Why Do We Keep Adding Gears to Trucks

[@johnmoore1949]

People don’t realize that Spicer had 14/16/18, & 20 speed transmissions since the 60’s. The 18 speed that we know today didn’t evolve when Eaton /Fuller introduced it in the early 90’s. Trucking had always had those transmissions available. But the popular trannies with low hp hauling general freight only need a 7/8/9, or 10speed to do the job.

[@jdtrucks5936]

I wish spicer would make those Twin stick transmissions again, loved the different gear ratios!

[@miquel440]

​@@njw1840 no they didn.t,Benz produced 16 gears automatic and now 12,it.s is junk.

[@miquel440]

In Europe we never had 18 speed gearboxes. 16 at last. I drove Volvo 12 speed gearboxes for years and years. Easy shifting and if you have a powerful engine like Volvo has with lots of torque you don.t need more gears. And now i drive the Volvo I shift,best gearbox in the world.

[@igormorningstar]

​@@miquel440Actually yes they did, the Spicer 6+4 technically has 24 ratios. Each gear on the 6 speed were split 4 times

[@igormorningstar]

​@@miquel440oop nvm I misread, sorry

[@michaelbujaki2462]

I prefer the manual transmission. It is North America's #1 most effective theft deterrent.

[@priyanshusharma9267]

How Manual transmission is related to thieves?

[@patrykpasennik5908]

​@priyanshusharma9267 most of the thieves wouldn't know how to drive it they stop at the first hill :)

[@shaneimler9328]

@@priyanshusharma9267 Half the new truck drivers can't even do manual transmissions. They get a nice little "A" on their CDL.

[@Wunnabeanbag]

Very true. Americans can’t drive

[@stevemiller1517]

5 spd dodge caliber.

[@cameronturner7475]

Drivers don't prefer automatics and they do not reduce fatigue. Companies prefer automatics because they reduce fuel consumption.

[@deanmeyer1815]

Companies can also hire less experienced drivers with less worry of damaging clutches and transmissions in manual shifted trucks.

[@nspro931]

I can shift a Roadranger as good as anybody and I still prefer to drive an automatic. It does reduce fatigue and it gets you over the road sooner. You still have to drive it and pay attention to what it is doing though. I drive in mountains where there is no room for error. These lazy shifts I see flatlanders do would never work out here, the truck would come to a standstill first.

[@opvask]

Ofc we prefer an automatic are you crazy… I don’t want my shoulder and knee to get all fucked up before I’m 50

[@deanmeyer1815]

@@opvask If you mess up your left leg and right shoulder shifting gears, you're not doing it right.😆

[@lanceolot22]

I’ve been shifting gears since I was 7 years old on our farm. I’ve had a cdl since I was 18, shifting gears in class 8 trucks. Believe me, there are very few people I know including myself, that would choose a manual transmission. When you drive for 11 hours a day, having an automatic is awesome! Especially going through city traffic or accident traffic. No more left leg shaking, lol.

[@charlesbutterfield3464]

The 18 speed that I had, gave me a200 rpm gear step. That permits you to keep the engine in the peak power range. That is very helpful when you are carrying a full load in the mountains. That was particularly helpful to me on Interstate 70 going into Denver, Colorado. You climb up to 10,500 feet,then back down and up to over 11,000 feet. When climbing these mountains with a full load, it is very helpful to be able to keep the engine in the peak power range.

[@adiamondforever7890]

The engines today only have a power band of around 300 rpm anyway. Some are even limited by main office seeing you over reving their office rating. You know they will add sand when they offer you the vaseline

[@StumpyVanLife]

I drove 9 , 10 , 13 , 15 and 18 speeds. By far my favorite is the 18 speed. I love the versatility of the 18 speed , you can drive it like a 9 speed if your feeling lazy and don't have much weight. Or you can drive it like a 13 speed , or when you really need it you have all 18!

[@100pyatt]

250rpm in Mdrive and iShift it's perfect

[@donmunro144]

I'm old school. My Peterbilt is an 18 spd manual. I don't use them all unless I am loaded heavy and in the mountains. I've tried automatics, don't like them.

[@Wolfe7109]

Manuals are better for highway hauling. Auto transmissions are better for city hauling. Because they can stop and go fast

[@dkdanis1340]

​@@Wolfe7109 They absolutely can. Automatics don't have manual clutch. It's perfect for city.

[@johndavidson3424]

​@@Wolfe7109 Autos is best for highway & way better than manual in cities for trucks, but u may need to use manual mode on autos for hills.

