New Driver & CDL Skills · Driver Training VideoDriving Automated (AMT) Trucks

An AMT looks like an automatic from the driver's seat. No clutch pedal, no shift lever pattern. But underneath it's still a manual gearbox — a computer is doing the clutching and shifting for you.

The first habit to break: don't coast in neutral. Some drivers shift to neutral going downhill to save fuel or coast through a light.

Second: trust the automation, but don't ignore the grade. An AMT reads throttle position, road speed, and incline to pick a gear. It's good at flat highway. It is not good at reading a grade it can't see yet.

Third: manual mode is not a toy. Every AMT has a way to override the computer — paddles, a rocker switch, a shift pad. Use it for steep grades, tight maneuvering, and slippery starts, where you want one specific gear, not the computer's best guess.

Fourth: know your restriction

If you tested for your CDL in a vehicle with an automatic or automated transmission, your license carries a restriction code — you are not licensed to operate a vehicle with a manual clutch pedal. That's a federal rule, not a company preference.

Your company standard: run pre-trip checks on the transmission like any other system — listen for it hunting between gears, watch for harsh engagement, and report anything that won't hold a selected gear or shifts erratically. Stay in gear on every grade, loaded or empty.

An AMT takes the work off your hands, not the responsibility off your shoulders. Know how it thinks, know how to override it, and it will make you a smoother, safer driver. Guess at it, and it will find the one grade, or the one intersection, where guessing costs you.