Automatic Truck Transmission, its Performance Advantages in On-Off Highway Operation

Fleet owners operating on-off highway trucks are continually searching for ways to improve the performance of their equipment. According to them use of the automatic instead of conventional transmissions is one way to obtain this improvement. Performance records of fleet owners operating logging, transit-mix, and refuse trucks equipped with both types of transmissions are examined, compared, and evaluated on the basis of productivity, simplicity of operation, driver training, safety, power train life, and operating cost. Results show that the automatic provides many benefits for the on-off highway type truck and that there is a definite trend toward its use in applications of this kind.