Automatic or manual? For years the tried and true 10- to 18-speed manual has been the mainstay for heavy haulers. But the tide appears to be turning. As technology improves and driver pools dwindle, more vacuum truck owners have been making the shift to automatic and semi-automatic transmissions.
Jason Guzauskas, sales representative with Rush Refuse Systems, San Antonio, Texas, says between 60- and 70-percent of the vacuum pump trucks he sells come with an automatic transmission.
“Automatics are easier to drive,” he says. “You can have less experienced drivers, which can save you money on labor. You don’t have to worry about a clutch getting dropped in a day. So you can lessen maintenance costs and lessen abuse on the trucks.”
John Eldredge, general manager for Eldredge Equipment Services in West Chester, Pa., also has noticed the trend toward automatics. Eldredge, who maintains a fleet of 25 haulers, says there’s been a dramatic swing from five years ago, when only two of his trucks had automatics. “Today we probably have four that don’t have automatics,” he says.
EASE OF OPERATION
Wayne Vanden Berge, president and sales manager for Advance Pump & Equipment of Peosta, Iowa, says the Allison automatic has been the most popular transmission in the trucks he has sold. But in the past three years he’s seen a move toward the semi-automatic Eaton AutoShift and the recently released fully automatic UltraShift PLUS. Vanden Berge says 10 years ago about 15 percent of the trucks he sold had automatic transmissions. Today that number is closer to 40 percent.
Although the AutoShift still must be clutched on starts, it can be configured to match the manual in gearing. The UltraShift PLUS, available in 10- to 18-speed configurations with torque capabilities from 1,450 to 2,050 lb. ft., acts much the same as the AutoShift, but without a clutch pedal.
“You’ve got a computer that’s making the shifts for you,” Guzauskas says of the UltraShift. “It’s more logical shifting than a human could do because (the computer) knows what it needs. If it’s a 10-speed transmission and it needs to drop from 10 (gear) to 6, it can easily do that. Whereas some guys, especially an inexperienced driver going on a downshift, if they miss that gear, they probably won’t hit it again, and then you wear your brakes to slow the truck.”
Vanden Berge says he believes the main reason for the changeover in transmissions is ease of operation.
“I think they’re doing it to accommodate driver ability,” Vanden Berge says. “Less repair and maintenance; less clutches. The automatic transmissions have a proven track record. But I think a large portion of my customers are doing it because they’re having trouble finding drivers,” he says. “And once you find a driver, then the next question is whether they can actually shift a transmission without breaking it and the clutch.”
MANUAL MAKEOVERS
Even diehard manual owners, such as Dave Hapchuk of Washington, Pa., are looking to make the change to automatics. Hapchuk has 30 trucks in his fleet — all manual transmission. But he plans to add an International 5900 with an Allison automatic this year. “I never had one and just want to try it,” he says.
Curiosity also has tempted Tom Ferrero III of FRANC Environmental in Horsham, Pa., to look at an automatic.
“For our heavy trucks, we have always utilized manual transmissions, “Ferrero says. “I suppose that I had the mentality, maybe a bit ‘old school,’ that an effective driver must decide when to upshift or downshift to properly control his truck and load. Until recently, the idea of an automatic transmission in the large trucks was a bit uncomfortable. I thought that it might limit a driver’s ability. I also was concerned about the reliability of an automatic transmission,” he says. “Recently, we purchased our first automatic transmission on a new Hi-Vac jetter combination truck.”
Ferrero says some of the benefits he sees from an automatic include improved productivity during full power shifts, easier starting on hills with no risk of rollback, driver ease — especially in start-and-stop city traffic and less wear and tear on the drive train. “Time has shown that these transmissions are reliable,” he says.
“In addition to the mechanical benefits, I envision that the use of automatic transmissions will assist with new driver recruiting. Driving the manual transmissions is a bit of an art that comes only with a good bit of time and training,” Ferrero continues. “Automatic transmissions will shorten this learning curve and broaden the job applicant pool.”
Ferrero says if his new truck performs as expected, he’ll be looking to purchase more trucks with automatics.
As for driver preference, Vanden Berge doesn’t believe age is a factor. “I would say there’s no pattern there, but the older drivers — the owner-operators — have chosen to go to automatic transmissions from the simple fact that the left leg is getting a little sore from running the clutch,” he says.
For himself, Eldredge is sold on automatics. “I’ll be 60 years old, and I’ve driven most of my life. If you gave me the choice of the two, there would be no doubt that it would be automatic.”
DRIVER TALENT
Eldredge says he believes another reason for the growing trend toward automatic transmissions is better technology.
