Are Trucking Companies Switching To Automatic Transmissions?

The industry is not switching to auto's. Sure, one company out of a thousand might use them but the industry is dominated by manual and it will stay that way. Manuals provide more control of the vehicle especially in mountainous terrain, also, auto's are pricey to maintain mechanically.

how much control does one have of the vehicle when going down a mountain and missing a gear? autos eliminate that problem altogether.

I'm sorry, but give me a thirteen speed any day, I learnt on them and drove them, and loved the tranny, Yes especially in the Northeast. If I remember correctly? If you take your test in an auto you are licensed for an auto and not a Manual.?

depends on the state you live in

The industry is not switching to auto's. Sure, one company out of a thousand might use them but the industry is dominated by manual and it will stay that way. Manuals provide more control of the vehicle especially in mountainous terrain, also, auto's are pricey to maintain mechanically.

how much control does one have of the vehicle when going down a mountain and missing a gear? autos eliminate that problem altogether.

With auto trannys you can still roll down a hill to fast. You still burn up brakes going down hill. You can still blow the engine if the rpms get to high. Yep automatic trannys can do all that except it does shift for ya.

The industry is not switching to auto's. Sure, one company out of a thousand might use them but the industry is dominated by manual and it will stay that way. Manuals provide more control of the vehicle especially in mountainous terrain, also, auto's are pricey to maintain mechanically.

how much control does one have of the vehicle when going down a mountain and missing a gear? autos eliminate that problem altogether.

With auto trannys you can still roll down a hill to fast. You still burn up brakes going down hill. You can still blow the engine if the rpms get to high. Yep automatic trannys can do all that except it does shift for ya.

The point is that an auto will always keep you in a gear. None of this ending up in neutral and in big trouble going down a mountain.

You can still blow the engine if the rpms get to high

I think they have a safe stop programmed in that won't allow it to over-rev.

I have never driven a Volvo with the I-shift but I am currently driving an International that's an automatic. At first I didn't care for it but I don't mind it now. The times that I don't like it now are when backing and hooking to a trailer. I don't have a clutch that I can use to better control the throttle. The accelerator on my truck is a little touchy when you're talking about trying to be delicate with it. Mountains really are not a concern to me anymore (strictly regarding shifting that is). There is a button to switch from "auto" to "manual" and buttons I can use to shift up or down. Even if you're in "auto" and something happens where you feel the need to shift quickly you can shift it with the push of one of those buttons.

Honestly I would like to see some hard numbers between the autos and standards regarding fuel mileage. I am averaging pretty much the same numbers over the course of a trip as I did in my Pete 386.

I like the auto because it is less to worry about in certain situations, but I still prefer a standard. I enjoy shifting gears whether I'm in a big truck or my personal vehicle.

You can still blow the engine if the rpms get to high

I think they have a safe stop programmed in that won't allow it to over-rev.

Under normal circumstances I would agree but if your going down a mountain the only thing that is going to keep that truck under control is the driver. If you continue to pick up speed and it's still in gear the rpms will continue to go up the faster you go. That is a simple matter of physics. So if a driver did not control the down hill speed damage can still be done to the transmission and engine.

Honestly I would like to see some hard numbers between the autos and standards regarding fuel mileage. I am averaging pretty much the same numbers over the course of a trip as I did in my Pete 386.

I mentioned in my post earlier but my company run one cascadia auto and a few manuals. We've had it about eight months now. I was talking to my boss about the mileage. He was telling me that on the manuals we were averaging just under five, 4.8mpg I think. In The auto we've been getting around 7.5mpg. Now obviously this isn't all telling because it depends on the driver load and terrain. With that said though I thought that was a pretty telling stat.

Honestly I would like to see some hard numbers between the autos and standards regarding fuel mileage. I am averaging pretty much the same numbers over the course of a trip as I did in my Pete 386.

I mentioned in my post earlier but my company run one cascadia auto and a few manuals. We've had it about eight months now. I was talking to my boss about the mileage. He was telling me that on the manuals we were averaging just under five, 4.8mpg I think. In The auto we've been getting around 7.5mpg. Now obviously this isn't all telling because it depends on the driver load and terrain. With that said though I thought that was a pretty telling stat.

things i have read online say the autos get about 3mpg better average. It will boil down to money, the cost of the change plus the added downtime has to be less then the fuel savings for company to make the investment

I'm not a truck driver yet, but my dad taught me how to drive grain trucks to combines to Model T cars. He said if you can drive a manual you can drive. I still prefer manuals over auto. Anywhoo, not too many car theives know how to drive a manual.