I'm from the old school and always use the Clutch, lol.
I'll match anyone 10 Gears up and 10 Gears down with a 10-Speed Road Ranger, lol.
Even Two Sticks to boot. (Both Fully Non-Synchronized Transmissions)
On a more serious note though, if any of those new trucks did have a Manual Trans, they best be using the Clutch. Not a good idea to shift a Synchronized Trans without it, besides probably voiding the warranty, if detected.