Why do veteran truckers belittle automatic transmission truckers when automatic is safer than manual ?

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Responsible_Egg_3260@reddit

Nah fuck modern trucks. Give me a 15 year old Kenworth any day. I don't need adaptive braking, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control.

How did we survive as a society without all these pointless safety features?!?!

If you're relying on modern safety features to keep you on the road, you're a shit driver.

Downvote away

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I agree 100%. Call me washed up, call me boomer, I don't care. Facts are facts. Automatic anything is boring. I love the feel of the power of the drivetrain thru the gearshift, and no fuckin' automatic can do that. The driver is in control, not a box of capacitors and computerized bits and bobs.

And who wants to be in a vehicle that shifts for you? If you can't handle the job of driving a truck, don't make it a special thing because you are too dumb to figure clutch n shift.

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J0nn_D03@reddit

I can drive a manual, but I'll tell you one thing: i prefer automatic, and that's what I'm buying if I ever go into business on my own. It's a lot to manage when you're already managing this 80ft vehicle and it's tandems. Doesn't make you soft to drive one, makes you smart because you don't have to manage this major factor.

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bossdark101@reddit

Small dick syndrome, and boomers that are afraid of change.

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RudeOrSarcasticPt2@reddit

Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one and no one wants to hear yours.

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bossdark101@reddit

Too bad, you read it didn't ya.

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richardfitserwell@reddit

Autos aren inherently safer. They just allow tech to fill in the blanks for shitty drivers. But a bad driver is still a bad driver. I started on a 13 went to a 10 and now I drive an auto, They are stupid but unfortunately they are less stupid than the lowest denominator. so fleets still buy them so they can get cheaper drivers.

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East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

You don’t even press the gas pedal. You just push the button on the steering wheel and hold the steering wheel and it adjusts the speed . That’s modern safety and no way I would drive a truck that does not have that . Now the 2027 trucks already have self driving that even steers itself

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RudeOrSarcasticPt2@reddit

If a standard transmission is too difficult to work,, maybe trucking isn't for you.

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richardfitserwell@reddit

Blindly Relying on tech is exactly the issue. You set the cruise to 65 with the hysteresis at 68 then the 3 mph “smart throttle” buffer now you’re going down a hill you hit 71 the computer decides to downshift and apply the Jake’s but the downshift lets you roll to to 76 by the time it grabs the gear and now you’re 11 mph over your target speed and you’re unaware cause you’re just trusting the tech.

This is exactly why manuals are safer.

Let off the gas and jakes come on, you maintain speed no need to downshift 2-3 times just for the engine brake either. Just let it ride.

Then you’re at the bottom and again “smart” throttle lets you roll down to 60 before getting on the gas again.

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East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

Everything you said when it’s just press of the minus button 5 times when going downhill does all that . You are exactly the same as these veteran truckers who belittle new drivers . New drivers know how to use tech , you don’t

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richardfitserwell@reddit

I’m in a 25 cascadia, I know how all of it works, which is exactly why I choose not to use it.

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Commiefornian@reddit

Ever driven an auto with a faulty transmission?

I can drive a manual with a failed clutch. The computer can’t do that, you have to park it and get towed. Better hope it didn’t fail while you’re heavily loaded on a downhill.

Another exciting problem I’ve encountered is an auto getting stuck in gear due to an electronic fault. Say you’re cruising along at 55mph in 12th, and the truck decides that it’s not going to shift anymore. It’ll clutch in and out of the gear it’s in, but it won’t drop gears. You have to try to coast into a safe spot to park, and power cycle the truck to reset the computer. If safe parking can’t be coasted into, you have to burn up the clutch, lug the shit out of the engine, and probably stall the fucker in the middle of the road.

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Elgiard@reddit

I think the sentiment is that it's more difficult to learn how to drive a manual transmission, therefore someone who knows how to drive one must have learned at least something, as opposed to how some of these shady companies operate nowadays where they will stick anybody with a pulse in a truck and toss them a set of keys on their way out of the yard. Also, automatic transmissions are much more common currently, whereas manual transmissions were more common in the past, meaning that someone who drives a manual has probably been doing this longer than someone who drives an automatic. But I could be wrong.

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shadowmib@reddit

I learned on manual but my company has all auto and frankly i like it better for everything except backing into a dock

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Quelix_@reddit

Honestly, even backing up i still prefer automatic. Have zero experience with docks, I've been flatbed since i got my cdl. The time i wish i was in a manual is when I'm on some of these sketchy ass hills in the middle of nowhere that aren't asphalt.

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HipKat2000@reddit

Having never driven an automatic, what is it about backing into docks?

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SaltAndBitter@reddit

Having to feather the throttle, only for the stupid ass computer to dump the clutch and lurch you into 5 feet into the dock at Mach Fuck

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xrbxwingless@reddit

Some trans sits in "neutral" while you're slowly applying the throttle, the finally it engages and jumps 3ft, slamming you into the dock like an idiot.

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CordovaFlawless@reddit

To add to that, finessing backing between 2 other rigs in tight spaces, where inces matter. We are a small company so thankfully we have all manuals with only one automatic thats a back up truck. I don't care for automatics at all and i feel less engaged with the rig.

