My left knee loves the automatic transmission

He said if you dont know what a manual in a truck..................... Google it 😂😂💀

I spent several years in the Marine Corps as a tanker. The 70+ ton tank with 1500+ horsepower and gobs of torque used an Allison transmission. Damn near bulletproof. You're never going to get the old farts out of the three pedal trucks.

I currently drive for a concrete company in South Carolina, and I've driven both Automatic and Manual trucks; when I started working there, I was driving an automatic truck (Allison 4500 RDS 6-speed), and the truck I'm driving now has an Eaton 9LL. Both transmissions have their benefits and drawbacks; the automatic allows the driver to fully focus on driving the truck instead of worrying about the next shift, while the manual allows the driver total control of when the shifts happens (the deep reduction gears in the 9LL are very helpful in off-road and other slow speed situations). The downside of an automatic is that the driver doesn't have direct control of when the shifts happen, while the downsides of a manual are power interruption between shifts and more energy expended while shifting during the day

Great video presentation on the different transmission options. It's very clear. Thanks!

Quite informative and I want to replay this

Great video giving more understanding to the difference 👍🏾

Excellent .. Best explanation I've heard yet. Always enjoy your videos.

I’m retired now, but I have driven manual and automated trannies over the road. I’m still on the fence for OTR applications. I also drove fire trucks for over 26 years. For emergency vehicles the full auto trans is the way to go. Modern Allison transmissions are very smooth. The circuitous routes that were typical of fire responses are way easier with a full auto trans as that allows you to focus on the task of arriving safely at the destination. You never have to worry about shifting into the proper gear. And, many firefighters of the younger generation don’t handle manual transmissions proficiently.

Great video!!! You explained it very well!! 👌🏽💪🏾

Thank you for clearing these up, well know automatic and manual but the other two l had no clue now l do. Keep up the good work.

Nice. Thanks for the explanation.

Really cool presentation Mr.Kenworth 👍

We would like to know more about the automated trans in the green t680 how it works vs differentiates from the ultrashift plus!

I am not a trucker, but I always wondered why these trucks they were calling automatic always sounded like it was still a manual. Interesting stuff.

Extremely well done.

This guy is good, probably a great salesman. A great video with a lot of detail. Makes me want to go out and buy a new Kenworth.

If you don’t know what a manual transmission is, google it😂

Totally understandable to me Buddy,thanks

Back at it 😎💪

Josh - Another excellent video!!! Can't express how GREAT a job you do explaining things in your videos. For your sake i hope Paccar is paying attention and they pay you a whole lot of dough someday soon to be their corporate spokesman. Only question is: Have you heard anything about, or suspect there will be, an upgrade to the Endurant, by adding gears to the 12 in it currently? More gears in the overdrive range might help with fuel economy is the reason i ask.

Great video. What would be your recommendation for driving in mountains / on grades?

makes complete sense to anyone who has common sense or drove or drives a truck

Awesome and very informative

How bout a vid on durability, breakdown, maintenance costs, MPG consistency. When the auto's are new I am sure they are rockin.

Very informative. When I was in high school I got to ride in a school bus with an automatic transmission. 1981 I believe was the year the bus was an International. It shifted pretty good with a definite lag between gears though and an audible whine.

Great video, you're the best, not like the rest.

I'm guessing the trend toward automatic and automated transmissions is because of a lack of drivers who are able to drive a manual or a lack of drivers who can drive a manual well. A generic computer program is probably safer and more efficient than a poorly trained manual trans driver. It's a shame really, because even taking the manual shifting out of the equation, there are more drivers than ever on the road who shouldn't be allowed near an 18 wheeler. Choosing the right gear for the conditions and load is part of what made truck driving a skilled profession. You now have a large percentage of drivers who can't shift, can't back into a dock, and can't maneuver the truck with any proficiency whatsoever. And that's why driver pay will never get any better than it is now. Driving has been distilled down to the lowest common denominator. What does all the recruiting literature say ? "Anyone can be a truck driver." When anyone can do it, it is no longer a skilled job.

