Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/573961
62 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 EQUIPMENT: MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS marketplace, especially in smaller fleets that have a number of quality expe- rienced drivers or owner- operators. They do not need to go to AMTs. Eaton still sees the value of manuals because it provides fleets with a choice when they spec their trucks." Eaton also is seeing a good number of manuals in bigger fleets that run a combination of transmissions to ac- commodate a variety of drivers. "While we see AMTs continuing to increase in share, we definitely think manuals are going to be around for quite some time," Trzybinski says. "We have a new 10-speed manual, and we definitely see that as a viable option because the cost and simplic- ity of manual transmissions continues to make them very attractive to a lot of buyers. And the reliability of the constant mesh manual transmission is world-class." Stu Russoli, Mack highway and powertrain products marketing man- ager, says the company sees trends that point to AMTs becoming the domi- nant transmission in certain segments, but that doesn't mean conventional manual transmissions will go away completely. "We believe they will still play a role to support a base price point, and they will also find favor in vocational applications where the ability to have manual control over shifting and clutch engagement is desired," Rus- soli says. "Design work on manual transmissions is being done, but I would say it is more of a refinement of a very solid technology to better improve such things as weight and overall durability. There are new materials and processes today that can make some significant improvements in perfor- mance and ease of use in the future." Jon Morrison, president of Wabco's North American operations, says his company also sees a continued place for manual transmissions in the market. "We don't think the writing is on the wall for them," Morrison says. "The adoption of AMT transmissions, however, has expanded to approxi- mately 17 percent of new truck and bus production as of 2014." Wabco estimates that market penetration of the industry's AMT solutions will reach one-third of new truck and bus builds by 2019. All about the driver Morrison believes the advantages of AMTs for fuel savings and driver retention will continue to drive fur- ther market penetration over manual transmissions. "We also see advantages when an AMT connects to the driveline, engine and braking systems," he says. "As the increase in and adoption of automat- ed vehicle controls utilizes the AMT to enhance the burgeoning use of autonomous control features on heavy trucks, that trend will continue." Also, the learning curve for manual gearboxes can be a daunting one for new drivers. Johnson says that using automated trans- missions can be a make- or-break factor for some students who don't test well. In limited cases – about one in five students, he estimates – he'll let a student who is trained and profi- cient on a manual but nervous to use one with an examiner sitting in the passenger seat take the commercial driver's license driving exam with an automatic transmission. Johnson mentioned a fleet he does business with that recently dropped two competitive driving schools from its "acceptable" list because those schools were sending Class E drivers to them – but the fleet didn't run any automatics. That's why he maintains a vested interest in emphasizing manual training at his school. "Some of the larger fleets have really well-refined training programs that they do in-house," Trzybinski says. "This is giving drivers the ability to operate both manual and automated transmissions. That, in turn, is making those same operators more attractive to potential employers." With AMT skills only, newer drivers may not be as marketable as far as go- ing to a different fleet or switching to another application such as logging or heavy-haul where manuals are more prevalent, he says. "Knowing how to operate a manual transmission is a great skill for a driver to have if they want to make sure they are attractive to a broader market." A future with eets? If one takes a step back and looks at the entire heavy-duty market, it's easy to see a vibrant customer base for manual gearboxes, Russoli says. Eaton's Fuller Advantage manual transmission line features several upgrades designed to target maintenance issues and improve overall functionality and perfor- mance, such as a new precision gear lubrication system. (Continued on page 66)