Pulling onto a busy r/bout with an auto especially an Iveco will be fail, fail and fail again. 
Volvo i-shift is what you really want.
Redrorry:
Pulling onto a busy r/bout with an auto especially an Iveco will be fail, fail and fail again.
Agree. I passed last January in a 6 speed with splitter. Since then driven manual straight six Eurocargo and very old 5 speed 82m and got on with them fine.
Then I had an auto box on a EuroCargo. First roundabout I thought I’d left park brake on, seemed to take seconds to move. Lucky nothing was coming. and for heavens sake why would it change UP when you are going down a steep hill with exhaust brake on, losing the high revs, reducing the exhaust brake to nothing. and auto boxes are supposed to make life easier?!
I look forward to getting chance to try a decent auto box! In meantime if I see a clutch I"m happy.
ROG:
Whatever type of gearbox is used the driver only gets to use one type but there are loads of different types out there so does it really matter ?
Are you kidding or just pushing for a wind up.have you driven a hgv as a driver for a company.driving a manual takes more skill than driving a auto.a manual you work out which gear in advance you need a auto press the brake then press the loud pedal to get away. Then considerchanging down at a round about fully loaded.honestly cannot believe you wrote that
nearly there:
ROG:
Whatever type of gearbox is used the driver only gets to use one type but there are loads of different types out there so does it really matter ?Are you kidding or just pushing for a wind up.have you driven a hgv as a driver for a company.driving a manual takes more skill than driving a auto.a manual you work out which gear in advance you need a auto press the brake then press the loud pedal to get away. Then considerchanging down at a round about fully loaded.honestly cannot believe you wrote that
I found driving auto more difficult than manual but perhaps that is because I was brought up on manuals
Yes and so was i but that doesnt change the fact that autos are for less skilled drivers.if you learn and pass a manual and prefer auto fair enough as you learned a manual but to learn a auto then get a manual license is just dangerous.think of your first shift already nervous add gross weight of say 40 ton and they see its a simple 6 over 6 or 4 over 4 but they learned in a auto.if they aint pooing like a hamster then they should be
I think passing on an auto to get a manual licence is just one step too far.
Pete
Peter Smythe:
I think passing on an auto to get a manual licence is just one step too far.Pete
Agreed completely.
Where is the skill in pressing a switch and pushing the accelerator?
I find it strange that on one hand they put loaded vehicles on test and on the other hand they make themselves look stupid by giving manual licences to auto passes.
Peter Smythe:
I think passing on an auto to get a manual licence is just one step too far.Pete
Ditto 
John
IMO there are more and more auto boxes about now. Anyone tried picking up a trailer in a auto box? again IMO trickier than a manual box. Probably 99.9% of trainees will have a manual car licence so will be used to gears and will only be trained on one of the gear box types during lessons ie 6 splitter, slap over, range change etc and don’t forget most 18t trucks will be a straight 6.
So to sum up the box shouldn’t matter manual or auto.
elmet training:
IMO there are more and more auto boxes about now. Anyone tried picking up a trailer in a auto box? again IMO trickier than a manual box. Probably 99.9% of trainees will have a manual car licence so will be used to gears and will only be trained on one of the gear box types during lessons ie 6 splitter, slap over, range change etc and don’t forget most 18t trucks will be a straight 6.So to sum up the box shouldn’t matter manual or auto.
Can’t argue with the fact of more auto boxes, picking up a trailer or reversing with an auto is helped by having a low/ snail selection on the auto.
Surely this would mean that if someone has a auto car licence and then gains a “manual” truck licence in an “auto” truck - that means their car licence will also be upgraded, having never driven any vehicle with a manual gearbox - can’t be right - and IMO if you want to drive any vehicle with a manual gearbox then your test should be so.
John. 
elmet training:
IMO there are more and more auto boxes about now. Anyone tried picking up a trailer in a auto box? again IMO trickier than a manual box. Probably 99.9% of trainees will have a manual car licence so will be used to gears and will only be trained on one of the gear box types during lessons ie 6 splitter, slap over, range change etc and don’t forget most 18t trucks will be a straight 6.So to sum up the box shouldn’t matter manual or auto.
That is also my view
I learnt in a straight 6 but had not great issues in getting to grips with other types of gearboxes with a little guidance from other drivers
I have never driven a W&D on the road but I’ll bet if I use the same principals from the artic I would not have too many issues
ROG:
elmet training:
IMO there are more and more auto boxes about now. Anyone tried picking up a trailer in a auto box? again IMO trickier than a manual box. Probably 99.9% of trainees will have a manual car licence so will be used to gears and will only be trained on one of the gear box types during lessons ie 6 splitter, slap over, range change etc and don’t forget most 18t trucks will be a straight 6.So to sum up the box shouldn’t matter manual or auto.
That is also my view
I learnt in a straight 6 but had not great issues in getting to grips with other types of gearboxes with a little guidance from other drivers
I have never driven a W&D on the road but I’ll bet if I use the same principals from the artic I would not have too many issues
There is a big difference between changing gears manually and relying on the vehicle to make the decision for you- I agree with the straight six to other gearboxes, as a driver you will read the vehicle and change accordingly, wether you have six or sixteen gears - but auto to manual is miles apart
John
chevmac:
There is a big difference between changing gears manually and relying on the vehicle to make the decision for you- I agree with the straight six to other gearboxes, as a driver you will read the vehicle and change accordingly, wether you have six or sixteen gears - but auto to manual is miles apart
Would you say there is a big difference between 5 and 6 gears?
I have never driven a W&D on the road but I’ll bet if I use the same principals from the artic I would not have too many issues
Logically, this applies vice versa. So finally you accept that training on w+d is perfectly valid.
Pete
Only a bafoon thinks learning in a auto is the same as a manual.manual you really have to plan speed and approach.auto just brake and pull away.if you learn in a auto you wont be able to learn a manual just during a shift as when you crunch the gear box out leaving thd yard you would sent packing
How do you think us trainers think when our truck gears are gettining crunched. But every gearbox is different so even a newly qualified driver who trained on a 6 splitter would probably crunch the different range change type on first day of work
Most good companies have induction training to get use to the equipment.
You could argue all day on here but don’t forget you learn the job after you passed your test!!!
End of story IMO
Peter Smythe:
I have never driven a W&D on the road but I’ll bet if I use the same principals from the artic I would not have too many issues
Logically, this applies vice versa. So finally you accept that training on w+d is perfectly valid.
Pete
As an experienced driver = yes
As a newbie = ■■?
I have never heard of anyone having any serious difficulty with an artic having passed their test on w+d. But I doubt very much if we’ll be able to say the same about new drivers with manual boxes having passed on auto.
As I’ve said previously, it really is going to be down to the induction process. Sadly, in some cases, this is either very poor or non-existent.
Pete
Peter would you agree
Are job as trainers is primarily to get the student up to test standard using the tools that the DSA allow us and it’s down to to the examiners to judge if they meet the required standard to have the appropriate licence.
So it has to be the employers responsibility of assessing and training to do the job in hand.
More fool them if they don’t. Most employers on the Sherburn in Elmet industrial where I’m based (which is massive with haulage companies) do some sort of induction.
I may not be Pete (and I’m sure he will be along with an answer shortly). But I think that’s the lazy way of doing things. Relying on the next person to do what you as trainers should set up a foundation for.
How can you set a foundation for a GOOD truck driver by teaching them in an Auto Geared truck?
Tin Hat On…