In November my truck will be paid off and I’m buying a manual. I run a lot of steep twisty roads and I’m constantly messing with my automatic. Switching from economy to performance to manual, jakes on, Jakes off. It’s tiring. With a auto tranny, no only do you have to worry about the engine and after treatment messing up, you also have to worry of the damn thing is going to shift when you need it to. Plus, all the dealers are so packed with broken down trucks, it’s would be nice to have a manual where any roadside shop could work on it in less than a day without some special computer. I’ll never buy another one until autos are the only option. I regret it big time

I just bought a 07 kw with an Allison 4500rds to build a rolloff and for that application I like it.

So true about the diferent transmition some may no understand but love this video was great and honest we have to know what's best for the job we do all are great gear boxes

Our company purchased t680's with 10 speed automated transmissions. I like that there is no clutch pedal to stretch out your legs but that's about it. The truck does not accelerate going down a on ramp if the ramp has any down grade until it levels out. We changed our shift parameters from 1500 to 1800, they were just to slow to get up to speed. (450 isx Cummins). I thought they would really be nice but would prefer manual again. Most of the time I'll shift in the manual mode instead of the automated mode especially downshifts with the Jake on. We have had some issues with the wiring and sensers on the transmission resulting in a tow back to the shop.

I drive a tow truck in a hilly terrain city centre. Here, the automatic Allison 2500 RDS is king.

Thanks for sharing this information I now understand

Well explained sir... Automated manuals are of course very different from standard automatic, since (like you said) all the internals are that of a manual transmission. You can operate the Automated tractor in a semi-automatic/manual mode where you have control of the gears, or you can let the computers and hydraulics take over for you, so they can depress and actuate the clutch, and automate the clutch and gear shift control. Great video buddy!!!

Yay!!!You're back my buddy!. What's best for heavy haul Boss?

Better then me bcuz ima choose the manual regardless what im doing and yes even in a dump truck and especially over the road! I was taught in dump trucks doing asphalt and milling with a manual so it’s not a headache to me as i was told it would be! Otr to me definitely requires a manual bcuz i want control of my truck on mountains and in adverse weather conditions etc, I only trust me in those areas or conditions with 80,000 pounds not a computer lol! Heavy haul speaks for itself so no need for me to even mention my reason for a manual with heavy haul lol!

I drive dump trucks and I think the Cat 6 spd automatic downshifted rough but it was good and got the same mileage as 8ll trucks doing the same thing, the Allison 4500s I've driven were smooth and great at everything I tried with them. Especially milling!

Great video!

One other reason to run a conventional manual - a lot of areas in the nation there is little to no access to a shop facility that can work on computerized, or even automatic, transmissions and engine systems; the nearest facility might be hours or even days away meaning a substantial cost of remote service or tow. But about any rural shop can probably effect a repair on a basic manual gearbox and get a guy up and running again. Ease of use is a great thing, but it comes at the price of complexity and can increase the cost of ownership if the worst happens.

As an older driver driving in more urban driving and some suburban driving I chose the Allison automatic.

Also dont forget back when the automated transmissions had a clutch pedal lol.

He won't talk about it, but the only one I trust in snow, ice, and reverse is a manual transmission.

Here's something that you can or might want to dive into concerning these transmissions. The weight difference between the 4. Or is there really a big difference in weight between the 4.

Once we, employees of a certain company in a city in the Netherlands, were driven by bus to another city to demonstrate against something. I noticed that near the driver's seat there was a selector handle like that of an automatic, but how the bus drove, felt like a manual, for me as a passenger. I couldn't see the engine brand, but on the selector it said ZF AS-tronic. When our bus shifted, it fell a whole bus length back versus the other of our two buses. Each of the two buses had a female driver. I told our driver about what I wondered about the transmission. She said it could be shifted either automatically or manually. I didn't dare to ask her whether she had been shifting manually or letting it shift automatically most of the time. The other bus was a Volvo, so I suppose it had a Volvo i-Shift. I have never driven a bus or a truck, but as far as hear / read from truck drivers on the internet, Volvo I-Shift is beyond reproach. Once I saw a KZfaq video comparing various old-timer and contemporary trucks, emphasizing the ease or difficulty of the gearbox. The development went from non-synchronized to synchronized. Then there was a very new M.A.N. with an automated non-synchronized gearbox that shifted faster and smoother than the newest synchronized one. Once when I was googling about the things I wondered about the riding experience in that bus, I saw somewhere that in trucks and buses with an automated transmission, there is a databus between the transmission control unit and the engine control unit. I suppose that is for automated rpm matching during shifting.

