Schneider is half-way to an automatic fleet

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Fleet Fuel Economy Increases 1% in Latest NACFE Study

Photo: Nussbaum Transportation

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency released its 2017 Annual Fleet Fuel Study, finding that overall fuel economy rose 1% in 2016, the ninth year in a row trucking fleets in the study have recorded an increase.

NACFE's study covered 19 fleets operating more than 71,000 tractors and 234,000 trailers, with two new fleets being added for this sixth annual report: Mesilla Valley Transportation and U.S. Xpress. Combined, these fleets reached an average fleet-wide fuel economy of 7.11 mpg. While this represents only a slight increase from the previous year's study, the U.S. fleet average is only 5.89 mpg. The fleets in the study are also mixed with new and old vehicles. According to NACFE, some 2017 model trucks achieved 7.8-9.2 mpg, with some reportedly approaching 10 mpg.

“We are thrilled to see that fleets are still seeing fuel economy improvements from their investments,” said Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE and operation lead of Trucking Efficiency, NACFE's partnership with the Carbon War Room. “While gains are smaller than in the past, any improvement in fuel economy curbs the fleet's expenses.”

In recent studies, the year-over-year gains have been greater than in the latest report. Average fleet fuel economy rose 3% between 2014 and 2015. NACFE gave a variety of reasons for the flatter curve, including fleets eliminating some technologies that improved fuel efficiency, a reduced focus on fuel efficiency due to lower fuel prices, increased speed, older trucks, and even a hotter than average summer in 2016.

NACFE noted a slight drop in 11L and 13L engine adoption in favor of larger displacement engines. At the same time, fleets increased adoption of fuel-efficient specs such as tandem drive fairings, wheel covers, and predictive cruise. Automated transmissions, tire pressure systems, two-speed fan clutches, and low viscosity oil control all saw increased ...Read the rest of this story

Test Drive: Paccar’s New Automated Transmission

The transmission control is well-positioned and very intuitive. It's easy to grip and manipulate and won't require a steep learning curve. Photo: Jim Park

Paccar is the latest North American truck manufacturer to bring a proprietary automated transmission to market. Called the Paccar Automated Transmission, it's a 12-speed, twin countershaft design that was designed from the ground up as an automated transmission. It's not a manual box fitted with add-on shift-actuators. Paccar says it's the lightest automated transmission currently in production. At just 657 pounds, it is nearly 200 pounds lighter than Eaton's Advantage AMT.

The new transmission completes Paccar's goal of a fully integrated proprietary powertrain. Paccar says it has been performance-optimized for MX-series engines and the new 40,000-lb drive axles that were unveiled in October 2016.

“Last year's launch of the Paccar axle was certainly a statement to our customers that we were moving toward our own integrated powertrain,” says Kenworth Marketing Director Kurt Swihart. “We have spent a lot of time over the past few years working on proprietary calibrations for the transmission and the MX engines. The result is a deeply integrated powertrain that will deliver everything customers would expect from such a design.”

Swihart says the AMT take rate for the T680 has more than doubled since its introduction, going from 25-30% in 2013, to currently more than 70% of T680 on-highway builds. He calls that a rapid and dramatic change in customer preference, and he believes this new transmission will push the take rate even higher. “We think moving from the Eaton Fuller Advantage series transmission to the Paccar automated transmission will be a game-changer.”

Let's dispense with the big question right up front: Eaton designed and will manufacture the transmission, but the calibrations and features are proprietary to Paccar and its truck brands Kenworth and Peterbilt.

Production is set ...Read the rest of this story

Paccar Unveils Automated Transmission

The new Paccar Automated Manual Transmission was designed from the ground up as an AMT. Photo: Paccar

Paccar introduced the new Paccar Automated Transmission, giving it a complete proprietary and integrated powertrain. Developed with Eaton, it's designed from the ground up as an AMT, and the company says it is the lightest heavy-duty transmission on the market for on-highway commercial vehicles.

Kenworth and Peterbilt will begin offering the new AMT to North American customers in October.

The 12-speed, twin countershaft design completes Paccar's goal of a fully integrated proprietary powertrain. Landon Sproull, Paccar vice president, said the all-new, clean-sheet design is optimized for Paccar MX diesel engines.

“The Paccar Automated Transmission is engineered to work seamlessly with Paccar MX engines and Paccar axles and provide industry-leading performance,” he said. “Together, Paccar Powertrain components deliver superior fuel economy, uptime, and driver satisfaction — top priorities for our customers.”

The Paccar Automated Transmission is designed for line-haul applications up to 110,000 lbs. GVW. It is available for engine ratings up to 510 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque and features tightly integrated electronic communications with the Paccar MX engine.

Company officials said the transmission offers the best overall gear ratio coverage available, providing excellent low-speed maneuverability, and that the transmission is up to 105 lbs. lighter than comparable transmissions.

A new column-mounted shifter puts gear selection and engine brake controls at the driver's fingertips for better ergonomics and improved performance.

Kyle Quinn, general manager at Peterbilt, noted that altogether, the Paccar integrated powertrain offers customers 399 lbs. of total vehicle weight savings and 7% total fuel economy savings. The transmission can be spec'd with the Predictive Cruise Control option for maximum fuel efficiency.

Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager, said the Paccar AMT will be the standard spec for the T680 Advantage fuel economy-optimized tractor. Already, he noted, 70% of all new ...Read the rest of this story

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