Automatic Transmissions

Hey guys Thanks for your response I feel better and More confident about going back to a manual transmission if I have to!!!,,,,,Stay Safe Drivers!!!!

I don't have much experience driving automatics. In fact I've never driven one until I started at US Foods a couple months ago. Frankly I can't stand them. Driving forwards is nice. But backing them up..to me..sucks major!! In a manual I feather the clutch to keep a slow steady pace and bump my dock softly. Making the transition from 90 degrees to strait is a piece of cake. In an automatic...not so much. I'm constantly fighting to keep a smooth roll. Herky-jerky the entire time. I set off our in cab cameras alot backing up an automatic.

Same thing with hooking up to a trailer. I don't like having to use my left foot on the brake with to automatics. I'd be singing the praises coming back to a manual transmission. But hey, that's just me

Just my opinion, I think once you learn it's always in the back of your head. Might have to grind and miss a few gears but it'll come back. I trained in manual, drove automatic for 5 months. Switched to Werner had to do my safety evaluation in a ten speed which I'd never driven before and did alright. Now back in an automatic lol.

Some exposure to driving an automatic, especially for beginner drivers is good. If you pay attention to when the computer shifts (up and down) and can try to duplicate this rhythm when you are back in a manual it helps a lot. I'm a driver instructor and usually have the student drive an automatic tractor a couple of times during the first two weeks for that purpose.

Speaking of automatics, Prime is ordering all automatics beginning with the 2017 model year. They say they will start getting them in February or April 2016.

Speaking of automatics, Prime is ordering all automatics beginning with the 2017 model year. They say they will start getting them in February or April 2016.

I think it's safe to say they've finally got this automatic transmission thing figured out because the large companies all seem to be going in that direction. There were a lot of attempts made and a lot of experimentation was done over the years but they simply weren't cost effective. That seems to have changed. If in fact they do have it figured out you can be sure almost every large carrier in the nation will be making the change to automatics over the next few years.

Speaking of automatics, Prime is ordering all automatics beginning with the 2017 model year. They say they will start getting them in February or April 2016.

I think it's safe to say they've finally got this automatic transmission thing figured out because the large companies all seem to be going in that direction. There were a lot of attempts made and a lot of experimentation was done over the years but they simply weren't cost effective. That seems to have changed. If in fact they do have it figured out you can be sure almost every large carrier in the nation will be making the change to automatics over the next few years.

I just read on Roehls website the are going to have some automatics for people who prefer them.

Gary explains his technique:

In a manual I feather the clutch to keep a slow steady pace and bump my dock softly.

The footwork is almost the same, only it works the other way. (Left and right foot action is swapped.)

Left foot on the brake, right foot gives the accelerator a bit of juice. You still control moving with the brake pedal, only it's your left foot controlling the brake.

And no one will yell "Stop burning your clutch!"