[@Wolfe7109]

@@johndavidson3424 honesty auto are petty good. But also auto's have way more move parts. Making a brakedown even worse. But with manuals they do have more engagement between the driver and the truck making breakdowns more possible

[@opvask]

@@Wolfe7109let’s be honest.. you’re not fixing the gearbox if it pukes while you’re out in the middle of nowhere, regardless if it’s manual or auto

[@kentr2424]

There is one other factor - and that is that far more freight is moved over a much greater distance now than back in the 50's through 80's, thanks to the development of the US Interstate Highway system (and Canada's own highway system). Prior to the 70's, a lot of freight was moved by train to a distribution warehouse where the trucks took it to the retailer. The distance the truck traveled was a lot shorter and the load was a lot lighter so a 5 speed transmission was more than enough. Now, however, trucks drive loads thousands of miles cross country, and they need as many gears as they can get in order to climb hills safely and keep the engine turning at the optimum RPM for performance and fuel economy.

[@JohnSmith-lf4be]

53' trailers didn't even exist until the 90s

[@keithsj10]

My dad was 16 when he started driving trucks for my grandad in the mid fifties in Colorado. He said all the trucks he drove back then had two gear shifts, one for the rear end and one for the transmission. A 5 speed is really a 10 speed with a two speed rear axle. The engines were weak but they had one truck with a Cummins or a Detroit Diesel that would pull hard. And with the introduction of turbos, the power only increased. 50 mph speed limits were common then too while paved roads in the west were not. He said he regularly loaded hundred pounds sacks of beans into the trailer for hours before driving for days to his destination. He got buried one day when he fell asleep in the trailer loading up. The other guys loaded the beans around him. They used to load their trucks by hand before heading out. Those days are long over. They also didn't have HOS regulations and most drank beer while driving. He rolled a truck one day in the middle of BFE with his dad in the sleeper which killed him. He quit driving after that.

[@K24516]

@@keithsj10sorry to hear that god bless your family

[@stevemino142]

They keep adding gears because the EPA and the government keeps adding restrictions to emission laws

[@dustin612]

At this rate my 2024 Tundra has 10 gears in 10 years it will have 20😂

[@shadowwolf8496]

Yeah and 1 truck from the 60s produces the same emissions as 60 new trucks. So it is working

[@mylanmiller9656]

I started loading logs in 1968 and Most of the trucks had 335 HP Cummins engines and 5x4 Transmissions. Some had a two speed Rear axel, the two speed was not the split type , but one that would only go 40 mph in low range and on the highway, they could go over 80. the loads were over 120.000 pounds, and they needed low gears to lift loads in tough conditions. A truck with a 10 speed would never have got off the landing. having lots of gears is in no way a new thing. i remember one Truck that had a 15 speed with a 4 speed Axillary..

[@stevemino142]

@@shadowwolf8496 no it's not working I drove rig in the 60s my first new truck was a 67 mack r model with the 300 thermodyne diesel that truck ran better and cleaner than anything new

[@carlosnavarro-cj2jv]

​@@stevemino142I love old diesels but that bullshit 😂

[@Bulvan123]

I installed an 18 speed in my Honda Civic. The fuel efficiency is unbelievable.

[@alexkimori4929]

😂😂😂

[@nicovandyk3856]

Geez, “cab over design disappeared”: You know there is an entire world outside of the USA? Cab-over is almost the exclusive design used outside of the USA.

[@mrwow1667]

i hate these youtubers who don’t know anything outside the usa

[@avrggamer69]

​@@mrwow1667because nobody cares about overseas

[@Freesavh1776]

Oh man at 2:27 with the driver & his boy in the car seat brings back so many good memories. My son grew up just like that. Starting in my 379 otr then my Pete 330 dump truck. And finally to my FLD 120 EX condo. I think he enjoyed the dump truck the most. He got to see & ride in all kinds of equipment. And what little boy wouldn't love that?

[@hughjass1044]

Same thing with cars. In the 40s, a typical standard transmission had 3 speeds. A typical automatic; the few that there were, had 2 speeds. Today, it's rare to see a standard with fewer than 6 gears while an automatic can have 8 or more.

[@hartyleif]

so in future we will have 69 speeds

[@MrTheHillfolk]

​@@hartyleif They already have 49 speed transmissions in all of the cars in the Fast+Furious movies.