My mt4000 alison in a road truck works great. Wouldn't have anything else. 1325 rpms at 65 mph with 3.73 gears. Can't bet how smooth it runs.

Just started driving a Kenworth 2021 dump truck automatic nice

Pretty decent explanations of the pros/cons. Two questions that I'd like to see answered: 1) What is the weight difference among them (use the RDS 4500/4700 for the Allison), and 2) what is the real world approximate cost difference up front? I'll be retiring in a few years and looking real hard at putting together a SuperC RV, and the foundation is still kind of up in the air.

Well explained

Love my 8ll for getting in and out of some tough places with alot of weight on local runs. Test drove the ultra shift, wasn't for me.

I only keep manuals in my fleet

heavy haul 120 K plus, definitely 18 gear jammer

Good information

The W900L i’m looking to buy has an automatic and i’m so excited!

I would've liked seeing inside the truck and actually what you were talking about. Such as it is you might as well did the whole thing in German or French or...you get the idea.

You forgot twin sticks :P

I drive for a mega carrier who caters to the lowest common denominator. I learned how to drive in a pete 579 with a EF 13 speed. I want my damn manual back. The guys who taught us did such a good job I can outshift any of these damn "automated" transmissions. Not to mention, manuals can judge road conditions. I can run it hard downhill to ease it uphill conserve fuel. If I'm cresting a hill in an automated, it will downshift, just to rev, and just to shift back up when I could have lugged it up and over. Fuck Automated, and fuck Schnei..... um, I mean I love my job.

I love the white 1 next to the green

best most clearest explanation i ever heard about transmissions 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 but i stil ignorant lol so all i wanna know if you drive over the road with a dry van which one will you choose or be the best and easiest to work?????or any difference on snow ??

Thank you for the explanation but and that is a huge but you made it very hard to make a choice.

What type of transmission would be best for all of those applications

For heavy haul over gcvw, what is the fail rate for the Allison vs an 8ll? The rto16908ll brochure says gcvw=140000lbs online catalog says 110000. If I pulled a tractor trailer setup w/ the 8ll at 14k vs the Allison which would fail 1st?

So, at the end which is better for hauling tankers? Also to install hydraulic pump on a new truck still warranty cover?

My neck and shoulder don't never want a stick. Plus all the room and great features. APU is excellent

If you have sometimes heavy but mostly light automated is the way to go if you're constantly hauling big heavy loads like I do on every day's basis and going through steep hills manual transmission is the way both are good just like you said for the application take it or leave it

I drive dump truck and have driven both a Allison fully automatic in a 2018 so far going strong no issues and now driving a 2023 kenworth with 18 ultra shift in it,also so far no issues… Personally I preferred the Allison between the 2 ,but just my opinion. You can’t go wrong with either of these transmissions and one thing that’s a big factor for me is when running very short rounds through city streets the automatic transmissions are far easier on the driver by the end of the day and I’ve also shifted gears for 25 years so I might be experienced enough for a bias opinion.. 😊

I have a DSG (dual-shift gearbox) in a VW Passat. This is also an automated manual, using 2 clutches, the side-by-side gear assemblies and super fast shifting. One set of gears in 1,3 and 5. The other set of gears is 2,4,6. When I start out in 1st, the other clutch is waiting to engage in 2nd. The shifting is nearly instantaneous, confirmed by how the tach snaps to the new gear. I doubt with all the mass of a large diesel engine this would work as well, unless that rpm change was dampened just a little.

Another great video. I like that the automated still has a clutch but what happens when the computer goes out? Stuck on the side of the road singing along with your greatest Brittney Spears songs? I still prefer that 3rd petal due to that fact that I haul heavy equipment in steep country.