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HipKat2000@reddit

Oh, ugh!

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shadowmib@reddit

You don't have as much control on your speed. With the manual you can feather the clutch and get the precise speed you want. With the automatic it will lurch into gear sometimes even switch on fast reverse and you go flying backwards like a maniac when you were only trying to move back 3 ft

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Such_Pickle_908@reddit

I was having this exact same thought, today, as i was backing.

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BackstrokeVictim@reddit

I drive auto but know how to drive a manual. I refuse to use a manual until my company offers to insure my rotator cuff.

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richardfitserwell@reddit

That sounds like a carpenter who refuses to swing a hammer

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CarPatient@reddit

Dude that’s no joke. I go back-and-forth between a 25-year-old FL 60 and 11-year-old M.2 and my neck and shoulder gets messed up each time. I have to switch for more than a day…

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Western-Willow-9496@reddit

I’ve been doing this for 35 years and love the automated shift that I’ve had for the last three years.

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chakatsilvertail@reddit

I learned in manual, currently driving an auto but it lives in manual mode on the highway It still has massive hesitation in shifting at low speeds. I can step on the throttle and do a full 5 count before it decides to actually move

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richardfitserwell@reddit

Or when it decides 8th is an acceptable gear down to 10 mph then when you hit the gas you roll to a stop before it chooses a gear

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RothonTalvanen@reddit

That always drives me nuts when it happens to me.

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chakatsilvertail@reddit

I also miss having the ability to move the truck a literal inch... And do a snow rocking crawl....

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CarPatient@reddit

Why anybody puts those in heavy duty wreckers is beyond me… especially in places where you have to chain up and get off road

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WubbaWubbaBoingBoing@reddit

he isnt going to learn how to drive a 1 stick or a twin stick. automatics safer? how so? cause the transmission has a retarder? i dont think so. i see more peeps in the run away truck ramps more than ever with these new trucks. so i left what i said because thats what i said. not my fault big companies are pumping out these kinda truckers out of their company ran trucks schools. i never seen so many trash trucks on the road, and thats what we stick drivers called them back in the day cause only trucks that had automatics were the trash trucks running around the cities picking up trash. I drove a 68 359 with a 6 and a 4 all the way up till i retired. i did the Rockies, the Sierra Nevada's, the Grapevine, the Rock, Truckee, The Snoqualmie pass, The gap and a few others. but these automatics are putting many non professionals behind the wheel, thus my previous response to the OP. the culture shift and these trucks and the trucking companies pumping out these kind of drivers is insane. do you feel safer with these people rolling down the Highways? i sure dont. first thing i do when i go out and pass me a truck is i look at the sign on the side of the rig itself and look at whats driving it. Gimmie an old rattlepillar and a twin stick over these new and improved expensive plastic trucks with their bleep bloops any day and ill run by ya and wave while ya still trying to pass another one just like you doing .00024 mph faster than him. feel safer? naw. more like more hinderance and traffic jams.

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Norsedragoon@reddit

There are very few actual truck schools anymore, just cdl puppy mills barely getting them a pass on their own companies testers then slapping them to mega carriers where they have low odds of being taught anything by 'trainers' who see them as just extra miles.

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post_mah_bone@reddit

I've seen plenty of doofus ass manual drivers cutting people off, and generally driving badly. Plus they're mostly the dimwits who will switch prematurely when they see a hill thinking they're gonna whiz on by hauling kool aid while I'm hauling water heaters only weigh 14k. The future is now old man.

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Lokisworkshop@reddit

I feel as if you have not had to drive a manual. You feel the truck, you become part of it almost, you are not only holding the wheel you are bringing it to speed, downshifting for safety, its just safer because you become much more aware of your vehicle.

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Back_woods_Boss@reddit

Automatic transmission trucks are not safer than manuals. With Automatic transmission trucks the majority now, we are having more accidents than ever. Manuals made you safer because you actually have to pay attention to what you're doing. The only place autos have an advantage is stop and go traffic.

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zdw0986@reddit

The sentiment is any dummy can drive an auto where you actually need to learn how to operate the truck in order to run a manual trans. I learned in a manual but have driven nothing but autos since being on my own aside from a brief 6 month stint in a 4 axle 18sp manual

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Least-Relation-9847@reddit

Question for those drivers who started their careers on manuals but switched over to automatics: The first few times you got into a new truck with an automatic and started it up, did you stomp on the floor with your left foot because you were instinctively trying to depress a clutch pedal that was no longer there?

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polarjunkie@reddit

both your hands are always on the steering wheel

based on looking at other drivers I thought an automatic freed up a hand for your phone.

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_GRUMPY_@reddit

The majority of the companies rely on technology instead of good old fashioned training.

Automatics are great for city driving but I would much rather have a manual when I am running thru the mountain areas.

As far as the safety features. The feature that automatically applies brakes can cause accidents on slippery roads.

I been doing this for so long and I am not alone but a lot of that beeping and buzzing is just a distraction.