[@288gto7]

There was only one true auto in 40s and that was the 4 speed hydramatic. No 2 speeds

[@Sparky-ww5re]

​​@@288gto7 yep. Then in the 1950s there were many different variations of the automatic transmission ranging from no true gears (the Dynaflow transmission, used mainly in Buicks, indeed a very smooth but inefficient transmission as there was no feel of shifting and the driver could accelerate while maintaining a relatively steady engine RPM similar to the CVT used in many of today's sedans with inline 4 engines) to 4 gears. By the 1960s until about the mid 80s 3 speed automatics had become pretty much the standard across the board. The original 4 speed hydramatic design (1940-1956) was a complex design that was very heavy and expensive to manufacture. Today, Hydramatic remains as a trademark name for automatic transmissions produced by and used in GM vehicles even though they might bear any relation to the original hydramatic design.

[@288gto7]

@@Sparky-ww5re yeah the dynaflow has a multi stage turbine , turboglide was also similar to the multi turbine dynaflows. There were also a lot of variations of the og hydramatic like the later controlled coupling hydramatic and a twin hydramatic prototype for trucks that would yield around 21 seperate gear ratios. Also I have written a 480 page very detailed book about the GM Allison CD-850 gearbox from Patton tanks. A 2 speed semi automatic planetary gearbox with a very high stall torque converter

[@charlesbutterfield3464]

The big carriers want trucks with automatic transmissions because that makes it easier to train new drivers. I was an owner operator who was training new drivers. The company that I was under contract to told me that I would have to get a truck with an automatic transmission if I wanted to continue to train new drivers.

[@chuckg2016]

Those 3 & 5 speeds you refer to of the 1950s and 1960s were not 3 & 5 speeds. They were known as a Duplex -- having the main gearbox of 4-6 gears with an auxiliary gear box of three or four gears, the auxillary being shifted through its gears in each gear of the main in turn. Obviously you had a lot more than 3 or 5. Revisit: There was also a Triplex, giving a high or low range to the main box.

[@pilotavery]

It was usually 3-speed transmissions plus a two speed transfer case so you actually had six speeds

[@csil2863]

In the 1970s I hauled bulk milk. The trucks had a 6 speed main and a 4 speed auxiliary.

[@chuckg2016]

@csil There ya go!

[@JoeSmith-qn3el]

Also , they had a five speed trans with three speed rear ends.

[@markthomas4083]

The old 290 Cummins attached to a nine speed was not the desired combination for I-80 eastbound out of Sacramento. But the 425 and 13 was a delite back in the day.

[@rajlovinglife]

nicely presented from initial trucking days to modern day truck gearing transmission .....nice work....👍

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Mmm - I just love the satisfaction of making imperceptible gear changes in a manual.....not to mention the sounds of moving up and down. Each to their own!

[@Sjanzo]

In Europe 16 speed was the standard for over 40 years. But since modern engines with full torque availability allmost from low idle, and automated manual transmissions, the lower drag losses of 12 speeds have set the standard on 12. With a creeper gear for heavy haulage up to 250 ton, or off the road dumptrucks. Having many gears is just an excuse for a poor lugging engine

[@ourv9603]

Not anymore. PACCAR reports a full 80% of all new KW & Pete trucks they sell now are ordered with automated transmissions. Fleet managers say young drivers burnout too many clutches while learning to work a stick so they have switched to the automateds. !

[@d3faulted2]

I think something that gets overlooked on the older trucks is that they weren't expected to reach the top speeds we have today. If your expected top speed is only going to be lets say 50mph. You can get away with less gears than a truck that needs to go 75mph, to keep in an optimal engine RPM range.

[@franzjaegers]

The last agricultural Traktors from Fendt with manual transmision had 44 gears. 6 Speed transmision, two ranges and 4 power schift gears combined. Some combinations where blocked or they would have had 48 gears. Ranging from 650 ft/s up to 31mph. But those transmisions where quite a bit bigger then those of Trucks. Now the completly changed to their own Vario transmission.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Haha that's one thing we need in America. Some Fent tractors. I was amazed at seeing em rip down the road at like 35mph or more when I went to Germany. Here most of them only do about 20 (unless it's a Fent).

[@franzjaegers]

@@MrTheHillfolk Some Fendt Tractors are sold in the US labeled as Challenger

[@federicopelizza9563]

Hey, did you mean 650 ft/h? 650 ft/s is like 700 mph

[@franzjaegers]

@@federicopelizza9563 650 feet per hour or 200 meters per hour. About as fast as a snail

[@Detah_]

My only question is why are the manual gearbox's still unsynchronized. We have had the tech of syncromesh for almost a century now.

[@Maniac3020]

Could be so you can't put it into the wrong gear and blow up the engine. If you haven't matched the speed, it won't go in gear.

