Prime Inc Automatic Only

Spent my D-Seat (Permit driving period) in a manual and took my test in a 10 speed manual. Spent the next 30k miles in an 10 speed auto shift. Now I'm back in a 10 speed manual shift wishing I was in an auto shift...

After 2 weeks of shifting continuously for 4 hours a day, I don't care if I never see another stick, and my hip is praying I don't

I felt the same way in school, now that I have been doing it for a year and a half shifting has become 2nd nature. I only use the clutch when starting from a stop for the most part otherwise I float. When ever I catch the morning rush through Chicago I definitely wouldn't mind a auto though.

I.hated the manual in training... after 3 yrs they gave me an auto and it took 2 months for me to accept it. i wish this truck was a manual...then it would be perfect and beautiful.

i never minded the clutch in traffic. everyone complains..my trainee kept saying "thats 60 pounds of torque pushing back on me"...yeah...the same 60 pounds i been doing for years. ok. of course, i have popeye the sailor man legs....so i guess i never noticed.

Yeah, driving on the road will be much better than practicing backing on the pad, but I'm OK with either one.

Yeah, driving on the road will be much better than practicing backing on the pad, but I'm OK with either one.

We had a 04 International on our practice pad and you would have to lift yourself out of the seat to push the clutch, luckily every other truck I have been in takes little effort. The one in my 2019 Kenworth just look at it will push it.

Hi all, Thanks for all your help and I decided to go with Prime. Since I am from north east they told me to go to Pittsburg, PA for training. That is something new for me since no one ever mentioned this anywhere. But I am excited at the same time. I really wanted to drive manual and all my life I drove only stick shift cars and l like the feeling of total control of a vehicle. But my recruiter told me that they are changing to automatic and it is highly doubtful that I will get a manual. So now I have to train my mind to enjoy automatic lol. But my biggest worry is about my future. How about other trucking companies, what if after 2 years or so I want to get into another company and they don't want someone without any manual experience. Or shouldI I try finding some other company which trains in manual or go to a driving school and learn manual. I am upset because I am going to dedicate a year for a company but they won't teach you manual and I feel that I am going to learn only half of driving.

What day are you scheduled to go? I'm heading over Febuary 4th myself.

Omg this new auto stuff and the new regulations ive been out of trucking for 8 years now im thinking of possibly going back to it and redoing my cdl. But as of late im seeing alot of horrid new regs coming into effect. Are company's acclimating drivers properly or are they still push push push.

“Horrid regs”? Like what?

Auto-shift? The negative hype surrounding this is overblown and unfounded. I drove a 10sp manual for two years before my fleet went full auto. Not a big deal. In fact I prefer it now.

Electronic logs is the biggest reg. change occurring lately.

If you have prior experience, a year or more this change isn’t an onerous one. Elogs will be reviewed and taught during orientation and then in real-time while road training.

Are company's acclimating drivers properly or are they still push push push.

I think drivers are trained better today than they have ever been, but that doesn't mean it's easy or slow paced. The world moves faster by the day. The margin between making money and losing money has never been narrower. There are more vehicles on the roads today than ever in history. The weather seems to be getting more intense as the years go on from global warming. It's a tough business to be in and it takes a special kind of person to thrive in it. Some people feel the pace is way too fast, others are excited to see the fast pace because that's exactly the type of job and adventure they were hoping for.

There are plenty of jobs out there that move at a painfully slow pace. Trucking isn't one of them. Never has been and never will be. That's one of the things I loved most about it.

All of the hype about the ELDs makes me laugh. Those claiming it hurts them are basically admitting they have been running illegally for years. The regs haven't changed much in the last few years i have been driving other than being able to use Personal Conveyance more leniently. So drivers being upset now about paper logs are ridculously admitting to breaking the law for at least the past 3 years.

The autos....it depends on the make of truck. Some have "creep mode" and "hill assist" and some do not. My truck without creep mode seems so much harder to back up. Also, without the uphill assist, it sometimes rolls back when parked on an uphill or stopped at the top of a ramp hill.

This wouldnt happen in a manual cause i could control it.

Backing on a slope is difficult in my truck. If i don't give enough fuel it rolls forward. give it a little more and it jumps backward. Roll over a slight bump in the ground and (in my jersey accent) forgiddid aboudit.

As for acclimating drivers...my company is great at that...but i hate change. so im stubborn, not their fault.

But at least i admit it.