The only auto I felt I had less control in was an early Renault Premium, now that was a nightmare clunky shift and not enough gears, but systems like the ishift have plenty of control in all situations that I’ve come across and that’s plenty more than RDC to RDC.
I’ve noticed that the people at our place who struggle with our one auto truck seem to lack throttle control. And they end up bouncing around when manourving, it’s just the same as dropping the clutch to quick on a manual truck.
Truckulent:
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.I suggest you learn how to use one correctly if you genuinely believe that twaddle!
Grow up, will you?
It’s a perfectly reasonable comment if you feel you can’t safely drive an auto…
It would be if I had said I couldn’t safely drive an auto, plus the sunglasses smiley… Really?
Based on your erroneous comments about driving an auto it seems a reasonable supposition that you aren’t very good with them. You obviosuly don’t like them. Perhaps therein lies the reason you don’t feel in control with autos.
Supposition will get you into all sorts of trouble. It shouldn’t be that difficult to simply formulate an answer based on what you have actually read rather than imagined.
He should have lifted it then! Sounds like driver more than truck!
switchlogic:
He should have lifted it then! Sounds like driver more than truck!
You can’t lift an Axor mid axle…(when loaded.) You can only press the button that takes some of the weight off it, and transfers that weight to the drive axle… And Axor auto boxes are the work of lazy engineers… probably working for ZF to a Mercedes Benz budget!
EastAnglianTrucker:
switchlogic:
He should have lifted it then! Sounds like driver more than truck!You can’t lift an Axor mid axle…(when loaded.) You can only press the button that takes some of the weight off it, and transfers that weight to the drive axle… And Axor auto boxes are the work of lazy engineers… probably working for ZF to a Mercedes Benz budget!
Same with most trucks, but some you can force up at low speeds and others you can remove most of the weight. Both would have helped this situation.
EastAnglianTrucker:
switchlogic:
He should have lifted it then! Sounds like driver more than truck!You can’t lift an Axor mid axle…(when loaded.) You can only press the button that takes some of the weight off it, and transfers that weight to the drive axle… And Axor auto boxes are the work of lazy engineers… probably working for ZF to a Mercedes Benz budget!
Exactly.
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Maybe I need to make that video I talked about a while back where I do a hill start fully loaded with an egg behind the wheel. And auto is not unsafe in any of the situations you mentioned. A driver in an auto with an intense hatred of autos may be though. Just like anything.I watched a guy trying to reverse a trailer with a full load of bottled water on it recently. He was in a fairly tight spot and the trailer wouldn’t move with the amount of throttle he was using. A bit more and around she went. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get off the throttle before he hit the wall which was to the nearside of the trailer. With a clutch pedal, this accident would never have happened as there was very little momentum, so breaking the drive would have stopped the vehicle (more or less) dead.
For the record, I don’t hate every auto in every situation. I’ve recently been using a dockspotter to move some very large (but light) loads around and it’s brilliant, wouldn’t want anything else. It also has the advantage of having a true (Allison) automatic transmission.
What was he driving? Sounds like he was in the wrong gear.
my guess is DAF and it wasn’t in snail
i wont ever buy a car with an auto gearbox. manual lets me control the vehicle myself. besides, mercs are always changing gears when i dont want them to and have a tendency to change into manual mode in 12th gear and stay there which means rolling to a stop and effectively breaking down while it sorts itself out and starts working again 
well the thing is the so called "auto boxes " are nothing of the sort , they are electro pnumatic gearshifts sort of like the old e.p.s fitted to the merc , they dont have fluid flywheels like an auto also when put into drive they dont creep like a full auto box ,one thing good about them is the prolong clutch life
unclegargameld:
well the thing is the so called "auto boxes " are nothing of the sort , they are electro pnumatic gearshifts sort of like the old e.p.s fitted to the merc , they dont have fluid flywheels like an auto also when put into drive they dont creep like a full auto box ,one thing good about them is the prolong clutch life
Our Actros creep so long as your not at 44tonne
Personally my vote’s with the Manual Box
(any type, even the Merc Knock-threw)
Because it does what I ask it to, when I ask it to. not 3 second’s later
and you can change gear while your stationary !! 