I just got mine new T680 with paccar motor , once the deal was done , I picked up my truck i had lot of questions about maintainance and other things , the sales man said don't worry i will find out for you , till now , nothing from their side , can you explain about the proper maintainance to keep the truck moving smoothly , thanks

Awesome, today I learned my automatic truck is actually automated.

Still what about a smoothbore tanker especially backing up climbing hills and going downhill, tankers are totally different from vanloads ! cargo moves

I driven all these system in my company (different manufacturer of truck) my least favorite was the automated manual. It was slow and clunky and extremely jerky in reverse. The manual transmission and the automatic Allison both worked great.

I really liked my 4500rds in my Peterbilt pulling 110,000 in grain train out in the 11 west

Can u explain 2000 or less had automated or not if yes which one ?

That manuel comment was funny. I guess I'm a old school guy, and I work in dirt and tight spots. I'll go out kicking and screaming before I drive a automatic or a autonomous

I would of agreed with your view of transmission choices you delineated by usage. That is until I put together a dump truck with a Allison RDS 4500 transmission, I believed that the only reason to have the Auto was so any idiot could drive it, I was wrong. The Automatic is gentler on the truck, gentler on the driver too, plus much safer. It's surprising how much mentally we spend paying attention to shifting, rolling at stops, working to not get stopped on a hill and a myriad of other thing that become second nature to driving a truck. Automatic makes all those things go away, you don't even realize it's happening till you've spent a substantial amount of seat time with the Automatic! The Automatic makes a good driver even better, a beginning driver tolerable:) Except for cross country or long haul trucking, the Allison would be the best choice for most applications(especially for a dump truck) you mentioned:)

Recently bought a used peterbuilt 579 with the ultrashift. I converted the truck to pull my Fifth wheel rv for recreational use. Coming from a 2020 ram 3500 cummins to this was a shock when it came to transmission. First thing I noticed is I couldn't take off from a stop light and have quick acceleration and lags from the automated short shifting. So on that not I cannot merge quickly onto a highway this is a real safety concern. Had I known this I would of thought twice before purchasing

The international LT that I'm driving has an automated manual 10 speed and I hate it the clutch never knows when to actually engage, backing is the most annoying because your throttle input half the time it slingshots you back or nothing happens at all for a solid 3 seconds. When I was driving a Cascadia with the 12 speed Auto never had any of these issues and the Cascadia had crawl control which was very nice because it actually reacted how you wanted it to.

3 pedals 13 on the floor all day long

I’m surprised he didn’t mention the huge difference in engine braking between a clutch and torque converter. Having a direct connection between drivetrain and flywheel makes a huge difference over how a torque converter functions

Hi. My truck is a 10 speed manual (Eaton) the gears stock was on high range (I was told that this was a minor issue) But The mechanic told me it's a big damage, they need to rebuild it for $ 3500 without labor!!!. I agreed. Then I found out, that he replaced it with another one, that one doesn't have a cooler (my transmission had one) tell me please if what the mechanic did is right/okay?. Should I accept this transmission ( the new one without the cooler)? He's working on the truck now, haven't finished yet.. I still have time... should I accept what he did or not?? Please reply 🙏

I like the sound of the endurant, does it have manual mode and 3 step engine braking on the steering column ? I'm a control freak and love manual but that endurant sounds like a meat and 3 veg complete feast with gravy. That painted no chrome look is cool. Edit: Found the video of T680 thanks.

Now I'm getting a better understanding..automated is a manual controlled by a computer system

We run automatic transmissions in our dump trucks and love them because they dont get stuck nearly as much as a manual especially in soft sand and they dont wheel hop nearly as much as a manual in soft sand either

You didnt speak about the ALLISON RDS 4500 SERIES for the dump application. Please do a video comparing the ALLISON 4500 RDS to the EATON ULTRASHIFT.

well, I have a small Vauxhall Corsa with a semi-automatic gearbox ..........it's semi-automatic as it has a normal conventional manual gearbox, it is just that the gear changes are made by an "actuator" that takes the place of the clutch and changes the gears but when needed I can use the manual mode and just pushing or pulling the gear level to change gears.

hey bud, like the videos; but please for the love of my ears, level your intro music to your vocals; it scares the crap outta me every time your intro runs 2 times louder lol

Good video

You did not mention PTO's and how they are different with the different transmissions. When running a hook lift or roll back it is a must. With the 18 speed as soon a you press the clutch in it disengages the PTO and you lose all hydraulic functions, which makes loading a container on a hill very difficult.