[@marcelo403polo2]

its actually easier to change the gears, Longer life and you don't need to use clutch at all, except from dead stop

[@vroor32]

I can single shift my 18spd or float (no clutch pedal use) without grinding. Once you know your equipment, synchronizers are not needed

[@ChrisHoffman-ed7pv]

Synchronized gears need to be built heavier as well as the whole transmission. Synchronized gears lateral strain because there angled and not a straight cut

[@jonasstahl9826]

They are lighter and cheaper, the comfort doesnt matter.

[@Joshua-o6g9b]

Trucks back as long ago as the twenties also had auxiliary transmissions along with the main transmission.. so you could have a main box with 5 gears and a second box with 3 or 4 both with separate shift levers and you also had 2 speed rear ends so you could in fact have had as many as 40 different gear ratios or more if the truck was equipped with the aforementioned set-up, which was not unheard of or even uncommon.

[@patriot9455]

I "grew up" in trucking with 13 , 10, and one 5x5 transmission. This allowed for a smaller difference between max torque and max horsepower, meaning keeping the engine in a range it was most efficient in. The people doing this video missed that part of it AMT transmissions are very sensitive to battery voltage. A reduction in voltage from the desired 13.8 to 14.5 will cause drivability problems, just as bad as a shift system getting extreme voltage, typically over 15, with actual component damage possible if the sensitive parts have a voltage over 18VDC . I have driven AMT transmissions and have asked shops to check the output voltage and the battery condition when drivability was suspect.

[@jianrexellcodriga4978]

Automatic transmission is better if you are always on city Driving but if you are in mountain area use manual for better control of your truck and also manual transmission is hard to stuck on muddy terrains or stiff hills but the cons of manual transmission on trucks is needed more experience to drive and more skills

[@earlfreeman93]

For almost a hundred years now the American railroads have not had any need for geared transmissions because all Diesel locomotives that they use are diesel-electric (ie diesel engines generating electricity for the motors that turn the wheels).

[@royogden549]

As a owner driver i do not prefer a automatic you do not get a better mpg driving a auto i went back to a manual transmission

[@100pyatt]

You had an Allison ?

[@tespenkr9924]

Regardless of what people think about modern trucks, we can all agree that diesel is more efficient and safe than EV.

[@michaelbujaki2462]

I would prefer a diesel hybrid; the torque that comes from an electric motor is just too convenient for me to pass up.

[@man-by9iz]

Yea bc ev cars are still being experimented with but I think ev trucks will come soon that are safer

[@govinlock8568]

EV is more efficient, but diesel fuel have much more energy density than batteries, which compensated more than enough to offset their lower efficiency.

[@jeffrey1312]

EV trucks will take over local delivery. Especially in dense cities, which is where most people live. EVs excel at low speeds and in stop-and-go traffic.

[@CopperBased]

Also, when you have an 18 speed you don't use all of the gears. Acceleration from a dead stop with a full load on flat ground you will probably start in fourth and be in high gear by 60mph. The huge number of gears is so you can start with a low range and optimize your hill gearings.

[@indridcold8433]

This video has a tremendous amount of flaws.

[@JJBblitzball]

The script was probably ai generated

[@phaedrussmith1949]

They all do.

[@keithsj10]

A lot of relevant info from the 70's and 80's about cabovers demand and demise and deregulation of the industry was left out too. Near future robots driving trucks wasn't mentioned either. A video about truck transmissions should've just centered on transmissions, not a half ass't history lesson on the trucking industry.

[@brettadams6467]

6&4 transmissions Learned on them and still have them in my 1963 351 PETERBILT and my 2016 389 GLIDER....750 HORSE POWER TO THE GROUND. 😊

[@malcolmwhite6588]

All of the specs I could find show only 550 hp and that’s at the crankshaft?

[@crippleguy415]

Trying to squeeze even more and more out of increasingly smaller weak engines. I Prefered the old R model Mack's with the 5 speed Maxtorque transmissions . The old Mack's diesel motors had a such huge flat torque curve you didn't need more gears . Especially in the construction trades / vocational uses . They pulled better than anything else back then .

[@TheRealMrBeercan]

There is a 1937 Life Magazine article where a writer follows truck drivers in new industry at the time, long haul trucking. In this article, a driver named Red, is driving a diesel Autocar big rig. It says right in the article that his truck had 18 forward gears. That was in 1937. In the same article it shows pictures of modern looking 18-wheelers going across the Arizona desert. Gasoline trucks at the time may have only had 4 or 5 gears, but because of the limited power range of diesels, they had to have a lot of gears.

