What are your thoughts on automatic vs manual transmissions?

I have never used the clutch other then to take off. Always floated the gears. Not sure about the knee thing after 20 years.

 

Id get an Auto for city driving as well. I’ll stick to manuals on OTR. Just way better that I control what gear I’m in.

 

I'm enjoying the DT-12 automatic transmission. Their seems to be big improvement on the freightliner and Volvo transmissions over the Eaton automatics.

Backing under a trailer is not as smooth in automatic. I would not want to go back to manual transmission.

 

95% of the trucks i drove, were manuals. the remaining 5%, were either one time rental trucks, or a job with a sleeper truck, that had an automatic.

those days they (automatics) were in thier infancy and sucked.

they were actually "automated shift" meaning there was still a clutch pedal.

a fully automatic was very costly back in the day.

i am retired, for some time now, and to this day, if it's an 18 wheeler, i'd still want a manual.

 

I think every driver should learn to drive a manual transmission simply to get a better understanding of what the truck and its components are doing.
After understanding the workings of the machine then drive whatever makes you happy.

 

I like them both. I’m lazy and enjoyed the auto. But I couldn’t spec one in in my 98 LOL. And i have the opposite problem, my right knee kills me. Does that mean I should get an automatic throttle?

 

The auto shifts have come a long ways. In the end, my shoulder problems have gone away and the check is always good on Friday.

 

I do city work and auto makes life much easier. Way too much stop and go can be hard on the body especially in our older trucks.

 

Drove one auto, a 12 spd mDrive pulling a 7500 gal tanker. Worst experience of my life. Truck ran great but didn't know when to shift. I'd be pulling a hill at 1400 rpms and it would upshift and fall on its face. Tried starting out in 4th gear on a grade, realized it couldn't do it, downshifted into 1st gear and redlined. I'll take my old 10 speed any day of the week