Automatic Transmissions

Will driving an Automatic cause you to forget how to shift a manual transmission???

Will driving an Automatic cause you to forget how to shift a manual transmission???

Depends on how long you drive an automatic.

Dave

My story: * 4 months manual (OTR)

* 5 months automatic (shuttle)

* tomorrow: back to manual (dedicated OTR account)

I'll let you know, but I should have no problem.

Actually I'd say it depends on how long you drove a standard. I drove a standard for many years, then drove an automatic for the better part of six years. When I got back in a manual it was like I never left.

You certainly won't forget how to shift but you might need a few minutes to get reacquainted.

Update: As Brett says, a it depends on how long you've driven sticks. For me, passenger cars a long time.

Just drove from Memphis through Birmingham, AL. There's a stretch of I-22 just west of B'ham that's not built yet. Everybody has about 10 miles of heavy duty surface street, with hills, traffic, signals, turns, and so on. Not a problem for me.

I have only driven manuals, but I did take a driving check ride with a company in an automatic peterbilt. I must say that I was really impressed, the automatic was awesome, downshifted when I hit the brakes, freed up my concentration to focus more on the road less on shifting. If I had a choice I think I would only drive an auto lol.

Phil

Loving, loving, loving the automatics at Averitt. Driving them may not MAKE you forget but rather make you WANT to forget.... IMHO.

Yeah pretty much echoing what others have said here, I'd say if you've already gotten used to driving manual for a while, you will never forget how (barring some major brain damage/traumatic memory loss event), but in my own experience having driven manuals for most of my life, when I have had to drive an auto for a while and then go back to manual, it just requires a bit more deliberate attention and focus on what you're doing at first. After a day or two back with the manual though it feels second nature again. And while I exclusively only buy manual transmissions for my cars, I think in a commercial truck automatics just make way more sense. I would always choose manual over auto in a car, but I would always choose auto over manual in a semi tractor.

I drove a manual for about 18 months then automatic for more than 10 years then came off the road in 2009 I just finished cdl school last week and had no problem with the manual

I drive a manual for a couple of months, then an automatic for a couple. Then went back to a manual and my shifting seemed better than before i drive the automatic. Sometimes when you take a break from something, you are better at it when you come back to it.