[@texasgrillchef8581]

What’s interesting is even passenger cars and trucks such as the f150 and Bronco, we now have 10 gears. With manual override. So having as many gear as 18 for big trucks makes perfect sense to me. Automatic or manual.

[@martymccormick4816]

😂 haha manual transmission increases fatigue?! Yeah I want to fall asleep now cause I feel lazy AF just holding the pedal down. Oh and manual transmission gets better fuel when hauling over weight loads like doubles , all you need is a 15 liter diesel and 13 speed Eaton fuller.

[@darylb5564]

Hold the pedal down! What are we animals!😂

[@Negev-Israel]

Series hybrid is the simple solution. If you don't know, your average diesel train uses a series hybrid system

[@ERIK-457]

I have no experience on driving and many other things, but i prefer always having FULL control over the situation and each tiny detail, so i would prefer manual transmission, maybe semi-automatic, but never fully automatic transmission, having an automated system take control over my movements would not be fun at all, not one bit. With manual and semi-automatic i would have full control of the transmission and i can know what it's doing at all times and act as i see best fit the situation. Though of course, an experienced driver would put the vehicle to better use, but manual transmission allows said experienced driver to actually do his job.

[@BWB_Cubing]

0:17 thats a renault t isnt it?

[@indridcold8433]

My vehicle has ten forward and two reverse gears. It is that was for off road and on road conditions. Just a one-size-fit-all transmission is not enough for my vehicle. I am always doing remote off road recoveries. The transmission is not synchronised. I must double clutch and rev match.

[@RogueTrucking395]

You have more control in a manual than an automatic transmission especially when it wants to shift up a gear going down hill causing you to apply your brakes which adds to wear and tear.

[@jasonstclair6293]

That's what the engine brake is for.

[@RogueTrucking395]

@@jasonstclair6293 Even with a 3rd stage Jake and a gross weight of about 78-79,000lbs gross it will still want to shift up to the next gear. That’s been my experience with Paccar or any motor that’s had them.

[@jasonstclair6293]

@@RogueTrucking395 what really sucks is every transmission has a manual mode that is designed to be used in that type of situation, but most of the time it is disabled in the programming for "fuel efficiency" or to prevent drivers from doing things they shouldn't be.

[@RogueTrucking395]

@@jasonstclair6293 I don’t like manual mode. I found it useful only when I was paving in a set of California double bottom dumps or if I got stuck then I’d set it in manual mode lock in my differential or twin screw then go from there. If I’m in manual mode going down hill with the Jake on set to stage 3 it will over rev the motor nearly red lining it. At least that’s been my experience with the Detroit DD-13 Motor with the DT-12 Detroit Automated Manual Transmission.

[@jasonstclair6293]

@@RogueTrucking395 I won't lie I've never driven one other than moving them around the yard to wrench on them. I've never heard much about these sorts of issues since it's pretty flat around here and people haven't had any major issues.

[@adamspitz4281]

Unfortunately a lot of us are coming around to automatics. For crawling along with a paver it’s very useful and you can put any idiot behind the wheel.

[@TheLookingOne]

My 1962 Land Rover 88 had 3 shifters due to 2 full overdrives that resulted in 16 gears (12 forward and 4 reverse) -- each gear was right in-between the others Those gears got me home after four-wheeling left me with 2 cylinders (due to burning out the exhaust valves in the 2 inner cylinders)

[@AllieThePrettyGator]

Most lorries nowadays have 10 to 25 gears depending on the model

[@michaelbujaki2462]

I was thinking that this was an American video when he said that "cab-overs are all but gone." Not in Europe!

[@marcelo403polo2]

More things to break, more money for servicing it. I’m not a truck driver but my 6 speed Allison was just perfect in my pick up. New 10 speed, just Allison branded is trash.

[@mtb416]

Yes, they’re adding gears just so service centers can make more money. This type of stupid thinking has pervaded every crevice of society. You add complexity to anything and the immediate response is “Greedy corporations….” or “designed obsolescence” or whatever pseudo-intellectual claptrap people use essentially as a heuristic to convey they’re somehow “in the know” to others. While these things exist, it isn’t nearly as ubiquitous as these types of people (luddites) believe. Your new pickup is towing more and doing so with better or similar mileage to the clog iron you compare it to from years past. This didn’t happen by magic. It happened through advancements, which typically means “added complexity.”

