The transmission is an important part of your truck. It transfers the power from the engine to the wheels through a system of gears. By shifting from one gear to another, you can transfer varied power levels to suit the different navigation needs of the truck on the road. Unlike manual transmission where the driver releases the throttle and shifts the gear using a gear stick, automatic transmissions rely on data-driven technology to propel the truck from one gear to another. The automatic transmission has altered the performance of trucks and improved the driving experience. If you are looking to buy a truck, here are some of the important things that you should know:

Truck Productivity

How efficient is the truck when it shifts from one gear to another? Does it lose momentum for some seconds before it powers up again? With manual transmissions, this is exactly the case. The driver has to release the accelerator, engage the clutch, move the gear lever before pressing the accelerator again to power up the vehicle. This means that there is a loss of momentum for a short time. However, automatic transmissions are characterised by full power during gearshifts. This means that the automatic transmission makes small gains over the manual transmission. Seemingly, the gains may not seem much over short distances but they add up to a great deal when truck drivers drive for long hours on delivery trips.

Safety on Hills

When a huge truck stops on a steep road, there is an elevated risk of a rollback. This jeopardises the safety of the other road users. Automatic transmission enables the driver to keep the trucks still on a slope. They just need to press the accelerator slightly, applying torque (the force that causes rotation) through the truck's wheels. The driver increases the torque by applying more pressure on the accelerator, and the truck starts moving forward. This is unlike a manual transmission where the driver has to strike a perfect transmission shift for the truck to start moving forward. This can be challenging for inexperienced drivers who haven't finessed their stick shifts, making the truck roll back.

Improved Navigation Safety

In automatic transmission trucks, the driver can focus maximally on what is happening on the road without diverting their attention to the gear stick. On the contrary, the constant shifting, particularly in heavy, stop-and-go traffic, contributes to the driver's fatigue if they are driving a manual transmission truck. This can jeopardise their concentration on the road.         

Keep this information in mind next time you're looking for a new Mack truck for your own use or a business fleet.

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