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IBringTheHeat2@reddit

Even in mountains I prefer autos. Just hold down the gas and she’ll climb and throw on the Jake’s and she’ll downshift. Seen plenty of dudes in manuals miss a shift going up hill and come to a near dead stop

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L0quence@reddit

Cause they didn’t get right training or fully understand how to utilize the splitter so they don’t miss that shift.

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hoggy0315@reddit

Driving a 2024 t880 with an Allison 7 speed and I do a lot of off highway, I can confirm the anti roll braking took some getting used to, but now that I have a feel for the threshold it's a nice feature. also the traction control is junk, the only thing that will help are the guys that can't figure out how to feather the throttle, and even then it'll still get them stuck in a situation training would have gotten them out of.

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L0quence@reddit

Thing is tho, I don’t think as many of drivers would be out here on their gd phones if they had to drive manual. And the automatics with all the fancy lane departure assist and collision assist and what not are definitely not safer.

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stevenmacarthur@reddit

Many "veteran" drivers will belittle anything new they are confronted with: when I drove transit, many old timers would yak about how there wasn't a mirror on the curb side of the bus "back in my day," instead of, I dunno, being grateful there was one now?

It's the same mentality where many said they would quit the industry when CDLs started being issued...or ELDs...or 53 ft trailers...

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Troubador222@reddit

Ima veterendriver and I love my auto

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

I'm an auto restricted driver, the reason being is because automatic trucks allow more people to become truck drivers that have no business being behind the wheel. It waters down the industry.

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Summersong2262@reddit

It's not like manual gears are much of an obstacle though.

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

That's like me saying that driving through a blizzard empty is easy, but for you it might not be.

Automatics make for more complacent drivers too, not all, but more, and complacency kills.

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HeywoodJaBlowMe123@reddit

If we are talking about complacency, a large percent is the old heads that say they’ve been truckin’ for 20 years. Typically you see newer drivers actually utilizing GOAL. Old heads i don’t even see them stick their head out the window, until they hit a pole. Complacency hits the hardest in this career when you think you know it all.

You know what I see amongst manual and auto drivers? Phone usage. The subreddit is going to bury me in downvotes, but if you REALLY want to tackle complacency behind the wheel… unfortunately it starts with all trucks requiring inward facing cams. If you still decide to use your phone… good luck with that footage in the court room.

Too many drivers lack integrity without a camera pointed at them. Do i believe that cameras should be 100% reworked to not record 24/7, off duty, etc? Yes. But if we are talking issues and solutions… There’s a solution.

Nobody can seriously say the solution is to get rid of all auto trucks. In what world? That’s never going to happen, so that doesn’t make it a viable solution.

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

I never said we should get rid of auto trucks?

I can agree that inward cameras could help out, but it could do also do the opposite in some cases. It's a give and take with whatever you decide to do in the name of safety.

You definitely can't be a know it all in this field, or not GOAL if you need to because of your pride.

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Accomplished-Cat-632@reddit

Why in the F. KING WORLD do you won’t inward facing cameras. Provide evidence for a law suit, anything you do before the accident will make you look guilty. Yes your honey I sneezed 3 minutes before the car blew through the red light and T boned my truck. What I was distracted. What about the red light runner. Oh he has NO camera so no evidence to dispute his claim. Only lawyers like inward cameras. And company executives looking on blaming you for any reason to fire you instead of laying you off

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HeywoodJaBlowMe123@reddit

Calm down. If a driver blew through a red light and T boned you, it’s not necessary to get the car’s dash cam/POV. The evidence is in your dash cam showing you have the right away.

Also, sneezing is not classified as “distracted driving” and that could not possibly hold up in court anyways (Unless you hiring someone to represent you from TEMU).

Yes, i agree, can do more harm than good (That’s essentially what you’re trying to paint here. Just a very poor… scenario). Message received. Calm down, though.

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Accomplished-Cat-632@reddit

Cameras was the issue. Inward camera. Poster thought they were a good idea ,I was disputing his reasoning as false. Giving him a scenario my company went through, No more inward facing cameras.

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HeywoodJaBlowMe123@reddit

Your company went through that? Like a driver sneezed 3 times going through a green light, while someone else ran a red light and T-boned the truck driver? Then fired him?

That’s either the worst company i’ve ever heard or you likely heard the story from someone else and you don’t actually know what happened. The telephone game with truck drivers in a single company is hilarious sometimes. Or hell, maybe i’m wrong. They fired a driver for going through a green light (sneezing doesn’t really make a difference here if he’s getting Tboned from a red light runner. He’s getting Tboned regardless if he sneezed or not).

Story just doesn’t make any sense to me.

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Accomplished-Cat-632@reddit

Okay. Referring to the ridiculous use of fucking inward facing camera that does nothing but provide evidence for opposing lawyers. Nobody got fired. But companies due use them against there own drivers as safety infractions.

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danDotDev@reddit

I was told my a friend who drove for US Express that they pulled all their cameras because their lawyers said it was too hard to win lawsuits.

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HeywoodJaBlowMe123@reddit

Not necessarily you saying to get rid of auto trucks. And i agree, letting pride take over causes way more harm/damage.

And yes i agree, does have potential to do the opposite. Really depends on scenarios/context.

I don’t know any other solutions that would seriously stop truck drivers from using their phones and driving.

