The Lyonator:
Hi there,Really like the descriptions of the different types of manual gearboxes that you can expect to encounter driving LGVs.
Thanks for the comment, I stuck to straightforward descriptions of gearboxes likely to be found in driving school trucks by the new guys and it seems to have worked.
The Lyonator:
However, the LGV industry now seems to be following the path of the “Automated” Manual (semi-automatic, clutchless manual) gearbox due to the fact it saves weight, driver concentration and fuel!Can you see manual gearboxes being cast into the history books, especially with MAN and Iveco now supplying the ZF AS Tronic (sold as the TipMatic and EuroTronic respectivly) transmission as standard across most of their ranges with a manual gearbox option no longer available?
Personally I can see it happening, as Buses have not had clutch pedals for almost 40 years and these AMTs will be snapped up by Coach companies on the double, so I can even see the PCV industry not having any clutch pedals soon as well!
Richard
Those are very interesting points. Not being of the bus fraternity, I have to ask whether you mean the pre-select type gearbox?? (Wasn’t that in a Leyland with a TL12 engine??) I remember them, but I’ve never driven one. (Please excuse my ignorance of bus “stuff.”) As a general point, I think the various types of auto boxes might take more market share, but to balance that I also think that there’ll always be some demand for manual boxes. There’s one old dinosaur (me) who hasn’t had the benefit of any training or knowledge of the modern auto type boxes. My own opinion is that I think I’d prefer a manual box, but I recognise that I’m very probably biased due to my own lack of knowledge of auto boxes. 
Just to put this into some sort of perspective, the truck with the “slap-over” box in the photo was registered in February of this year. It’s an Iveco 18tonner hired in by an LGV driving school whilst their new truck is on order. The truck with the 4 over 4 box is owned by the same LGV driving school. IMHO, it might be some time before driving schools buy trucks that have auto boxes, but I’m always prepared to be wrong… 
Your question about manual gearboxes and history books might provoke something of a “debate” in the PDF.
Why not give it a whirl?? I bet there’d be lots of opinions on that one. You’d get better answers than I could give- that’s for sure…
That’s a good question: Does anybody know of an LGV driving school that already has trucks with some kind of auto gearbox??
Another question: Would an auto box meet the DSA’s spec for a driving school truck?? - I honestly don’t know.