And the cluch gives your left leg something to do 
Scania auto, good second, if I had a choice…
de 2xQ
I did say earlier that I actually like auto boxes, except for awkward manoeuvring. One that was a but of a pain recently was having to do 3 shunts to turn out of a grain field at full weight, straight into an uphill, albeit slight uphill, gravel road.Needed to get almost jack knifed to allow me out and I just felt I had more control in the manual fh that I also drove that day.
As to the comments about it being driver, not truck, that’s not always the case. Reversing uphill into a tar machine for instance is not the easiest to do in auto. You have to stop before you hit it. Who amongst us can say they can reverse on to a bay perfectly without hitting the bump stops?
Having said all that, i definitely think they have there place. long haul or tramping i can definitely see the attraction. Id say if combined with a retarder they would make a perfect euro driving combination. Also, it is nice to pull away from traffic lights and just hit resume on the cruise control. And the truck I’m in is an 07 tga which I believe we’re never the best in the first place. There’s a new tgx auto coming next week and will be interesting to see if they have improved a bit.
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.I suggest you learn how to use one correctly if you genuinely believe that twaddle!
Grow up, will you?
It’s a perfectly reasonable comment if you feel you can’t safely drive an auto…
It would be if I had said I couldn’t safely drive an auto, plus the sunglasses smiley… Really?
Based on your erroneous comments about driving an auto it seems a reasonable supposition that you aren’t very good with them. You obviosuly don’t like them. Perhaps therein lies the reason you don’t feel in control with autos.
Supposition will get you into all sorts of trouble. It shouldn’t be that difficult to simply formulate an answer based on what you have actually read rather than imagined.
Your words were ‘autos are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations…’
Not supposition there. And you’re talking utter twaddle… 
Perhaps you could do a dcpc module on the correct way to drive a vehicle fitted with an automatic gearbox…it’s not hard ya know!!
DoubleQ:
and you can change gear while your stationary
Drove I-Shift, Powershift and Opticruise. I think they all allow changing gear while stationary.
The regular truck ill be getting is a tgx with a 16 speed manual box with a comfort shift button. Any thoughts on that box?
kitbuilder123:
The regular truck ill be getting is a tgx with a 16 speed manual box with a comfort shift button. Any thoughts on that box?
It’s a few years since I’ve driven an MAN with comfort shift, but I remember it being a very nice gearbox. The comfort shift button is a nice feature once you’re used to it and remember to use the clutch pedal when you come to a halt. 
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.Don’t see how an auto is less safe on a heavy hill start, still has hand brake! Not yet found a situation that was less safe or more difficult with an auto.
It may depend a bit on the box, there are autos and autos but there are also manuals and manuals. It seems to me that the control that some feel lacking is the ability to slip the clutch!Its less safe because the driver has less control.
What do you mean by “the ability to slip the clutch”?
What is it exactly that the driver cannot control? you and others keep saying they have more control with a manual box but I just don’t get it.
I have a magnum 07 with volvo engine and box (optidrive), I can change up, I can change down and I can crawl, the box will only force a change on me if I am doing something destructive!
So my point earlier was that the only thing the driver of a manual can do that I cant is slip the clutch (someone well tell be how to do that now). As luke suggested driving an auto is a different skill that is dependant on finer throttle control.
As for the hill start, any one that rolls back can only blame there inability.
bazstan009:
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.Don’t see how an auto is less safe on a heavy hill start, still has hand brake! Not yet found a situation that was less safe or more difficult with an auto.
It may depend a bit on the box, there are autos and autos but there are also manuals and manuals. It seems to me that the control that some feel lacking is the ability to slip the clutch!Its less safe because the driver has less control.