[@E.Wolfdale]

I stopped being a fan of manual transmission after buying my first automatic. Manual can be fun sometimes on highway but shifting in city or in traffic have no fun, it's a pain.

[@mylanmiller9656]

When i first started loading Log trucks Most trucks had a 5-speed main and a 4 speed Auxiliary that is 20 gears, Some even had 2 speed Axels then they went to a 13 or 15 speed now they have updated the 13 speeds into 18 speeds. I always thought 20 was more than 18. Some guys tried Automatic transmissions for logging but the lack of ability to lift heavy loads in muddy conditions soon eliminated the Automatic trans. i have seen Automatic Transmission trucks sit in the mud and moan when they were trying to lift a heavy load. The transmission is not the problem but the, Torque converter slipping under hard load is why Automatic trans are not the best. The old manual 5x4 trucks always had a gear low enough that they could lift the load. I have seen Trucks with a 250 hp lift a load were a 500 hp with auto would fail.

[@EricFortuneJr.]

Autos can suck if you’re in a tight spot. You’re basically stuck in neutral if you use up your air supply and have wait for it to replenish.

[@robertvanderlinden2813]

i am supprised that CVT transmissions like the vario transmissions used in most modern tractors aren't used at all in the trucking scene

[@kentr2424]

They most likely can't handle the strain and torque of a big Diesel engine.....

[@robertvanderlinden2813]

@@kentr2424 as i just said, it is the most used Transmission in a agricultiral tractor which is at maximum power use for longer than it's not

[@jasonstclair6293]

@@robertvanderlinden2813 tractors also aren't capable of the speeds trucks are which makes a huge difference in how things need to be built. Cost is another big issue. It's a whole lot cheaper to add more gears than to design some form of CVT that will hold up. Tractors need the variable speed a whole lot more than a truck does. Trucks don't need the variability provided by any form of CVT for day to day use and nobody is going to pay for it when a 12 speed automatic will work just fine.

[@forestpagan4813]

I have never seen a farm tractor with a hydrostatic trans with over 100hp. (They are hydraulic (hydrostatic) and definitely NOT cvt (like in a side by side or a small car)

[@robertvanderlinden2813]

@@forestpagan4813 than you haven't seen a tractor Above 100 hp yet, it's pretty much the only option manufacturers give you with examptions like the New Holland T9 where only the top Power model has a Power shift transmission

[@stoundingresults]

Only time I like automatics is in gridlock traffic.

[@KevinNguyen-zn4vv]

It's called overdrive, although we don't hear much of that anymore -- the gear to maintain the lowest RPM at cruising speed. My Mini Cooper R53 has 6 speed, and I often shift from 1st to 3rd, then to 5th or 6th depending on the driving condition. When I'm flooring it, then it's a different story. HAHA.

[@keith4886]

It's not only commercial vehicles. We now have PICKUP TRUCKS WITH 10 SPD. TRANNYS. A friend of mine owns one & I asked him if his pickup really needed 10 speeds. His answer was NO!

[@Rigby_the_Trucker_Pony]

I love having an automatic in my work truck because it's a lot easier on my legs and back, (I have degenerative disc dieses), so I'm in constant non-stop pain. Having an automatic makes it possible for me to do a job I love. Although, I'm wondering if the reason my work truck sucks at climbing hills/mountains is because it's automatic or if it's because the company I work for has the engine speed governed?

[@itt2055]

Trucks can have over 32 gears and some of the earliest trucks had more than 12 gears. The increase in gears was because of the increase in the weight of the loads being carried. Trucks need more gears than cars both because of the weight they carry and because of the limited power band of diesel engines. Automatic gearboxes in trucks are very unreliable and require more maintenance than manual gearboxes.

[@Mr-wv1tu]

Interesting! You have a new subscriber.

[@tonylam9548]

Diesel engines have narrower torque band than gasoline engines, therefore they need more gears. But in real life scenarios, the most gears practical would be 9, 10 speed. Usually the more speeds go to drivers that been with the company for a while with proven abilities. Most drivers are not the best trained , and when you stick them with a truck with split axles and you have to shift a certain way through the gears, for at least the first day or so, you have to think before every gear shift and they often damage the transmission. Many do not even know to look for the shift pattern at the top of the visor or a sticker on the panel somewhere. This is especially true with agency drivers that never get the same truck twice. If the shift pattern is not available , you have to guess. Most people get out of driving schools using an automatic, and it is possible to get a truck license and you cannot shift gears , and even to get a job (cement trucks)

[@Scott-si4rm]

There's nothing better than the good old twin sticks

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

Give trucks 200 gears, then you will need to have 3 people in the cab = 1 to drive, and 2 others to do the shifting every few seconds. Volvo trucks come with automatics as 'standard', their dual-clutch i-shift automatics are light-years ahead of the old 18-speed manuals in every respect. However, other brands of automatics can be horrible by comparison.

