Are Most Semi-Trucks Automatic Or Manual?

As business owners might be quick to tell you, transporting goods from one part of the country to another can be a logistical nightmare. The trucking industry has long been the best way of moving those goods throughout the land since the vehicles were first pressed into service. That's not likely to change anytime soon, with massive semi-trucks continuing to rank among the most efficient ways to get goods from one place to another. 

Like any industry, the trucking game has undergone numerous changes throughout the decades, as semi-trucks have seemingly gotten bigger and more powerful with every model year. And even more changes may be on the way, with some semi-truck manufacturers now developing hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as automated builds that don't even need drivers. Even still, it will likely be a long while before drivers are completely replaced in the trucking industry.

With their place behind the wheel safe for the foreseeable future, it appears the job of driving an aptly named semi-truck may not be quite as strenuous as you might think, since the majority of the vehicles use automatic transmissions these days. Per some reports, as many as 90% of the semi-trucks being made today are fitted with automatic transmissions. That has, of course, not always been the case for long-haul vehicles. Here's why the trucking industry has moved away from manual transmission semi-trucks.

Before we address the whys of the trucking industry's move away from vehicles utilizing a manual transmission, we'll first take a look at the whens, as the (ahem) shift to automatic has been pretty recent. It's estimated that only a decade or so ago, automatic transmission semis accounted for only 10% of such vehicles on the road. Given the current numbers, it's safe to say the move to automatic transmissions has been seismic in nature for truckers, manufacturers, and trucking outfits across the globe.

The change has been particularly surprising because manual transmissions have traditionally been favored by long-haul truckers, as they offer drivers more control in various road conditions. It seems that one of the driving forces in moving to automatic has been to make it easier to get more bodies behind the wheel, as they've reportedly helped streamline the training and certification process for new drivers. Apart from the obvious advantage in ease of use, technological innovations have arguably also made automatic transmissions more reliable in semi-trucks than they have been in the past.

Perhaps more importantly, automatic transmissions have increased fuel economy in many modern semi-trucks, making them a legit bottom-line difference maker for the owners of trucking outfits. Given the advantages that automatic transmissions appear to offer over their manual counterparts, it's hardly surprising that many of the most popular trucking brands have already begun making the switch. At the current rate of production, automatic transmissions will likely make manual a thing of past in the trucking arena sooner rather than later. 

Of course, when you account for the prevalence of manual transmission semi-trucks in the industry, it's likely to be some time before older models are completely phased out of the trucking game. Likewise, even as automatic builds have grown in popularity and have overtaken their counterparts in the modern trucking realm, there are no doubt some old-school commercial truck owners who simply will not give up their manual transmission makes.

Whatever side of the manual or automatic transmission line a driver might be on these days, one has to wonder if the clock is ticking on both of their professional futures. That's because many in the trucking business are already convinced that the future of the long-haul game is in semis that do not require drivers at all. That includes the folks at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based, Aurora Innovation, who believe their self-driving semi is close to being road ready.

The company may have proved as much in a recent demonstration for AP reporters, displaying the capabilities and safety features of its driverless truck, which is equipped with 25 laser, radar, and camera sensors. Per that report, Aurora's self-driving trucks are set to be put into action by the beginning of next year in Texas, with the company hoping to have thousands of such vehicles on the road within a few year's time. It remains to be seen if said trucks will ever fully replace the human truck-driving workforce. But the one thing we can all be certain of is that the semi-trucks of the future will no doubt be operating with automatic transmissions.