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

Unfortunately there'll never be a 100% fix

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Summersong2262@reddit

I think driving stick isn't actually that hard. New drivers learn how to every day. Yes, you have a few hours at the start where it's hell, but that passes and it becomes srcond nature.

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

You're missing the point

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Summersong2262@reddit

Your point as I understand it is that learning to drive manual dissuades some incompetent drivers from causing problems on the road, because needing to know how to drive stick is beyond them, so they give up and get jobs NOT driving big trucks.

I don't think that's sound, because I don't think a manual vehicle requirement is a very high one, certainly not compared to getting any sort of truck licence in general.

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AsphaltPirate74@reddit

That, but also, are you going to find a manual driver with his feet on the dash while he watches a movie and has the cruise control on? Just one example of complacency that you can get away with being an automatic driver.

What do you think would be the best way to make safer and more aware drivers?

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Atony94@reddit

You're correct but as someone who just had their first day on the road at CDL school with a manual all I can say is I will hear grinding gears when I go to sleep tonight.

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jmcdaniel0@reddit

Once you do it for a bit, you will be able to do it by feel. No clutch needed.

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WackoMcGoose@reddit

I've only ever driven stick once in my life, in my dad's old pickup... Still remember the dumbfounded mechanic's face when they realized that I had, in a scientific sense, managed to literally atomize his clutch (like, they actually brought out a geiger counter looking for decay products).

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Responsible_Egg_3260@reddit

It is for some people lmao

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MrGreenYo@reddit

I dont bother myself with what other people think. Im home daily to see my family, and make 130-150k a year. Couldn't care less what a washed up "old school" driver thinks.

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Gonzotrucker1@reddit

I just don’t like them. Especially for hard backs.

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MrRager69@reddit

I don’t think they are better in adverse weather. Went to school in northern state and most of the drivers preferred manual. I live in the south so we hardly get snow or ice but when we do we’re not working cause the roads don’t get prepped so haven’t driven a manual since my state test

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mike-2129@reddit

Who actually drives with 2 on the wheel? And all the safety features arent really needed. They make it more unsafe in my opinion. Your truck ever decide hey object slam on brakes? Or hey car ahead slow down rapidly when theres a car in a different lane. Or all that loud ass buzzing and lights. Yeah that shit ain't safe. Especially in bad weather conditions. And as for as automatic vs manual. Auto is good for high traffic. It'll save your leg. But other than that its boring as hell and sucks in snow and ice.

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TruckinTuba@reddit

Two hands on the wheel doesn't necessarily mean it better, personally I feel like the automatica don't have the control thay a manual offers. I've gone down numerous hills in an auto that kept forcing me into gears I didn't like and that didn't work for my speed. There's a reason most Alaska haul road trucks are manual

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Federal-Service-4949@reddit

Bad drivers drove manuals as well. Auto shift trucks save companies so much money otherwise they wouldn’t buy them. It’s just that simple. I started my career driving manuals and fell in love with automatics just because of the relief my left knee got driving thru city traffic. They aren’t going away. Deal with it.

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Starbuck_tim@reddit

They save money til it’s time to replace a tranny. Then all they saved goes out the window with the cost versus a manual. 40000 versus 7000.

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yycTechGuy@reddit

It doesn't cost $40K to replace an automated transmission.

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PlsCheckThisBush@reddit

Yes…it does. When we deliver a brand new truck and the automatic transmission goes out on the way there they total the truck because it’s >$40k to replace it and program the new one and run all the new ECUs. It’s literally a throwaway truck from the start. PACCAR themselves would rather build an entire new truck and ship it to the customer and let that truck go to a junkyard/auction instead of replacing a transmission.

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PlsCheckThisBush@reddit

There’s over a dozen reasons I can list for both pros and cons of each transmission. But the overwhelming problem is the false sense of confidence automatics give under-qualified and untalented drivers.

Flying into the truck stop at 45mph? Fuck it I’ll just hit the brakes when I need to. Coming up on traffic at full speed? Fuck it the truck will downshift and brake for me, no need to play with the accelerator walking down gears to keep a safe following distance. Going through the mountains? Fuck it I’ll just let the truck roll until it’s scary then I’ll let it figure out the whole engine braking and gears thing.

Before autos folks weren’t rolling up to the pumps at 30mph then slamming on the brakes unless it was an emergency. We’ve successfully lowered the bar enough so that anyone with a pulse can drive these 80,000 pound death missiles and crammed enough obnoxious safety features in there so everyone feels better about it.

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SufferedMage936@reddit

When the auto trys to upshift going down a hill with the engine brake on and the truck gains to much speed for it's slow shifting and is now flashing in neutral flying towards the stop sign and lake after the T intersection is one of the many reasons I don't trust a computer to be safer than my hands

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Captain_Wag@reddit

You can also prevent that by using manual mode. It caught me off guard the first time, but after that I knew to expect it and it wasn't a big deal.

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SufferedMage936@reddit

If the solution to the automatic doing stupid shit is to put it in a manual mode then just give me the damn stick back

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Captain_Wag@reddit

Nah it's not the same. Having an automatic 99% of the time is prefered. With these modern autos I can easily deal with stop and go traffic in auto and when I hit the mountains I put her in manual. With a manual you're stuck changing gears in stop and go traffic.

