Ok - let me ask you this:
USXpress has 6,000+ trucks. If the transmissions are as bad as you say, exactly how does USX stay in business? You say every single one you've ever driven is messed up. Well, if 6,000 trucks were messed up every day, how do they do $1billion per year in cartage?
No, I didn't make the decision that auto's were better from driving 1 truck. I've driven a total of 4 automatics, with 1 (ONE) breakdown that was transmission related. That too cannot be blamed on the automatic. It was the MANUAL clutch that went bad (springs in the clutch pad broke). I came from the decision from seeing other companies going the way of the automatics. Ok - just Schneider & USXpress is over 18,000 trucks. Now add in PAM, Asheley Furniture, and who knows who else (I don't keep track of everyone that runs auto).
I'm not trying to tell anyone that auto's are better than manuals, or vice-versa. I'm just simply stating the facts that I do know.