Why did all mega carriers stop using manual transmissions?

The transition to the auto-shift was to ‘expand the driver pool’. The more of anything you have, each of those things becomes less valuable. It’s as simple as that.

 

I learned on a 10-speed, but all of the company KWs we had at my old company had Paccar automated transmissions. They shifted quite nicely, assuming you didn't flat foot it in the lower gears and were gentle.

I'm actually curious if there's any data on how many accidents happen with people that learned from a mega with an automatic vs those that learned on a manual first, because I do think learning on a manual definitely gives you way different approaches to situations you encounter. You kinda have to be paying more attention by necessity...lord knows I'm kinda guilty with that on an automatic...

Edited actually: As far as fuel mileage goes, I think automatics did kinda worse. But I think looking at a whole spec helps. My company KWs had really low rear ends (2:84s I wanna say), and a Paccar motor (I wanna say around 500+ HP)? Let's just say any grade you encountered with any sort of weight and you'd be climbing 20 under the speed limit at 1600+ rpm. Not exactly a fuel saving measure if we're honest.

 

I'm sure you are right. "The autos let more drivers get the MPG that the more careful drivers on manual could achieve". Or at least that's the argument I've heard from some experts over the years.

 

It's a shame people have to special program their trucks to do the right things

 

It's not that much different than specing out a truck based on your freight profile, or changing your shift points based on weight/terrain.

Freightliner basic programming was "one size fits most".

My company tried slecting the programming for max fuel - prioritizing skip shifting, etc. On paper, that programming works. But on paper, the engineering group was assuming starting from a stop and working up to highway speed and cruising. They didn't really think about US 30 through IN, or the stop/go of [insert whichever city you think has the worst traffic].

The more data we got allowed engineering to make changes. One of the big changes from basic is what gear the truck starts in. The first p3 autos ALWAYS started in first. You could call it up to 2 or 3, but if you didn't start immediately it would dump you down. Max fuel programming chose a better starting gear, but would upshift anytime you were cruising at 1350 rpms, which would then be just above lugging so it would downshift as soon as the driver came off the fuel. Also, the predictive cruise and mountain modes couldn't handle governed trucks.

With more data, the engineering department made different choices. Say what you will, and I can say plenty, but fleet average mpg is up over 1 mpg. It's an easy choice for the guy paying the bills.

 

One coast-to-coast run pulling hazmat tankers using automatic transmission and I was sold. I'd never go back to stick shift.

 

Here's a thought....

If the pay is THE SAME....for either transmission (and in most cases...it is)--then why shift--when you don't have to, anymore?

"Work smarter...NOT harder"

-- Lual

 

Shifting gears is like popping Viagra pills.

 

Automatic emergency braking systems don't work so well with a manual. Thank you ATA.
Manufacturers trying to get ahead of it. Lawsuits over them not working or being an option.
We are just guinea pigs.

 

-- Lual