A view from a Swedish tow truck operator: make fully automatic transmissions the standard
Increased driver comfort and productivity, easy operation on ice and lower maintenance costs lead to specification of more trucks with Allison transmissions.
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN - Stig Andersson, owner of Skara-Götene Bärgningstjänst in Götene, 150 km north east of Gothenburg in Sweden, has four vehicles in his towing truck fleet. The two newest, a Scania 340 and a Volvo FL, are fitted with Allison’s fully-automatic transmissions, a choice which has not been regretted. They are both used as lorry platform towing trucks for medium and heavy vehicle towing up to 60 tons.
“Like many other commercial vehicle drivers I started developing strain injuries in my left knee after years of stamping on the clutch pedal. When I planned to invest in the Scania truck I thought it was about time to reward myself with a more comfortable drive. That was one important reason for choosing Allison fully automatic transmission in my new towing truck,” he says.
“After a couple of years driving with my automatic transmission, I have noticed many other benefits compared to manual and semi-automatic alternatives, which are at least as important as the driving comfort. I don’t lose any power when accelerating, and I have also noticed how the maintenance costs have been minimized.
”In contrast to what you’d expect, the total fuel costs also are not higher with the automatic transmission. Especially when you consider the increase of efficiency and productivity in my work. Tests has proven that if there are any differences in fuel costs they are somewhat lower with Allison transmission.”
He continues: “In snow and ice it’s much easier to rock yourself loose from difficult situations with an automatic transmission. This is because you can change between forward and reverse much faster than with a manual gearbox and without risk of damaging the transmission.”
Anders Ivarsson, Market Developer at Allison Transmission in Sweden explains, ”The advantages that Mr. Andersson has described are driven by the design of the Allison product. The torque converter and continuous power transfer ensure superior performance in many different situations. In addition, Allison’s fully automatic transmissions eliminate costly clutch repairs and consequent vehicle downtime.”
Future plans include automatics
A towing truck must be able to operate under difficult conditions, 24 hours a day and in all kinds of weather. It is often very tight, muddy and slippery on the scene of an accident, placing high demands on maneuverability and ability to start smooth on all kinds of grounds. In these circumstances Allison transmissions, thanks to their patented torque converters, really can be instrumental to effective and safe operations.
Furthermore, drivers often work under stressful traffic situations where it’s important to concentrate on driving and not on changing gears. “There is quite enough to think about anyway”, says Andersson.
According to Andersson, fully automatics are becoming more and more popular in towing trucks, and he cannot understand why his colleagues should not realise the benefits of fully automatic transmissions too.
“There’s no doubt about it; my next towing truck will also have a Allison fully automatic transmission. And the one after that too,” he concludes.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 2,800 people. Allison has manufacturing facilities and customization centers located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Hungary, with a global presence, serving customers in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and Africa. Allison also has more than 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," “intend,” “forecast,” “could,” "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks. Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to: risks related to our substantial indebtedness; our participation in markets that are competitive; general economic and industry conditions; our ability to prepare for, respond to and successfully achieve our objectives relating to technological and market developments and changing customer needs; the failure of markets outside North America to increase adoption of fully-automatic transmissions; the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales or damage to our brand and reputation; the concentration of our net sales in our top five customers and the loss of any one of these; and labor strikes, work stoppages or similar labor disputes, which could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our principal customers. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.
Press Enquiries
Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com
Miranda Jansen, Allison Transmission Europe B.V. Marketing Communications, Baanhoek 188, 3361GN Sliedrecht - The Netherlands , Tel: +31 78-6422 174. miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com
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