Allison Transmission urges truck fleet operators to review transmission servicing intervals

Biffa’s UK fleet cuts £200,000 per year from transmission servicing costs with Allison Transmission’s help

LONDON, UK – August, 2020 – Savings of £200,000 per year on truck transmission servicing costs are planned to be achieved by Biffa, the UK’s leading sustainable waste management business, as a result of advice provided by Allison Transmission. Biffa’s experience demonstrates how, by consulting Allison about the frequency of replacing transmission fluid and filters, other truck fleet operators could also make significant savings.

Transmission service intervals are typically based on fleet operators’ longstanding habits, historic predictive maintenance schedules or standard recommendations from truck OEMs or bodybuilders. When Allison examined the schedules for Biffa’s 1,150 Allison-equipped Dennis Eagle Elite and Mercedes-Benz Econic trucks in the UK, it found that service intervals could safely be extended without diminishing transmission performance, efficiency or durability.

Biffa had previously followed a recommendation to renew the transmission fluid and filters on its Dennis Eagle trucks – which run municipal services such as refuse collection – every 12 months, 600 hours or 15,000 kilometres (9,300 miles), whichever came first. Now, those intervals are extended to 36 months, 3,000 hours or 120,000 kilometers (74,565 miles) with the continued use of Allison TES 295® approved lubricants that are fully synthetic based, engineered and tested to deliver superior performance.

In addition to making significant savings on annual oil and filter costs, the revised service intervals are saving Biffa 3,600 hours in labour and vehicle downtime annually. Oil consumption and disposal has also been reduced by 33,500 litres each year, making a positive contribution to Biffa’s “Resourceful, Responsible” 10-year sustainability strategy.

“Like many fleets, our service intervals are somewhat defined by how we’ve always done it, with the aim of ensuring our vehicles are well maintained and deliver efficient, long service,” said Steve Lea, Fleet Commercial Manager at Biffa Municipal Ltd. “We were aware there may have been some over-servicing, but after hearing the recommendations of the UK team at Allison, we were very surprised by the huge £200,000 annual savings to be gained from adopting different practices. We have gone from servicing some double-shifted RCVs twice per year to just three times in their 10-year life.”

“Biffa’s big savings show what’s possible by reviewing transmission service schedules,” said Nathan Wilson, Account and Market Development Manager at Allison Transmission, UK & ROI. “Conversations between Allison and Biffa have also resulted in Biffa activating Allison’s prognostics capabilities on more of its trucks to further help with monitoring and maximizing transmission fluid and filter life. We encourage fleet operators to have a direct dialogue with us about the health, performance and efficiency of their Allison transmissions.” News Release

To optimize transmission service schedules, truck operators are advised to use Allison TES 295® approved fluids. In addition to extending drain-intervals, TES 295® offers thermal and viscosity advantages over conventional petroleum-based fluids and other synthetic fluids, for optimal transmission performance and protection.

Allison recommends fleets undertake fluid analysis as the primary method for determining fluid change intervals and has also developed a “Fluid + Filter Calculator” to help fleets determine their fluid change information. The calculator can be accessed here.

Aug 11, 2020

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Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of vehicle propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles, the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions, and a leader in electrified propulsion systems that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining and construction applications) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has approximately 1,600 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

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SOURCE Allison Transmission Holdings Inc.