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or when the paver operator get knocked off the paver because the automatic can't reverse steady and ease to a stop

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or when the truck upshifts 100 ft before the hill and now you're hitting the bottom of the grade at 1100rpm without boost instead of 1600rpm with 30+ pounds of boost and have to crawl to the top impeding traffic flow

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or when is dumps itself in neutral while slowing to a red light/ stop sign instead of continuing to use the engine brake down to a stop causing more unnecessary brake usage and wear

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or when you're stuck in a mud hole and can't rock your why out because it won't shift between forward and reverse fast enough so you need tow and a tow bill

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or just in the snow and ice not being in full control of the a truck with a mind of it's own

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yycTechGuy@reddit

Put the transmission in manual mode.

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SufferedMage936@reddit

Or when the auto just gives up and says clutch abuse on the dash leaving you stranded in the middle of a intersection because it won't let it's air clutch out fast enough to be actually in a gear when you try dragging 110000 pounds around a turn up hill from a stop

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cfgman1@reddit

GPS and automatic trucks are what allowed the flood of low quality drivers to enter the market and lower pay.

Economists call this deskilling, where technology lowers the barrier to entry so significantly that a task moves from "professional craft" to "standard work."

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xtankeryanker@reddit

Because they’re not safer. They can’t see the snow on road or the bicycle coming down the sidewalk. They can’t rush a shift when you really need to get out of a situation in a hurry or shift down 3 gears at once when you really need to stay out of a situation. It’s just a dumb machine doing dumb things and a skilled driver with a manual transmission can operate more efficiently and more safely with less stress on the truck as a whole.

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PuffsBulk@reddit

Because they think they’re cool reality is unless your hauling extremely oversized loads your just doing extra unnecessary work that an automatic can do for you. They think of it as something to brag about like they have more skill because of it even though most people who get their cdl get it with a manual so they don’t get the automatic only restriction on their license and can do it also but choose not to because why deal with the extra hassle.

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corn0099@reddit

we all are in it to make some peanuts to survive to the next day.simply put ego,it dont matter what you drive as long as your being safe.safety has to do with the operator not the truck

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Starbuck_tim@reddit

Price one. A friend just paid more than that for theirs.

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Wanheda0641@reddit

How can you say automatic is safer than manual? How is that a for sure statement? Have you ever driven both in snow and ice? Have you ever had to backup in tight spots with both? I would much rather drive a manual than an automatic any day. I’d also rather have an old truck than a new one with all of these “safety” features.

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Rat_King1972@reddit

Some days I have to drive a Volvo with one of their heavy duty automated manuals and I’ll tell you that thing is a hazard on the road. Jerky as possible and the inability to skip gears like a standard makes it very very slow from a stop.

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Wanheda0641@reddit

I just hate backing in automatic trucks. It’s always all or nothing. Seems impossible to just ease back nice and slow.

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WubbaWubbaBoingBoing@reddit

let me explain it from a retired trucker perspective. its not that we hate you persay. Its not automatics are actually safer either. its that most of what i see out there is drivers relying on the bleep bloops, GPS and going on routes that were never meant for trucks. Ya on the Phone while driving, watching a GPS screen and reliant on cruise control even in bad road conditions causing these " pile ups" that rarely happened back when i was driving. Also the speed to road conditions ratio is worse now. you guys rely on that radar in the bumper to slow you down in traffic and keep using cruise control in these kind of conditions. its the little companies that keep changing their names pulling big company trailers so people think, ooo its a swifty, or JB, or Schneider or some other big name company did a big oops. When it was a little sub contractor company that did it. Also we see drivers doing u-turns in places we never would have.

The Culture has changed quite a bit. Hardly anyone uses a cb anymore, we see you guys glued to a GPS screen, phone screen, Parking lots over jammed with people that cant park between lines taking up 2 spots. You guys dress like you are going to the beach and look very unprofessional. like really? tank top, flip flops and shorts in the winter? dont even bother to comb you mops on your head. I went into a truck stop the other day. i havent been in one in years since retiring and not a drop of coffee to be found anywhere (Flying J in Springfield MO) with 3-4 red shirts with their Secret Service ear pieces in having a pow wow in the middle of the store. like ya, i was like i have never seen a truck stop with no coffee EVER. ya all leave blinker fluid bottles everywhere and trash the truck stops so now allot of them charge for parking. so ya the entire culture has switched to "i dont care i do my own thing". there used to be a brotherhood of us and now its gone. and i wouldnt say these new trucks are safer at all. you get in a wreak and the hoods pop open, the one piece wind shields fall out and the entire cab and sleeper are basically plastic with aluminum sheeting over some parts. the whole industry is over managed by 3 gov agencies when before it was 1. its beyond over regulated now. so with that, i could go on and on but you have yourselves to blame for allowing companies to take advantage of you. pay wages are still 35 cents- 38 cents a mile for a dry freight company driver. thats less than 1997 wages. like how do you even afford to eat on that? so with that. i could go on about a whole lot more, but i already wasted enough time typing this mess out.

From a twin stick retired drivers point of view.

