Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/153582
start News & updates from the Volvo world I-Shift now standard on Volvo-powered trucks in North America SHORT FACTS: I-SHIFT PREFERRED GLOBALLY Volvo has sold more than 330,000 I-Shifts around the world and currently builds more than 80 percent of its trucks globally with the I-Shift. SHARE SURGES IN NORTH AMERICA In 2012, nearly 60 percent of Volvo-powered vehicles built for the North American market featured an I-Shift. Volvo's AMT proven to improve productivity, safety, driver retention NOW HOME MADE Strong customer demand for the I-Shift played a significant role in the decision to move full assembly from Sweden to the Hagerstown, Md. powertrain facility. With sales of the Volvo I-Shift reaching record levels in 2012 — nearly one of every two Volvo trucks built in North America features it — Volvo Trucks now offers its automated manual transmission as standard on all Volvo-powered trucks built for this market. Göran Nyberg, president, Volvo Trucks North American Sales and Marketing, made the official announcement during the 2013 Mid-America Trucking Show. "Introducing I-Shift as standard across our product lineup is an exciting development that reflects our confidence in its performance and the value it provides to our customers and their operations," Nyberg says. "The Volvo I-Shift is a tremendous tool to help combat rising fuel costs and improve driver productivity and safety. I-Shift is also proven to help attract, train and retain drivers." Since its introduction in 2001, the Volvo I-Shift has significantly impacted the global truck market: more than a decade of production experience has made Volvo I-Shift the world's leading AMT. The 12-speed I-Shift is able to downshift and upshift in smaller, optimum steps between gears compared with competitive transmissions, improving drivability and skip shifting. Integrated sensors identify truck load and road grade to place the truck in the right gear for the conditions for smooth, optimum shifts, extending clutch life and service intervals. I-Shift also reduces wasted revs and boosts fuel efficiency by up to 1.56 percent when compared to an unproductive driver. I-Shift is a central component to Volvo's XE — exceptional efficiency — powertrain package, which further reduces fuel consumption by lower- ing engine RPM at a given vehicle speed, a concept Volvo calls "downspeeding." Volvo's XE packages downspeed the engine at cruising speeds by 200 RPM or more than traditional specs. The Volvo I-Shift is proven to help attract and retain drivers, largely because it improves driver comfort and lessens the physical demands of the job. An independent fleet study showed a 54 percent increase in first-year driver retention when driving a vehicle equipped with an I-Shift. The study also showed a 10 percent reduction in turnover among experienced drivers. I-Shift can also help reduce the time needed to train new drivers and help improve driver safety by reducing driver fatigue and distraction. Drivers also enjoy improved payload capacity as a result of the I-Shift's lightweight design, which provides a weight savings in excess of 100 pounds compared with 13- and 18-speed transmissions. DRIVER 'S DIGEST #2/2013 DDQ213PG005-9_Start.indd 5 5 8/13/13 8:31 AM