Clear as glass.

Great video to help BS Dave the "smart" trucker understand. ;-)

What's the safety backup system for the electronic gearbox? What will happen if the electrical system fails? To me mechanical gearboxes are more robust and better than any electrical controlled gearbox.

Are they even still making the Eaton fuller automated with the clutch petal? I have one in my 2009 T-800. I hated it at first, but now I’ve grown accustomed to it. For around town, stop and go driving, I prefer the Allison automatic. For OTR work, I’m still a fan of the manual. If I was going to buy my own truck, it would have the 18 speed manual, it’s just a personal preference. Automatics and automated transmissions seems to be the way of the future for most larger companies, I can see it’s place, and I think it’s a good training tool, get new driver accustomed to the size of the vehicle in an automated or automatic first, then add in the manual shifting. But that’s just the way I see it.

Looking into a CT10, get any of those?

just wondering about weight difference?

Can I override the automated transmission? is there still a clutch pedal that I can use?

Way would trucks not have power shifts like we have on big equipment like tractor's?

Aside from the Allison being much more expensive up front, they’re much more expensive to maintain if you’re to keep their warranty and keep them in good working conditions.

Man i so hope that you will answer under my comment 🙏 I have purchased 2020 Peterbilt 579 x15 efficiency series 500hp, ultrashift plus mhp 13 speed automated transmission and meritor plus 3.42 gears with airtrak suspension.. Truck was made in 07/2019 Fuck... 5.6-6.0 maximum mpg with 78-79k load reefer at 70-72 mph speed ( 1480-1580 rpm) Yeah i have 6800 miles on it but fuck..i am worrying will my mpg grow up with time? Also my pete 579 with that airtrak raises my reefer trailer so high like truck is 13.5 and reefer was 13.8(now its 13.7,deflated airbags a bit) Will EPIQ package help me a bit do you know if trailer is 2 inches higher than truck? Then Ultrashift plus. Okay overall i like it on highway but on backing up to the door it’s a painful 😖 Jumps a lot, if i use R1,i often get CA message in dash ( clutch abuse) R2 starts too fast and i am about to hit another truck if i am really close to him. How to activate creep mode on reverse if manual and low mode work only in D position. How to activate urge in move?? Will it help me to avoid clutch abuse and if i got truck and trailer like in « Г » position, either in left or right side, it jumps and shakes truck and trailer a lot and every time! In what year new ultrashift plus were upgraded/ updated? If my 2020 truck were made in 07/2019, i got the old or new version? Just i wish to know about mpg, i was expecting 6.5-7 mpg with reefer 80k at 70 mph, but i have 5.5-6.0 with 2017 emission x15 500 hp efficiency series and 3.42 gears .. where i am fucked up? With airtrak that raises trailer above truck cabin or because the truck is a little bit raised with clearance in compare to another pete 579/kenworth t680? How to avoid clutch abuse while backing up in really tough places where i need often pull forward for couple feets and back up for couple feets a lot of times ? I have like R1 R2 and kinda R3,which I cannot activate while i am staying. R1 is lower 1st gear and R2 is higher 1st gear correct ? Sorry i am just so upset, idk what to do and how to explain another my drivers how to not break the ultrashift transmission.. please help me! Let God Bless You! 🙏 P.S. if this setup is really bad, will x15 efficiency series 500hp with endurant 12 speed auto transmission and 2.85 meritor axle ratio better? And which setup will be more reliable : the #1 i have now with my pete 579 or #2 i have described here in P.S. for reefer 80k going 70mph. Thank you!!!

Also price to replace it