This is 2023, not 1973. There is a reason they don't put manuals in trucks anymore. Newer gas engines aren't designed to work with them. My old 1980's F150 got it's torque at 2000-2500 rpm. My current F150 needs 3800 rpm and many trucks over 4600 rpm to develop torque. Try backing a trailer or maneuvering in a tight spot with a manual that needs that much engine speed to get things moving. The torque converter in an automatic makes that much easier. It also eliminates the need to start in 2nd gear.
And I've never driven an automatic that couldn't manually be placed in the best gear for the situation. Too many automatic drivers just want to put it in "D" and forget about it. If I'm loaded or towing heavy, or driving in mountains I'm manually changing gears quite often, especially going down.
You could make an argument that manuals could still work well with diesel engines. But today's automatics do everything better. They last just as long and give no more problems than manuals. They stopped putting manuals in buses over 40 years ago. Virtually all other big trucks including Semi's are now using automatics.
I will concede that driving a manual can be fun and I do enjoy it. That is why they are still offered in small trucks like Tacoma, Wranglers, and some sports cars. But I wouldn't be interested in a manual transmission in any truck made in the last 30 years. If you want a truck to work with automatics are better.