“In days gone by when the truck had its own computer and the transmission had its own computer, they didn’t communicate well,” he says. “Now they’ve linked those two computers and that gives you optimum performance and protects the engine and transmission from damage — from each other or from the driver. And from a safety standpoint, it allows the driver to concentrate on the operation of the truck rather than being concerned about shifting, downshifting and all that.”
Like Vanden Berge, Eldredge believes driver talent possibly has the greatest impact on automatic transmission purchases.
“It’s unfortunate, but we’re seeing a change in the driver pool that’s available — the experience isn’t there. We’re finding that we’re hiring less experienced drivers, younger drivers. And with truck technology changing, I think it just makes sense to go with an automatic transmission type truck.”
Eldredge says older drivers in his company still prefer manual transmissions, although some are embracing the new technology.
“We have a driver who’s been driving probably 35 years, and we started turning over the fleet to new equipment. We purchased automatics and he said he didn’t want one of the new ones. He wanted to stay with his older truck. We finally convinced him to try it for half a day. And he was driving the truck (a tanker tractor-trailer) in a mountainous area. Well, half a day went through and he called back and said he was very happy with it and he wanted to keep it.”
Eldredge says when weighing the pros and cons of automatic and manual transmissions other factors to consider include fuel economy and initial cost.
“We’re seeing 1.5 miles less per gallon than we would see with a standard transmission,” Eldredge says. “That’s a disappointment, but I think the tradeoff is worth it.”
COST CONSIDERATIONS
Eldredge says an automatic transmission also will cost about $8,000 to $10,000 more than a truck with a standard transmission. “But the automatics are easily serviceable,” he says. “We expect the same life out them as we would an engine. There again, maintenance is critical. If you don’t take care of it you’re going to pay for it; it’s going to be huge dollars.
“Our history has been very good with them,” he says. “Where we’ve had problems is more with the OEM harnesses. We typically use the New World Allisons. And where we have had trouble is primarily in the electronic control cables that are hooked to them. We’ve had corrosion issues there. But generally, we just purchased some Kenworths and we have some Internationals, but we’re primarily a Mack fleet, and they’ve been very, very good.”
Eldredge would advise, however, that when looking at a truck with an automatic transmission to make sure it has enough room for the power takeoff.
“One Mack that we put a pump package on had a cooling line from the automatic transmission that really restricted the usable area for a PTO shaft,” he says. “We overcame it, but it wasn’t easy.”
Guzauskas agrees that because automatics are geared lower, they turn higher rpms and do use more fuel. But at the same time, there are efficiencies to be gained, he says.
“A standard transmission truck might take a minute to get up to speed on the highway, whereas an automatic you get up there in half the time,” he explains. “It’s much more efficient driving. You put that over the course of 8-10 hours and you might be able to add another stop a day.”
Another benefit of owning an automatic, Guzauskas says, is its resale value.
“When somebody calls for a used truck, I would say eight out of 10 times they want an automatic. And they’re willing to pay more for it.”
As for maintenance, “to put it in perspective,” Guzauskas says, “an automatic transmission, when you buy it new, it only costs $825 for a five-year unlimited mile warranty. The standard (transmission) warranty is three years, and it’s probably double that amount to get a five-year warranty.”
Guzauskas says recommended fluid changes on an automatic with general use are 150,000 miles, 4,000 hours or 48 months. For the filters (internal and external), it’s 50,000 miles, 2,000 hours or 24 months. “The cost on an automatic is probably a little more than what you see on a standard transmission,” Guzauskas says. “But if you figure in not having to replace clutches or get clutch adjustments, you’re likely going to save money over that same amount of time.”
HEAVY-DUTY USE
Guzauskas says one of the fears someone who has never owned an automatic might have is that it won’t hold up. That’s really a misconception, he says. “If I was looking at an 8-year-old truck with an automatic transmission and an 8-year-old truck with a standard transmission, and they were pretty equally specced otherwise, I would go for the automatic. If they were spec-for-spec, I would pay up to $5,000 to $8,000 more for that truck (with the automatic) just because I know there’s less of a chance I’ll be putting a transmission in that truck any time soon.”
Guzauskas typically sells trucks with 6-speed Allison automatics. “It’s like a double overdrive so you ride at lower rpms and get that efficiency up a little better. I think the biggest misconception on automatics is that it’s not able to withstand heavy-duty truck use. That’s not the case, especially in the pumping industry. These trucks were designed for garbage landfill and off-road. The pumping industry is a cake walk compared to that.”