Old Cb Handle was Mr Blue Sky.

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jmcdaniel0@reddit

Who’s paying .38?! I need a new job

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Horus_Whistler@reddit

Cause the gay and like to play with long hard shafts.

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duhrun@reddit

Limited experience person knows it all, seen the pic of the trainee dropped in parking lot? Thats a good meme for ya.

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Southtxranching@reddit

They are definitely not safer!

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humpthedog@reddit

Yeah I have no idea where they came up with that. More fuel efficient yes but safer is an odd term

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nanneryeeter@reddit

Automatica were absolute shit when they tried them in winch trucks. You need to make movements of inches and the stupid things always want to take off. If you two foot it to override it sends it into clutch abuse.

Autos fail, fail, and fail more in my experience. Not reliable. Always some fault with the transmission. Replace a 2-3 foot section of steel with computers, electro mechanical parts, air valves, etc. I know when I go to shift I will shift. The auto might shift. They're also slow as hell and cannot predict, only react.

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Early_Club_9762@reddit

I’ve been driving 32 years and company I’m with is all automatic. I prefer manual but neither is beneath me. I’m no better than anyone else out here and no worse. The one time that I truly wish I had manual is in snow and ice. Safty features and automatic transmission makes it so I get stuck easier. And it’s harder to get unstuck.

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MostOriginalNameEver@reddit

I'm yet to have the safety feature save me in a close call. But there have been a few instances where my brakes lock up for no fucking reason, creating a situation I have to correct unexpectedly

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bobbylou18@reddit

Drivers of auto transmissions are more likely to foot brake than engine brake. They are also more likely to speed. I drive an auto locally but when I’m loaded, it’s in “M” 50% of the time because the software can’t see hills coming and will shift at the worst times.

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RobsHereAgain@reddit

I wouldn’t belittle anyone but it’s good to know how to drive the manual transmission trucks. They’re all a little different too.

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tvieno@reddit

Why I don't like my automatic: after I drop a trailer, it takes about 4 miles of city driving for it to learn that I don't need to start in 2nd gear and not 5th. (Yes, I know I can manually start it in 5th, though I prefer 4th but that defeats the purpose of driving an automatic).

Then on the same side of that coin, I will hook up to a loaded trailer, and now the truck wants to start in 5th. 🤦

What I like about it: in city traffic, I don't have to put down my sandwich as a accelerate out of a traffic light.

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merv1985@reddit

The early version of the automatic and automated transmission had issues while backing. They could back as smooth as manual version. Especially while back the truck to connect to the trailer.

In the late 2000's only a few big companies used to run them. FIRC US express and Maverick were the ones.

The Mega companies shifted to auto trans in the late 2010's once all the kinks were worked out.

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Everheart1955@reddit

I went for a job driving a B Model Mack once. 15 speeds with 3 speed compound. You shifted by sticking your arm through the wheel and catching the shifter. Thank God that sucker had such a low gear ratio.

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iRunLikeTheWind@reddit

I saw a guy on here that was calling everyone that had electric tarps for their dump trailers pussies. He got out and manually cranked his! People just be thinking anything man

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InvestigatorBroad114@reddit

Auto trucks are for door dummies that have an E restriction on their CDL. If you drive an auto but can drive a manual that’s ok but if you can drive a manual there is some skill to it and means you learned something and can multitask while driving.

Anyone can drive an automatic, truck drivers can drive a 10,13,15,18 speed or whatever….

I myself prefer manual and currently drive a manual truck and would never willingly take an auto over my current truck. I have more control on grades, haul heavy anyway, and just really enjoy floating gears

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One-War4920@reddit

26yrs trucking, about 5 of them automatic and autoshifts

There's nowhere i can't or haven't gone in an auto. I love em.

20% hills? 200,000# gross? No problem.

Would take one tmmw in a heartbeat (as long as it's deleted)

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Txctydrver@reddit

Most Newer drivers aren't smart enough to use a 9,10,13,18 speed manual transmission. They can't even handle a 4 speed in a car.

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Tsars_Ball_Scrubber@reddit

This entire thread is making me realise how shit American auto transmissions are compared to the rest of the world

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Frenchie1001@reddit

Autos aren't safer and tend to make less safe drivers.

Plus they are annoying as fuck in any situation outside heavy traffic

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Jermaphobe456@reddit

> you are actually safer with automatic because both your hands are always on the steering wheel , plus there are also lots of safety features with modern trucks like adaptive cruise control

These are such weak arguments in favor of automatics it's insulting. Any driver worth their salt isn't gonna have issues with maintaining control of the steering wheel in an auto or a manual, and adaptive cruise control will slow you down too much and makes you an active hazard on the freeway. It may work fine on some truck models but on the fleet International LTs and Freightliner Cascadias I drive, it's terrible.

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Voxicles@reddit

Just gatekeepering assholes, really. I did my test in a manual, I know how to drive one. My first truck was the last and only manual in our fleet.

Since that old piece of shit, I’ve had two automatics; my ‘20 freighter I got at 100k miles made it to 650k before the electrical gremlins became too much for the company to keep her going. My current truck, a ‘23 freighter I got brand new is currently at 750k miles, with a few gremlins and a blown radiator a few months ago, but other than that has been solid.

