Automatic Transmission Question

anything special one would need to know about driving an auto truck???

I was able to get rid of the Volvo that was falling apart and they gave me a brand new 2016 kenworth, but its part of their automatic experiment to see their reliability and their mileage.

Just wondering if there is anything special about autos that would help me out.

Okay then I am an expert on this matter . Good and bad . The clutch is used just for stopping going and works like a manual shift . Autoshift actually floats gears . It is okay if you do not like shifting but comes with some draw backs . Driving down highway is good as long as you do not need to drop a gear to pass someone . Up hills not so good . Taking off in heavy traffic where you need to get on going like across a busy 4 lane divided highway , bad . Now you have different kinds . Freightliner I drove only had push buttons on dash . very hard to work and drive at same time . Only manual shift from 1 - 2 - 3 and stuck in what ever gear you chose . BAD. especially in an end dump going through mud fields and stuff like that . When it tries to shift the wheels stop turning due to being in deep dirt, sand , mud , up a hill , what ever and then your stuck in neutral . Kenworth I drove last 4 years had a different setup . It would shift all 10 or you could put it in manual and shift all 10 your self or in low for just first . Basically shifted like a manual but very slow . No quick shifting like 1 2 3 4 across the highway . manual is really for going up and down hills . These things are a failed technology . Lots of sensors and solenoids and other electronics that fail a lot . All our trucks were in the shop a lot getting them transmissions worked on .

I have a 2015 Freightliner Auto. This thing starts out fine and pulls great. I know the older autos were basically crap, but this one is different.

Once you get used to it, I believe you will come to love it.

I got to take my new Kenworth out for a short 500 mile run before going on hometime, it was only 7200 pounds so it really did not tell me much. The weirdest thing for me has been turning, the things LOVE to shift while turning which is something i will get use to.

I will get to give it a good workout when i come off hometime thursday, i have a 45000 pound load to take from Richmond Va to Ohio, so i will get to do the mountains of west virgina with a heavy truck.

I just got to be careful and scale it right as Kenworths are quite a bit heavier then my Volvo was 45000 might be max weight for it.

Not sure how I would feel about that. Could be useful though. I am interested to hear how the mountain run goes. I know my first one in this thing was a little unnerving. The 2015s had the manual option software removed and I had no idea. They have since corrected it though. Made for an interesting down hill ride. That is how I found out the jake kicks in automatically on cruise.

my manual option is actually another selections on the shifter then it activates the thumb buttons on the side of the shifter.

The adaptive cruise is part of the colision prevetion system or whatever, there is a radar box on the front that will start yelling at me if i am too close to the vehicle infront of me, which is all fine and dandy as i keep good following distance anyways. The thing i do not like is when i had some jack wagon cut VERY close infront of me and it turned my jake on by itself on high to slow the truck down.

I guess its an ok safety thing, i just do not like the idea of it turning on the jake when it feels the need as it could cause problems on slick roads in my mind.

I've been driving an automatic for about 4 years now. The biggest problem is not having a clutch. You have to get the rpm's up to about 8-900 just to get moving. That becomes a problem when backing into a tight spot. Truck will surge in movement and will not creep. Some newer trucks are being equipped with slower engagement settings, but are not guaranteed. Hope that helps.

Also herd today swift is planing to swap the whole fleet to autos within 2 years.

I used to drive an 07 automatica Freightshaker but it had a clutch and a manual paddle on the steering wheel. Your might be different .

I used to drive an 07 automatica Freightshaker but it had a clutch and a manual paddle on the steering wheel. Your might be different .

Yeah no clutch in this one

They get going VERY slowly. So don't expect to get out into traffic easily. Other than that though they're really not all that bad to drive, especially if you're in alot of traffic.

anything special one would need to know about driving an auto truck???

I was able to get rid of the Volvo that was falling apart and they gave me a brand new 2016 kenworth, but its part of their automatic experiment to see their reliability and their mileage.

Just wondering if there is anything special about autos that would help me out.

See if this video helps you from YouTube. How to shift Auto Tranny

You will find out that you will use the brakes more often and if you have a weak engine brake then you will use them even more.

You will find out that you will use the brakes more often and if you have a weak engine brake then you will use them even more.

its a kenworth t680 with a cummings ISX i do not think a weak engine will be a problem :)

just been sitting 3 days now without a load... first time i have set for any time without a load....

You will find out that you will use the brakes more often and if you have a weak engine brake then you will use them even more.

its a kenworth t680 with a cummings ISX i do not think a weak engine will be a problem :)

just been sitting 3 days now without a load... first time i have set for any time without a load....

You will find out that you will use the brakes more often and if you have a weak engine brake then you will use them even more.

its a kenworth t680 with a cummings ISX i do not think a weak engine will be a problem :)

just been sitting 3 days now without a load... first time i have set for any time without a load....

I did not say weak engine, I said weak engine brake or jake brake.