Why Not Automatic?!

Well, I've driven both manuals and automatics. And I honestly feel more comfortable with a manual transmission. I have more control over the vehicle, and I feel "special" knowing I can shift with (and without, cause I'm super cool) a clutch. Also, I can get better fuel mileage with a manual than I can with an automatic.

And that goes for my personal vehicle as well as a commercial vehicle. Don't think finding a manual transmission in a used car is easy, cause it ain't!

 

We are each entitled to our opinions I have never once said that people who drive autos cant drive stick, I said I would not hire someone who could not drive stick. How somewhere in this thread someone put forth the suggestion that schools allow training with autos. If you want to read something else into that so be it I cant stop you from doing so. I have 7 trucks none of them have autos, the only truck in the fleet that is an auto is the wife's she wanted an 18 speed auto with a clutch that is what she got. She can drive any truck anyone wants to put her in. She has alot more driving experience than I have, in more types of equipment than I do. I however am the one buying the trucks and hiring the drivers. Last thing I am going to do is take on someone with no or little stick experience and have to train them on how to drive my equipment. There is also a snow flake chance in hell that I am going to buy another auto. One 7000.00 bill for the electronics in one is enough.

 

Are you implying those of us from NJ have some type of built in attitude for being shall we say 'blunt' or 'very straight forward'

 

I keep seeing the argument that there is less control with an auto, that's simply not true! If you can't control it you don't know how to operate it! A professional driver should be able to master any gearbox with a little practise, I drive auto and syncro and have driven straight cut gears too, none of them are hard to drive and when you get used to them autos are no less controllable, I'd even go as far as saying that new types like the new ishift is more controllable than a manual, it's just a case of practise, controlling with your hand instead of your foot,

 

Yup, I am happy. If you go back and read my posts you'll see that this entire time you and I were in agreement, that knowing how to drive a manual is necessary, but driving one as your day-in-day-out rig isn't a requirement.

I never said this guy had to go find a company to drive a 9, 10, 13, 15, or 18-speed at, but, that he should know how to drive a manual, if nothing else, for his own benefit and potential within the industry.

 

and you have now shown that you don't know squat about auto shifts. Shift motors are $800 for a set and if you know what your doing ccan be swapped out on the side of the road in under 20 minutes with a 3/8 dr. socket set, BTDT, hell, did it on the side of the road 3 weeks ago.

 

Calling BS on this, $2k for a minor repair, what minor repair cost $2,000. But, your entire comment sounds like poor driving habits, you were in a rush to shift into reverse to avoid an accident and somehow, that was the transmissions fualt.

 

and I know a dirt hauling company in my area that has gone entirely to Mack M-drive push button automatics, 50 trucks all in the last year (with more on order) and another dirt hauling company that runs Pete's and KW day cabs, half with autoshift and half with manuals, oh and all the run if from the Denver area to a gravel pit in the MOUNTAINS, 40 miles W. of town, they are also permitted to 84,000 lbs and run it regularly. I know a large mail hualing company, more than 400 trucks, 80% are I-shift Volvos, M-drive Macks, or Eaton/Fuller autoshift equipped Macks. They run 48 states, since our Mack salesman is also theirs, we hear all stories from them, hell the two company owners talk from time to time. Apparently, at least according to you and others, he's an idiot for buying these trucks......wow, I'd sure love to be an idiot who trades in 40 trucks every 3 years and on brand new ones, spec'd the exact same every single time because they are reliable. Must be nice to be that kind of an idiot, I'm curious, with your exp., you must own a fleet of what, 4,000 or 5,000 trucks. Ooops, now we know, it's only 7 trucks and you had exp. with ONE AUTOMATIC~your words not mine.

I'm curious, since "doodad" mean higher costs, have you ripped out your electronic controlled engine? cruise control? or ABS?

 

I learned how to drive a 13 spd. manual on the fly, taking a truck from Colorado to Fla. for the Air Force, the basics are the basics, just had to figure out that extra button, within an hr or two of shifting on a backroad I had it down.

 

um, no, depends on the train, but most have a rotating shift lever that goes through 8 to 10 gears