FH 63 reg, manual all the time apart from m’way for me.
I leave in auto 99% of the time just tend to drop one cog at the approach to a roundabout to keep it in the power band. Only been driving an auto for 6 months and I’m still getting used to it.
Better than a manual? No. Easier life most of the time? Oh yes…
F-reds
always auto for me.(unless i`m on a very steep hill)
currently sitting 2/100ths of a mpg behind 2nd place in the fuel figures table 
switchlogic:
I almost never use the manual option. The transport gods gave us autos for an easier life, and that’s what I have. To be fair though my ishift is a work of genius, in 14 months driving this lorry I don’t remember it making one mistake. The Scania made several a day.
IShift is the best auto box out there.
Do you think the high horse power of your Volvo might have a part to play in your box not “making mistakes”?
In so much as it will pull a higher cog while a lower horse motor won’t.
I’ve driven iShift a few times and it’s very good. I did notice the odd time loaded when I wanted a lower cog than it gave me and I had to interfere
Tipper Tom:
switchlogic:
I almost never use the manual option. The transport gods gave us autos for an easier life, and that’s what I have. To be fair though my ishift is a work of genius, in 14 months driving this lorry I don’t remember it making one mistake. The Scania made several a day.IShift is the best auto box out there.
Do you think the high horse power of your Volvo might have a part to play in your box not “making mistakes”?
In so much as it will pull a higher cog while a lower horse motor won’t.
I’ve driven iShift a few times and it’s very good. I did notice the odd time loaded when I wanted a lower cog than it gave me and I had to interfere
Had a Scania with the 2 pedal Opticruise on rental for a few weeks a while back and IMO, there ain’t much between this and the I-shift in the way that they perform, no problems selecting the correct gear at the correct time if you change your driving style a bit, use ya noggin if you think it’s not gonna drop down and use the kick down…drive any auto hard and fast and they will struggle to keep up or select the right gear but then again, the Scania was only a R440 Hi liner and not one of these flagship monster power trucks with a minimum 730 brake on tap we keep hearing so much about. But saying that, my old 530 MP1 Megaspace had that crappy old semi autobox in and was as slow as ■■■■ to top speed, gutless up hills but suited my style of driving…slow and lazy, unlike some of our other drivers in Scanias, who always seem to be trying to rip the pin off the trailer with all the ‘Scania Power’ under foot!! 
I wasn’t trying to turn this into yet another Scania vs Volvo debate or a ■■■■■■■ contest on horse power.
Just my observation that iShift is the best out there
Opti cruise with clutch pedal in an 8x4 tipper absolutley useless but then again I think all autos are crap on off road work
Tipper Tom:
I wasn’t trying to turn this into yet another Scania vs Volvo debate or a ■■■■■■■ contest on horse power.Just my observation that iShift is the best out there
I realise that (others may not) but higher HP will pull through, irrespective of marque, where lower power motors would need the extra gear changes to keep the revs up, especially when trying to climb the hills . My 124m 420, which is a manual, will get up the hills better than our other 124m 420, which is the early version Opticruise, simply because the regular driver doesn’t know how to drive it any different to a manual ie he expects it to behave the same as a manual when climbing the hills and when it does decide to change down, it’s to late and ends scrabbling for gears and dieing or drops 2, begs for mercy, changes back up, resulting in the same scenario
I have got an opticruise scania and i drive it in manual, doing this has made me get the best mpg out the whole fleet ! Speaks for itself
Actrosman:
Tipper Tom:
I wasn’t trying to turn this into yet another Scania vs Volvo debate or a ■■■■■■■ contest on horse power.Just my observation that iShift is the best out there
I realise that (others may not) but higher HP will pull through, irrespective of marque, where lower power motors would need the extra gear changes to keep the revs up, especially when trying to climb the hills . My 124m 420, which is a manual, will get up the hills better than our other 124m 420, which is the early version Opticruise, simply because the regular driver doesn’t know how to drive it any different to a manual ie he expects it to behave the same as a manual when climbing the hills and when it does decide to change down, it’s to late and ends scrabbling for gears and dieing or drops 2, begs for mercy, changes back up, resulting in the same scenario
You’ve basically just said exactly the same thing as me but with loads more words
I have no option but manual. 
Yeah I think my auto box is broken. I put it in 1 as it goes really slowly and I have to rev it flat out.
Also when I select reverse I hear all sorts of noises coming from the gearbox. If I use the second brake pedal (on the left if the steering wheel) it goes away