Having the auto manual option is great (and my only demand with my company). I drive through snow and mud and know how to work it. Yep, it’s “poser” manual, but I can still get everything done just fine.

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Super_Sphontaine@reddit

Ok looking at this from an objective standpoint 9/10 driving a manual truck will not get you any more pay than a auto driver obviously taking into account heavy haul and other specialized disciplines of trucking and at the end of the day thats what i care about the most does this job pay me enough to make sure my wife and son has food on the table any thing else after that is whatever i couldnt care less what an old head has to say because 1 things for sure they dont sign my check

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Molten_Baco@reddit

Because people depend on those safety features and don’t take as much responsibility for their own actions as a driver who has complete control over the vehicle.

Also I haul fuel and I can tell you being in my first automatic ever… it’s fucking stupid.

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lex_1005@reddit

i got my cdl no restrictions anybody talking shit about newer automatics i’m convince they just like to feel something long and hard in their hands to make the days go by quicker 🤣

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planetbuster@reddit

automatic is not 'safer'

the ONLY positive thing autos offer is slightly higher mpg, on average, compared to a stick but even then it can be damn close depending on the driver.

everything else about an auto objectively sucks. damn things surge too much, shift too often, twitch and jerk like that one drunk girl at house parties, on and on. and yeah putting the automatic in manual mode sorta kinda addresses a couple of these things, but not very well, plus its kinda poser shit tbh.

as long as youre not hauling heavy get a good condition 13 speed and you'll be all set, driver.

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Ok_Bug_6470@reddit

Also the compressors on the auto truck s are absolute dogshit

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jadedshibby@reddit

The first you times you have to call a wrecker to get out of snow or mud negate that fuel savings real quick too.

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CakewalkNOLA@reddit

Right? Ever tried to rock an automatic? Probably tip: it doesn't work.

Then again, I'm mad at my automatic because reverse went out on me Thursday and she's been in the shop since then for "software issues". Never had a manual do that to me.

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jadedshibby@reddit

Schneider gave us single-axle-drive 1st gen automatics during a Midwest winter one year. The tow company guys definetly all bought houses that year.

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Baconated-Coffee@reddit

I would have to argue against automatics being safer. Manual trucks don't have adaptive cruise control or automatic braking. While both are good safety features it allows for complacency. Many drivers are distracted behind the wheel and rely on safety features to slow them down or give a lane departure warning. Driving a manual truck will force you to be more attentive to your driving. You won't have something to automatically slow you down when getting too close to the vehicle in front of you. You will also drive smoother during congested traffic and areas with a lot of traffic lights to minimize shifting. That not only increases safety for you but for those around you. The additional safety features found in automatic trucks are often negated by poor driving habits that aren't as prevalent with manual drivers.

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acs0311@reddit

I drive an 18 speed manual with 2 speed rears that has adaptive cruise and collision mitigation/adaptive braking. Those features are not exclusive to autos.

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shadowmib@reddit

They have nothing else going for them in life so they have to talk shit about people to make themselves feel good.

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FAYMKONZ@reddit

Why does everyone belittle me for riding my bicycle with training wheels when its safer than riding without them?

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BedAdministrative619@reddit

The only time I need two hands to control the wheel is while maneuvering in the yard, unless the weather is a combination of ice and wind above 50 mph. Also, many of the modern safety systems are best used with caution. I am an automatic driver, but sometimes I have to turn off the various computer controlled systems in the name of safety. My latest is when the truck starts arguing with itself. The lane centering will decide on a path and veer to the right. The lane departure system will see the deliberate shift to the right and decide that the truck is out of control and jerk the wheel to the left and tighten the steering to keep me from rapidly correcting the issue. Having automatic system is great, but dont forget how to make the decisions yourself.

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Ok_Bug_6470@reddit

It’s not safer. We don’t belittle anyone. It is a way to transition drivers into not being drivers and autonomous trucks becoming u Iquitos. Both your hands on the wheel doesn’t mean safer. Adaptive cruise causes many accidents bc of drivers going asleep. With standard transmissions the driver is always engaged with what the truck is doing and the flow of traffic around them. The auto transmission trucks help drivers that aren’t good enough to shift haul freight. And that’s fine. But they focused on a third of the industry when dealing with data and ignored the rest. It’s the way it is. But if you can drive and shift a semi then you kind of proved yourself that you know what you’re doing. If not then it’s a little scary that you have to learn to drive around the public. Doesn’t matter what I think but you asked. Those people you are referring to don’t exist. They’re gatekeepers and probably have a family member that drove.

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Indentured-peasant@reddit

Super Trucker DNA

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badmechanic12345@reddit

I dont see how it's safer, I am in control of my speed uphill and down as im in the gear I want/need to be in, not what gear or out of gear ( looking at you freightliner 12 speed) it decides to be in going downhill

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Row30@reddit

Unless the company (yes you Marten) has disabled the “manual” option in your auto-trans, you can choose a gear you want and it stays there until you change it. There’s some pretty cool features to an auto-trans, if you explore them instead of just letting it do its thing. Make it work for YOU.

