Heavy Duty Trucking, June 2017

HDT JUNE 2017 58 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM didnt even know how to operate a passenger car manual transmission Building on these trends two more remarkable developments occurred For starters grizzled older drivers whod sworn to never abandon their trusty manual gearboxes decided in large numbers that in terms of safety and comfort as well as cab space AMTs lived up to the hype Widespread and often automatic resistance to the transmissions melted away with surprising speed Perhaps more importantly OEMs realized that the functionality of AMTs combined with their adaptability and barely tapped potential for electronic engine and powertrain control were the perfect vehicle to begin specing fuel efficiencyfocused powertrains Today it is no exaggeration to say that in terms of powertrain control downspeeding active safety systems and adaptive predictive cruise control all arrows point to the AMT In an astonishingly short amount of time these units have become the brain and nerve center of a modern commercial vehicle Given their remarkable success across all fronts it begs the question How much more powerful capable and efficient will the next generation of AMTs be Smarter faster safer and more connected Allison Athey Volvo Trucks product marketing manager transmissions says that since its introduction in 2007 the companys I Shift AMT has gone through at least three different generations with each one increasing the transmissions flexibility and capability Today she notes a standard I Shift is a 12 speed transmission The I Shift with Crawler Gears introduced for 2017 is available with 13 or 14 gears allowing for more precise tailoring of the I Shift for specific jobs like heavy haul or curb pouring In addition to performance enhancements to the current Volvo I Shift this generation also allows for over the air Remote Programming of software and parameter updates she adds Looking farther ahead Athey thinks past couple of years Automatic transmissions are not new of course Units designed for trucking applications have been available for decades But unlike conventional torque convertor automatics AMTs saved weight and cost by simply adding electronic control modules to existing heavy duty gearboxes This approach kept weight and costs down while ensuring durability in tough operating conditions Initial OEM and supplier marketing efforts focused on AMTs as a solution to driver fatigue and ergonomic issues ensuring smoother and consistent shifting day in and day out These attributes went hand in hand with improved fuel economy While really good drivers can beat an AMT on fuel economy when theyre on top of their game AMTs never get tired or distracted So over the long term fleets that ran AMTs would see marked fuel efficiency increases AMTs benefited from some unforeseen industry forces as well Chief among them was the sudden spike in fuel prices in 2008 2009 leading to a new found and unrelenting focus on fuel economy On top of that was the ongoing driver shortage and the influx of new often younger drivers into the industry many of whom then Eaton and Volvo have both improved their offerings Mack adapted a version of the I Shift tuned to its trucks and Daimler entered the market with the Detroit DT12 AMT Fast forward to today and the success rate of these transmissions has been unprecedented thanks in part to their fuel saving abilities A decade ago reports that AMTs enjoyed take rates of around 75 on new truck builds in Europe raised a lot of eyebrows in North America Drivers here were different everyone said North American drivers were devoted to manual gearboxes as a point of pride while North American fleets would be unwilling to shell out the higher price for AMTs Even the most optimistic analysts predicted a very slow climb to 50 of the market in a decade or so Maybe Those experts were wrong Today commercial vehicle OEMs consistently report take rates for new longhaul over the road builds solidly around the 75 mark with Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks North America eyeballing sales north of the 80 mark Class 8 vocational sales initially lagged behind the on highway market segments but have been rapidly gaining ground the The importance of AMTs for future commercial vehicle design was a primary impetus spurring the recently announced AMT focused joint venture between Cummins Engine and Eaton SPECIAL ISSUE CUTTING FUEL COSTS PHOTO EATON