[@antontsau]

The main reaason is performance. If engine works from 1200 to 1700 only and you have to pull 120 tonn gcm with 100kmh - even 18 is not enough to upkeep engine on full power in all possible speed range. Hydromechanics helps with it but by cost of power losses. Even light trucks nowadays get 8 gears, like my new Crafter with its 3t gwm and 2L high-turbo diesel. And let electronic brains switch them every 5 sec, not me.

[@outlawdingo3020]

The old Mack's like the deep reduction models had like 4-5 gears in reverse so you could literally do like 50kmh backwards 😂

[@larsvdniet9994]

Short version: trucks have a low rpm limit, so if u want to go faster, more gears!

[@Joshua5654]

Just like cars Americans don’t like manuals there isn’t many truck drivers outside the USA that wouldn’t prefer a manual and there isn’t many countries out there that would have inexperienced truck drivers trained in automatic trucks without ever driving a manual in fact many countries will not allow you to drive an automatic big rig without passing in a manual first

[@affliction1979]

As it should be.

[@Scott-si4rm]

You got to have the junk a matics for the steering wheel holders

[@arthurturner9398]

Question from a 4 wheeler here.... Which lasts longer and is more cost efficient truckers a manual or a automatic? I know my S-10 has a 5 speed with 315k on it and never worry about transmission issues.

[@wirehot09]

I always thought that it was to keep the driver happy with something to do. lol I know it’s wild but sounds fun.

[@marshallbaldwin395]

My very first truck had 4x4 count them it had 16 forward 4 reverse it was a 1951 freightliner bubble nose

[@Hades9898z]

Why don't they use cvt or dct to eliminate the adding gears problem

[@keithsj10]

You didn't mention the reason cabovers existed in America and then disappeared altogether. Or the demise of independent truckers and the growth of trucking corporations. In the end, more gear options aren't going to matter because the truck is currently shifting itself and will soon drive itself without the need for a human driver at all.

[@emilienamaury3839]

Before to watch the video, I think this could help me for the game ETS2, for built the best gearbox for my truck. After that I watch the video, I will comeback for tell if that could really help me. Edit : so in the game, that should just get a better fuel efficiency, that we don't really care (like it"s a game)

[@st-ex8506]

Electric drive trains and no gear charge whatsoever is the new way to go! Over here in Europe, the number of e-trucks we see on the roads is growing noticeably every month. And their drivers love them, never wanting to go back to diesel rigs!

[@barrycrosby8602]

Most European trucks only have 12 gears some like scania with an overdrive, this is due to the wider power band and better torque of engines like scania

[@fernandorangika]

I love a good manual gear box. But what I cannot understand is American trucks having two or three gears and very complicated gear shifting.

[@JamaicanMeCrazy]

You know what would work really well here? A cvt. It's like having infinite gears. I'm guessing there must be seriousl engineering challenges. My guys would be they can't seem to get them to operate reliably with so much torque.

[@crazygamingfab9338]

well when you got a 6speed with a aux 4 speed technically you got 24 gears thats for the older 40s and 50s trucks

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

"Between three and five gears"? Well, that's precise. There's only one whole number between three and five.

[@JessicaMorgani]

I wonder when truck makers will realise that CVTs exit. With enough edges any shape is a circle.

[@dannytechminds423]

"Eat-hmm fuller " 😂

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

A video like this is made by someone that knows little about trucks. The 18 speed has been around for over 30 years and the 20 speed was around long before that. The trend seems to be fewer gears because they are automatics that are popular and the industry has to cater to those that don't know how to drive a stick.

[@catdaddy3728]

The 18 speed... ability to split lo range was needed when rear axle ratios went "higher" than the 3.0's. 2.28's etc... needed more gears to get a load moving. Imo, not necc to have 18 if axles are 3.55 and "lower". No need to split lo range.

[@Mega7492]

Slower axle ratios are becoming the past.

[@vermillion4971]

nice to see those beautiful trucks on the rhuud😂

[@FoodComparison-z]

i love this information

[@scaniamenr620]

All those big number gearboxes like ZF 16 speed in Europe, or Fuller 13/18 speed in USA doesnt have 16 or 18 gears. ZF 16 speed is 4 speed gearbox with range multiplicator and splitter, 1-2-3-4 and than range group 5-6-7-8 are using the same gear, only different output. And splitter, well the name says it all. Whoever at least once disassembled ZF 16 speed you will only find 5 gears inside, R-1-2-3-4 thats it, everything else is splitted or multiplied.