What do you mean by “the ability to slip the clutch”?
What is it exactly that the driver cannot control? you and others keep saying they have more control with a manual box but I just don’t get it.
I have a magnum 07 with volvo engine and box (optidrive), I can change up, I can change down and I can crawl, the box will only force a change on me if I am doing something destructive!
So my point earlier was that the only thing the driver of a manual can do that I cant is slip the clutch (someone well tell be how to do that now). As luke suggested driving an auto is a different skill that is dependant on finer throttle control.
As for the hill start, any one that rolls back can only blame there inability.
You obviously have never driven a MAN or a DAF then. I drive a Renault with optidriver too and I always feel 100% in control of the truck, weather it be driving on a motorway or reversing into the tightest yard possible.
When ever I have the misfortune to drive the only DAF (auto) we have, I feel at best 50% in control of it. Its all due to the ■■■■ poor clutch control IMO. The Renault has a nice progressive clutch which can be controlled easily by the accelerator pedal. The DAF on the other hand seems to have which can only be described as an on/off switch. Its all or nothing with a DAF clutch.
damoq:
bazstan009:
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.Don’t see how an auto is less safe on a heavy hill start, still has hand brake! Not yet found a situation that was less safe or more difficult with an auto.
It may depend a bit on the box, there are autos and autos but there are also manuals and manuals. It seems to me that the control that some feel lacking is the ability to slip the clutch!Its less safe because the driver has less control.
What do you mean by “the ability to slip the clutch”?
What is it exactly that the driver cannot control? you and others keep saying they have more control with a manual box but I just don’t get it.
I have a magnum 07 with volvo engine and box (optidrive), I can change up, I can change down and I can crawl, the box will only force a change on me if I am doing something destructive!
So my point earlier was that the only thing the driver of a manual can do that I cant is slip the clutch (someone well tell be how to do that now). As luke suggested driving an auto is a different skill that is dependant on finer throttle control.
As for the hill start, any one that rolls back can only blame there inability.You obviously have never driven a MAN or a DAF then. I drive a Renault with optidriver too and I always feel 100% in control of the truck, weather it be driving on a motorway or reversing into the tightest yard possible.
When ever I have the misfortune to drive the only DAF (auto) we have, I feel at best 50% in control of it. Its all due to the ■■■■ poor clutch control IMO. The Renault has a nice progressive clutch which can be controlled easily by the accelerator pedal. The DAF on the other hand seems to have which can only be described as an on/off switch. Its all or nothing with a DAF clutch.
The daf can be controlled easily with the accelerator pedal. We have a fleet of them and its all tight delivery spots, blindside reverses etc. Hill starts are easy, even easier with the hill start switch. I really don’t see what the problem is with them.
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Auto’s are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations. Hill starts when heavily loaded, the ability to select reverse without a lockout device, (not all versions) snatchiness when manoeuvering etc etc.I suggest you learn how to use one correctly if you genuinely believe that twaddle!
Grow up, will you?
It’s a perfectly reasonable comment if you feel you can’t safely drive an auto…
It would be if I had said I couldn’t safely drive an auto, plus the sunglasses smiley… Really?
Based on your erroneous comments about driving an auto it seems a reasonable supposition that you aren’t very good with them. You obviosuly don’t like them. Perhaps therein lies the reason you don’t feel in control with autos.
Supposition will get you into all sorts of trouble. It shouldn’t be that difficult to simply formulate an answer based on what you have actually read rather than imagined.
Your words were ‘autos are less safe than manuals in all sorts of situations…’
Not supposition there. And you’re talking utter twaddle…
Perhaps you could do a dcpc module on the correct way to drive a vehicle fitted with an automatic gearbox…it’s not hard ya know!!
Your notion that I am talking utter twaddle, most certainly is supposition, not to mention incorrect.
I suggest you take your supposition and use it as a suppository was intended. 
