they have the experience to not rely completely on the autoshift to get the job done. Do all autoshift transmissions have the manual setting to allow the driver to shift?

 

The ones that I have had experience with did....all of them today...don't know. But I would hope so...there are many situations where a driver should be more in control than to trust automation!

 

Manual shifting in my opinion gives me better control. On snowy surfaces u can clutch it if u lose traction to stop the spinning and correct yourself. Im not sure on the autos how they would react to winter weather but I do know that if u license in an auto you can only drive an auto. Although at my age I think I just need a driver for my truck so I can ride along and be a snow bird right Otter....lol

 

Are we still shifting or not in here?

 

won't be long before trucks drive them selves while sit there read and play on the net

 

What,I already do that,geez

 

when i manually shift my auto and put it in 8th i go down grades in control not braking but occasionally

 

Shifting is part of trucking. Shift or quit.

 

yeah my new truck has an 18 speed...manual..i am in my glory...lol..altho if i had to do 28 loads a day like my last job...i wouldnt be....