Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/565622
EquipmentWorld.com | September 2015 61 New integrated drivetrains speak a language all their own – and that's a good thing for fuel-conscious users O ne surprising trend over the past few years has been the unprecedented mar- ket share growth of automated manual transmissions. Many OEMs now are re- porting AMT take rates that would have seemed improbable when the fi rst units appeared on North American shores. Volvo, Daimler Trucks North America and Paccar all report AMT specifi cations in more than half their tractors sold so far this year. While some drivers remain resistant to AMTs, every year more are won over by their ease of use and additional safety advantages. Fleet managers have found them to be largely bulletproof in terms of overall durability, performance and decreased maintenance costs in terms of clutch replacement. OEMs say that AMTs by themselves can deliver a fuel economy increase between 5 and 7 percent for a Class 8 tractor depending on application – another benefi t enjoyed by users. Now there's a new wrinkle to the AMT propo- sition. Integrated powertrains were born out of the ability of vertically integrated OEMs to design diesel engines and AMTs that communicate elec- tronically using sophisticated proprietary telemetry to further optimize the fuel economy advantages offered by AMTs. Other OEMs and component suppliers saw op- portunities to offer similar systems, and soon cooperative partnerships with proprietary code sharing sprang up between Eaton and both Cum- mins and Paccar. Multiple benefi ts Fleets quickly recognized the advantages of inte- grated drivetrains. "Almost three-quarters of the trucks | by Jack Roberts | JRoberts@randallreilly.com Kenworth's T680 pairs Paccar's MX-13 engine and Eaton's Fuller Advantage Series automated 10-speed transmis- sion to optimize fuel economy.