Technicians from the urban hygiene and refuse collection service company explain that their decision to opt for automatic trucks was based on five fundamental attributes: low maintenance costs, vehicle uptime, increased comfort, productivity and safety for their drivers.
Transportes Olivos, a subsidiary of the multinational group URBASER, has announced it has replaced 16 refuse trucks in its fleet with new IVECO vehicles equipped with Allison automatic transmissions.
Ariel Caputo, Maintenance Manager of the Transportes Olivos garage in Tigre, explains that the decision was made after a series of tests, and that today, at their company headquarters in Argentina, one out of every three compactors has an Allison automatic transmission.
After testing their first Allison automatic in 2007, Transportes Olivos decided to begin placing compactors with automatic transmissions in their Moron, San Fernando and Villa Martelli bases.
Diego Gabriel Abelleira, Head of Machinery, said "Allison automatic transmissions were the natural choice. We value the advantages and benefits that are linked with the reduction in maintenance costs." Abelleira goes on to explain that the automatic transmission eliminates the mechanical clutch and replaces it with a torque converter.
According to Caputo, "Savings on replacement parts and vehicle uptime are really important. On top of this, the vehicle equipped with the Allison automatic operates at the correct engine speed, protecting the entire powertrain."
Both Caputo and Abelleira refer to an important advantage in the vehicles´ productivity and safety. Distractions inherent to a manual transmission, such as clutch and gear changes, can prevent the driver from focusing on the safety and movements of workers on foot alongside the vehicle. While operating vehicles equipped with Allison transmissions, the drivers don't have these distractions, but instead experience smooth, seamless, automatic shifts which decrease driver strain and enhance driver performance.
Finally, both engineers share the opinion that another key benefit of the Allison transmissions is the software. Mechanics can connect their laptops to the transmission and conduct diagnostics immediately. This feature allows them to monitor any system issues and even conduct predictive maintenance which can save time and money.