Have been doing agency work for Booker Cash and Carry / Iceland.
They have Volvo FM12 units with automatic boxes. This is the first time I’ve used one. The wagon practically drives itself, especially when the cruise-control is on.
All good and well, but it takes some of the enjoyment out of driving.
What are your thoughts?
Hate the I-Shift Volvo box. I’ve said before you can have a quick half hour on the bunk while it thinks about what gear it’s going to randomly put you in next. It’s an Old Man’s gear-box. Far too lethargic for me. Having said that, I was impressed with Actros auto box; you can rush that if you want to if you know what you’re doing whereas the Volvo box doesn’t care less about the fact your trying to climb a 1:4 hill and need quick changes. By the time it puts you in the next gear it’s lost you all your momentum and you’re back at a standstill. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE 
(and yes I am being reasonable about it 
)
Rob dont take this the wrong way, but theres an old saying
“A GOOD WORKMAN NEVER BLAMES HIS TOOLS”
Handbags at the ready!!
OR THE OTHER CHESTNUT :
R.T.F.M…!!! :lol
Having driven said VOLVO for over a year now I must say its the dogs dangly bits, ive never had a problem with truck selecting its gears, but we go thru regular driver training…!!
On the other hand the Stuttgart hill stomper that Rob mention I have a problem with …reversing not esy like the volvo but jerky & its either on or off with the accelerator…!! 
I suppose I’ll have to put my 2 penneth in then.
I,and a few of my fellow drivers at work,have 53 plate Renault Premiums with the high cab and the semi auto box in,and if I have any gripes about them,it’s that they change up too quick,at about 1400-1500 rpm,in normal auto mode,so you end up doing a Churchill dog impression some of the time,as it can go through half gears as well as full ones.However,if you hold one of the buttons in on the gearstick,or floor the pedal,and hold it,it goes into power mode,and revs to about 2200 in full shifts.
They also don’t like heavy traffic in auto mode,because after a while,it goes into clutch wear mode,and then bangs it into 1L,and you have to manual shift until it clears.(Such hard work.)
And,like listed above,when you stop,and need a quick getaway,you have to wait while it thinks about it.And reverse is all or nothing,and takes a bit of getting used to,because of the lack of clutch pedal.
But with those small faults in mind,I actually quite like it,but it’s only the fact it’s in a Renault.,which gets on my thruppeny bits.
Ken.
just to put it in perspective, last night (sunday) I put the VOLVO i-shift into D drive at the start of my shift when leaving Depot @ thatcham, the next time I touched the actual gear selector was when I pulled up @ wakefield depot 4hrs 25 mins later (limited to 52MPH), to take it out of gear!!!:lol: 
Rob K:
Hate the I-Shift Volvo box. I’ve said before you can have a quick half hour on the bunk while it thinks about what gear it’s going to randomly put you in next. It’s an Old Man’s gear-box. Far too lethargic for me. Having said that, I was impressed with Actros auto box; you can rush that if you want to if you know what you’re doing whereas the Volvo box doesn’t care less about the fact your trying to climb a 1:4 hill and need quick changes. By the time it puts you in the next gear it’s lost you all your momentum and you’re back at a standstill. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE
drove iveco stralis last summer,auto box was a stunner,give me one anytime.
i have driven coaches with auto boxs (torque converters not automated manuels) that are rubbish,changing up/down when you dont expect or want,but these are brill 
auto boxs are the future and anything that makes your job easier is a bonus
p.s hows your new job rob?
UnionJack:
last night (sunday) I put the VOLVO i-shift into D drive at the start of my shift … the next time I touched the actual gear selector was when I pulled up @ wakefield depot 4hrs 25 mins later to take it out of gear!!!
Exactly, where’s the fun in that.?
I drove the Merc box yesterday too. In comparison, I prefer the Merc. Although, it took a bit of getting used to. After a bit of training, I finally got the hang of it. I found changing 3 half gears better than 1 or 2 single gears when pulling away when empty of loaded light. My biggest gripe is you need to keep the clutch down for a bit longer than I’d like whilst it changes gear.
I like the EPS (i think that’s what it’s called). Like in a manual box where you can split before you press the clutch. Like pre-selecting your gears. That was nice.
Still prefer the manual box, but Merc beats volvo in the Auto/Semi-Auto stakes.
What about our friends in the USA, what kind of gearboxes do you guys have?
Gone for the auto option as the FM12’s in my depot are really sweet if a little sluggish, IMHO, moving off. By choice this over the Merc telligent but then that could just be me. Been unsettled by them (telligent) too often to be really at ease with them.
I quite like the Scania manual/auto box, the boss swears it improves diesel consumption, and you can easily switch to manual in hilly country.
But given the choice I’d have a manual box every time. If you’re just doing smooth motorway work an auto is fine, but not in towns, or going over the mountains.
I had a fight with a Renault auto box once, maybe I didn’t give myself enough time, and of course there was no driving training from the dealer apart from a snotty git who asked me how long I’d been driving.