Need Advice On Manual Vs Automatic

Talk to Maverick about their dedicated glass out of Geneva. I was chatting with the account manager over there a few months back-pretty sweet gig if you have no problems crossing the border or with nyc. Would be my first call if I felt like going back over the road.

I have a different opinion on the manual vs automatic. Personally, I wouldn't want the restriction. As much as people like to say that every company is going to automatic, the truth is there are still tons of companies out there running manuals.

You didn't mention that you were having a hard time learning how to shift, so it's a simple matter of getting through the short-term process of passing the test, then you can move on with your career unfettered with the restriction.

I hear it’s decent and more then company operators I’ve been looking into that SFI lease program and have a couple of friends that have went threw them. Sure you pay fuel and other expenses but seeing some of there settlement stubs truck revenue of $11k then minus expenses and taxes and such bringing home $6k a week would be too knotch lol I’m sure that’s not often but I wouldn’t complain my goal is to have my own truck in the future but need to get my feet wet first

Ok

But now I wanna go out Otr and eventually lease my own truck cause that lease operator money is 🫢

I’ll second Anne, as a Buffalo local driver, I’ve been interested in your journey, and wonder what your future driving plans may be.

Was that a joke? I'm curious as to how much money you think a lease op makes.... Cause I have actual statements and proof. I want to see how far out of the park you are.

I’m still in the process of deciding i have 7 road rides left before my dmv exam on 8/5 we only get an hour each ride so trying to work the kinks out during city driving is the pits I can shift just I have issues with proper down shifting forgetting to rev and missing the gear cause of it I just don’t want that to be an issue on passing my road test when I ace all the rest

I have a different opinion on the manual vs automatic. Personally, I wouldn't want the restriction. As much as people like to say that every company is going to automatic, the truth is there are still tons of companies out there running manuals.

You didn't mention that you were having a hard time learning how to shift, so it's a simple matter of getting through the short-term process of passing the test, then you can move on with your career unfettered with the restriction.

I hear ya. Those next seven road rides will hone your skills enough to pass the test, I'm confident.

Remember that the examiners are accustomed to new drivers having hiccups grinding or missing gears. Not a huge deal. They won't necessarily fail you for that. They will however judge you on how well you recover from your hiccups. If you panic and impede traffic or create an unsafe situation, you're done. Don't let it stress you out, focus on the task at hand.

The inspector will not expect you to be perfect, or at least he didn’t in my case. My inspector was pretty cool.

He said he knows everyone freaks out at the white shirt, and knows you’ll get your real training at your company.

I never wanted an auto, but now I’ll never go back.

seeing some of there settlement stubs truck revenue of $11k then minus expenses and taxes and such bringing home $6k a week would be too knotch

Have they volunteered any of their negative settlement statements for you to look at? You don't have to answer that, I already know they haven't. Don't get bamboozled by these ridiculous cherry picked settlements. Do you seriously think a truck driver is going to be making 300,000 dollars per year?

Figure out how to shift those gears first. Then you can figure out how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Leasing a truck will have you chasing dreams and wind. You'll never catch either one and you'll wear yourself down in the pursuit.

I've got decades of business experience. I would never consider a Leasing agreement. They hold all the cards. It makes no sense.

Remember that the examiners are accustomed to new drivers having hiccups grinding or missing gears. Not a huge deal. They won't necessarily fail you for that. They will however judge you on how well you recover from your hiccups. If you panic and impede traffic or create an unsafe situation, you're done. Don't let it stress you out, focus on the task at hand.

^^This!^^

During my driving exam, I think I was nervous as I've been in a long time. Even so, things were going OK, I'm rolling along in 10th on the manual, starting up a grade and losing some speed. I missed the downshift to 9th, badly. Bumped the rpm, tried again, missed again. Glanced at my speed and realized I had slowed down even more, and went to 8th clean. Figured I had blown it, but tried to keep focus and get through the rest of the exam.

We got back to the range, parked, the examiner kept scribbling on his paper. He looked over at me, stuck out his hand for a handshake, and said "welcome to your new career!"

I asked about the missed gear. He said I didn't try to force it, and I recovered. He said no matter how many years experience I get, I'll probably always miss a gear occasionally. He told me the thing he dinged me for was not keeping both hands on the wheel when I wasn't shifting. He laughed and said I probably learned the bad habit of riding my right hand on the shifter when I was a teenager driving a 4 speed. I knew better, and I thought I was getting my right hand back on the wheel, but apparently I failed to do that a few times. So, I got a few points for that. More importantly, I got a tiny glimpse of how my nervousness manifests itself when I'm driving a truck, and a chance to learn from it.

Did much better today doing city driving

I hear ya. Those next seven road rides will hone your skills enough to pass the test, I'm confident.

Remember that the examiners are accustomed to new drivers having hiccups grinding or missing gears. Not a huge deal. They won't necessarily fail you for that. They will however judge you on how well you recover from your hiccups. If you panic and impede traffic or create an unsafe situation, you're done. Don't let it stress you out, focus on the task at hand.

My opinion on learning to drive a manual is consistent with Turtle. If I had the autoshift restriction on my license, I would not be able to perform as a driver for my current employer. All of our trucks are sticks, my assigned tractor is a Mack Pinnacle with a 10sp fuller. Its a blast to operate and I feel completely in control with any condition, including off-road.

We also have a 6-wheeler tagged for 38,000 lbs. It has a 6-speed with a splitter controlling a 2 speed axle. I enjoy driving it making residential deliveries of mulch, topsoil and compost late afternoons or early evening. It’s an easy drive. The transmission however is synchronized and doesn’t require the finesse’ and timing necessary for smooth shifting of an unsynchronized transmission equipped truck. However if I had the restriction I would not be able to legally drive this truck. Rather silly but true.

Although the larger TL fleets are almost all transitioned to auto, LTLs, secondary and local fleets are not. And arguably, possibly never. My job is local, home every day for dinner. Pay is competitive and the hours are reasonable. With the restriction I’m not qualified for this job.

The other element of this, it’s easier to include learning and testing in a manual now more so than later. You’d need to find a tractor to practice in to prepare for a road test. 2-3 years from now, that might be both expensive and hard to find. None of the rental companies will allow you to drive a truck with a stick if you have the restriction. You’d need to find a friend willing to help. Good luck. Not as easy as one might assume.

And your thought of leasing-on with one of the megas? All of the leasing programs are designed to maximize profits for the carrier, not for the driver. You take on liability, downtime and more risk. Your friends only showed you the upside. Ask for a full years worth of statements. And even so… until you learn how to make money as a company driver… don’t even think about this. I learned how to make great money as a company driver… if leasing was everything as advertised…? Every experienced driver in this forum would already be involved in an arrangement like that. It’s totally skewed to favor the company…stay clear.