What do I need to know about automatic transmission trucks?

You can have your technology! I prefer to have to rely on it as little as possible!... there's enough technology involved in everything else, I don't need it shifting gears for me.

 

Someone said don’t forget to take out of gear when setting parking brake. The Detroit transmission go into neutral and I would think Volvo does same thing.

when backing up if clutch gets hot it will give you a warning. When stopping for toll booth or exit ramp. You can turn on engine brake and it will stay on and downshift gears as truck slowdown all they down to like 5 MPH.

They have Hill Start Assist. The truck will hold the air brakes on until the transmission starts to pull

I like the Descent Control Mode, It will hold truck speed on 8% grade or less

More advanced stuff it can do is automatic emergency stopping if traffic stopped and drive doesn’t it can stop truck. That’s part of Detroit Driving Assistance 5.0 using radar and camera. It can also slow truck for stop and go traffic. I tried it and not a big fan of it but it works. The engine and transmission now work together and can talk to each other

 

The newer Volvos do. My 15 didn't, 21 does.

Volvo also has 750k warranty. Never had a problem with either of my Ishifts, first one up to 1.1 million. Put one clutch in that one.

It might bear saying that automatic trucks are automated manuals. They still have a clutch.

For OTR work nothing like an automatic. For LTL or if I was in snow country more I would prefer a manual. Autos can be finicky about traction, backing up grades, etc. but not like you can't get the job done if you know how to drive a truck.

 

One of the reasons why I love to drive trucks is because of manual trans. I love to control and operate a truck. I do not enjoy just riding behind technology doing nothing but picking my nose and getting the boogers on the “D” button as drool runs down my unused left leg from total boredom. Mechanical pumps and sticks for me tell death do us part. Lol.

Two stick Spicers or air shifted RoadRanger “sissy” sticks forever.

 

Drivers also complained about feeling out of control going downhill when automatic first come out. I think they were turning engine brake on and off as needed with manual transmission.

The freightliner automatic will go into natural when you turn off engine brake and don’t have foot on brake pedal. If you turn on stage 3 engine brake it will downshift and bring engine up to 1800-2200 RPMs. So you would get this crazy thing go into natural then crazy high RPM.

The freightliner automatic in stage 1and 2 will keep RPMs 1000-1700. Stage 3 is different. It will keep RPM 1700-2200 all the time. It will drop a gear or two and bring RPMs up to 1700-2200 to give you maximum engine brake. It will never stop or give up, as truck slows and the RPM hit 1700. It will downshift and bring RPMs back up to 2200.

It’s trying to bring the truck to stop. So it will keep slowing truck and downshifting as you slow down all the way to 5 MPH. If you want keep you current speed. When the RPMs hit say 1750 or 1800 just switch to stage 2 let the RPMs rise to 2200. The switch stage 3 on again.

If you turn on Descent Mode/Control the computer will do the same thing. A good test to see what stage 3 can do is exit ramp. When exiting on ramp turn on stage 3 let it do its thing. Just use the regular brakes if need to stop at bottom of ramp. It will take truck from 60MPH all the way to 5 MPH. If you heavy use regular brakes to slow and the automatic will keep downshifting with you giving you all the baking power it can. You can do this in stage 1 or 2 also but stage 3 will show someone what the setup can do.

Don’t use it in snow or ice or slippery roads

 

Pride transport (reefers) out of SLC Utah had a check ride program CAO Feb2021. They put you out with a trainer few weeks of you driving under trainer's guidance the a few weeks of team driving with the same trainer. Helps you resharpen your driving skills and gets you comfortable with the technologies they use. I did it and don't regret it in the slightest. I had CDL I maintained while on active duty and had zero OTR time. If you go this route let me know and I'll give you my trainers name, he's a really good coach.

 

I was terrified to drive an automatic because I had spent the first four and a half years driving manual. I managed to get the hang of the automatic in less than a day... and now I prefer it over manual. You'll be fine

 

All these things you just listed are all things that can easily fail and when they fail they cost time and money to fix just more #### to go wrong and sooner or later they do. But you bring about them as can their features that make driving easier. I view as
They are also what make you just a tongue chewing steering wheel hold and not a driver

 

That's cute...ya know who stops my truck?.. I DO!!.. I don't need a computer to do everything for me, I'll operate the dam thing... The problem really isn't these automatic transmissions.. It's the drivers who think they are so great and make their lives so much easier...these POS's are why this industry is in the shape it is today... Just keep both hands on that wheel and put er in D ol son!!.. Soon there will be more skill required to flip burgers at McDonald's than to drive a dam truck!.. And the idiots who keep praising this technology Because they are too lazy and stupid To shift gears. They'll be the same ones complaining that there is no money left in the industry anymore that they helped dummy down.

 

they’re already complaining about the money but in all honesty what’s a trained monkey really worth. GPS to point them in the right direction ELD to tell em when to start & stop, safety devices out the ### to correct they driving and braking and Automatic transmissions to shift for them so they don’t have to think about that chore as they automatic lovers call it
So again I ask what’s a trained monkey like Brad or Brandon or Bradford or what ever is realistically worth ???