Me? I’ll choose a manual over an auto-trans when I can

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sam367537@reddit

Manual is only useful if you are going uphill or downhill with heavy loads , anyone complaining should try to use manual in traffic and see them go insane

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RoadRatzzz@reddit

Most of my career is with a manual.....boss put me in a new truck with auto.....sometimes I miss the manual but is all good.

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Exciting-Car-3516@reddit

Safer? Lol

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RothonTalvanen@reddit

Unpopular opinion, but OP does have a point.

That said, I definitely agree that the proliferation of autos has helped opened the door to a lot of folks who really don't need to be driving a truck, or at all really.

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devilinblue22@reddit

Part of that responsibility has to be on the companies though. They choose to cycle shit drivers through, which are never around to get even close to their companies max pay, instead of invest in their safe, successful, and senior guys.

And also the dogshit schools who only train you to pass the tests, and not to actually drive, and finally, the testing boards themselves.

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RothonTalvanen@reddit

Yeah, I'm with you there.

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Captain_Wag@reddit

Adaptive cruise control is cool to have, but that usually means you also get a computer automatically braking for you at random intervals. If you've ever been driving in a snowy/icy/wet area and had your brakes fully engaged because the computer sees a fucking ghost in the middle of the road at 3am you'll understand why they aren't safe. First time it happened to me my heart was beating out of my chest like a cartoon character. Really wakes you up.

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Kershaws_Tasty_Ruben@reddit

Something to note.

Class 8 tractors don’t have automatic transmissions.

They have automated transmissions.

There’s still a clutch and in the early models there was a control box that sat on top of the transmission where the shifter would come up through the cab floor.

The box contained a series of small pistons that would move the nub that in turn would select the correct gear sequence.

It’s air activated. That’s why your truck won’t shift until you have sufficient air pressure.

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25_Unknown_Devices@reddit

I never met my uncle David or his father, the grandpa from my mom’s side.

Back in the 70’s or 80’s, not sure exactly. Gramps was rolling down a mountain in one of the old school automatics with his son in the sleeper.

Someone on the radio recalls him hollering about how he couldn’t down shift and the brakes were smoked. Found the Rig a couple days later, no survivors.

Idk, man. I’ve driven most of what’s on the road these days. I hated the auto more than any of it. The safety features also work on a manual, tho i prefer those disabled. Especially lane departure. Fuck lane departure crap. I run OSOW, those lines mean nothing to me.

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Busy-Purple-3779@reddit

I can drive a manual. It’s how I learned to drive back in 2000. With that said, I’d rather have an automatic. Simply because my company bought a lot of them, and I’m use to them now. They are easy to drive.

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DrillTheThirdHole@reddit

the only thing that automatics are "safer" at is not lurching if you aren't competent at driving a manual during emergency braking situations. which is who the automatic restriction is for.

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radioclash75@reddit

I think it’s the opposite of safer. It’s nice when you don’t have to shift in bumper to bumper, but there’s ways around that in a manual. I think automatic helps make you lose focus. With manual you need to see speed and conditions and think about up shift or downshift or skipping gears, automatic it’s easier to lose focus because all that goes away. Plus there’s nothing worse than bobtail from a stop in an automatic.

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FWD_to_twin_turbo@reddit

Automated manuals aren't safer, my KW likes to kick itself into neutral and the adaptive will fluctuate between 4 over and 4 under randomly.

The engine brake also wont activate without tapping the brake pedal, the transmission will get confused on takeoff and "gear hunt" which obviously results in lack of forward motion, it will stubbornly stay in too high of a gear for too long on a climb resulting in massive and unsafe speed loss, 10 speeds are unpredictable backing up and a wire or module failure (every other week for a paccar) will leave you without gears.

Not much upside other than "manual makes me tired" either, my manual 2022 T680 and my Automated manual 2024 are close enough for it to be driver habits.

Automated manuals are garbage from an ownership, reliability, drivability and maintenance perspective but it reduces risks/distractions for inexperienced drivers, stop quicker in ideal emergency situations, cheaper cost and consistent mpg patterns make them a must buy for larger fleets.

Now true autos are the bees knees, damn near unbeatable.

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jessithecrow@reddit

they can pry the allison from my cold dead hands.

it's the whole, 'i work harder than you so i'm cooler than you' mentality. i was like that before i gave in to our lord and savior allison.

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jennoford@reddit

No it’s not the driver they rag on it’s the truck itself and the outfits that push them. Majority of the rigs are auto so the driver don’t always get the option

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Mtts28@reddit

It’s the same people that always start their story with “I’ve been out here for xxx amount of years”

That said I have been out here for going on 21 years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with automatics. I think people that hate them don’t understand how to properly use them. First of all calling them automatics is false. They are automated. It’s simply a manual transmission being pneumatically shifted by a computer. There is fundamentally no difference in you as the driver getting to 10th gear (or whatever you’re driving) or letting the truck do it. It’s not like you’re going down the highway shifting gears nonstop. I know more old timers that I work with (in their 60’s) that would never go back to shifting gears.

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trucksarekewl@reddit

Because they need to reason to feel better about themselves. Ill drive manual again when they pay you more for driving one. Until then its auto for me