[@Mrmoo6000]

Not only 18 some extremely long road train prime movers have 20

[@citruss5737]

We havent really added any gears since maybe the late 50s

[@HoiBoi3328]

Why wont they try ti use CVT? Continuously Varying Transmission will keep the engine permanently in its sweet spot

[@Latuya-y1n]

Eaton got 24 gears speed 21 direct 3 overdrive for the ass differential bitters

[@FrostyPeace10]

Electric trucks are heavier and less powerful. They also have to recharge often, and the extra weight can damage roads.

[@atracamoniusvlogs]

Peterbilt trucks in al barsha 3

[@michaelbuttle7772]

My old Land Rover had in theory 16 forward and 4 reverse gears

[@NickMartinez-l9t]

Gotta love the gearing on a 4 speed Go gooooo goo GOOO

[@133Nomad]

So, when a semi in the movies has "no breaks" is bs?

[@aap_pixel1612]

They should’ve been doing this for cars too. 🤣🤣🤣 I wouldn’t mind an 18 speed Honda imagine cracking vtec 17 times off 1 pull 🤣🤣🤣

[@ThunderSky]

2:32 2:42 what scania is that? Weird to see old scania with digital dashboard

[@maxiawesomekid899]

If you had a modern semi truck in 1st gear, how heavy could it haul?

[@FrancisMacauley-s7t]

As for me I don't Love automatic,I Love manual handle up to 20 speed

[@lucmarchand617]

The reason why lots gear because each application.western canada use each type work for trucks.i work in pipelines construction most trucks got 18 or 20 speeds trans due trucks work tough and rough terrain.i work coal mines se bc 8 years as hd serviceman each trucks got own gear yes.we have fuel trucks with 475hp engine with 15 od with 2 speed rear end due steep hill.logging was same each have systems.i drove Am general 4 years in military ontario have 2 sticks 10 speed spicer with 2 speed axle some them yes.Logging west coast is same they have own gears due rough and tough terrain in bc coast.thanks video😊

[@tonylam9548]

I have seen my share of expert drivers , they can shift gears while making the truck sounds like it had an automatic, without using the clutch. I also seen some who had to crawl out of a gravel pit on a steep incline fully loaded. They need to shift at least once and the timing had to be perfect. 1/4 second slow and the truck rapidly lose speed to a dead stop........on the slope. be rough on the drive train, and you are likely to drop a drive shaft. I say only the top 5% of drivers can do these jobs. Just like shunting, for the top 5%, they have one try time allowance to back a trailer in perfectly. Most drivers are not that good.

[@kimnielsenthewordyvikingett159]

The reason might be because it's easier to step up a smaller distance than a larger one!!! Ask any three year old!!!

[@richarddodds9326]

There are 6 low each split L H, 6 high each split L H, they're there if you need them

[@JALB1225]

Hey Tropia, when will you return your voice to a pitcher one?

[@Patrick_AUBRY]

Manual transmission are still asynchronous in trucks.

[@gngl7142]

Electric drivetrain is inefficient on long hauls because electic motor constantly turning at high rpms. For this reason If it is going to be an electric truck, a transmission is needed.

[@jasonstclair6293]

An electric motor is going to consume the same amount of power whether it is turning slow or turning fast. Your point is invalid.

[@reaperreaper5098]

@@jasonstclair6293 Electric motors have efficiency curves. There's a torque and RPM it wants to sit at for peak efficiency. Higher or lower RPM, or a workload that requires more torque to maintain an RPM, and it'll draw more power for the performance you're getting.

[@jasonstclair6293]

​@@reaperreaper5098 Alright maybe I was a little off, but long story short nobody is developing any sort of transmission for any electric vehicle. Maybe the parasitic losses are enough to negate any efficiency gains or they've just decided there isn't enough benefit to introduce a more complex system to gain a few minutes of run time.

[@reaperreaper5098]

@@jasonstclair6293 Porche and Audi both have transmissions on some of their EVs. Specifically, 2 speeds on their rear motors for low end acceleration. OP and you ate both semi correct. He’s correct (in that for reliability and performance), semis benefit from a (simple) transmission that puts less direct load on the motor. You’re correct that power consumption isn’t going to benefit enough to use a transmission with more than 2-3 speeds.