Precision Equipment Transportation Company is First to Adopt Allison Transmission Equipped Medium-Duty Trucks

High Acclaim for the only medium-duty truck with the Park Position for Safe and Reliable Driving

TOKYO, September 2021 - Allison Transmission Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions for commercial and defense vehicles, has announced that S-Transport Service, a precision equipment transportation company based in Odate City, Akita Prefecture, Japan, has decided to adopt Hino Motors’ Ranger medium-duty truck equipped with Allison's fully automatic transmission as part of its efforts to shift to vehicles with two-pedals in all of its transport trucks. S-Transport Service evaluated Allison’s fully automatic transmissions highly in terms of ease of driving and safety.

S-Transport Service, for whom long-distance transport accounts for 70% of their business, uses medium-duty trucks with Allison Automatics primarily for long-distance transport of electronic components for export. The company found that many drivers were experiencing back pain after long trips in manual transmission vehicles due to extensive operation of the clutch. Not only does the Allison Transmission equipped truck make driving easier by eliminating the need for clutch work, but thanks to its patented torque converter, it also provides a comfortable ride with powerful starting performance and smooth gear shifts that makes the truck feel lighter. The introduction of Allison fully automatic transmissions has made a significant contribution to reducing driver stress and fatigue, and many drivers have expressed a desire to use the fully automatic vehicles.

Hino Motors’ Ranger with Allison fully automatic transmission is the only medium-duty truck to have the Park position, which is not available in manual or automated manual transmission (AMT) models. This is one of the main reasons S-Transport chose to use an Allison fully automatic transmission. As a transportation company, safety and security are paramount, and it was previously common that, after parking a manual-equipped truck, the driver had to return to the vehicle to recheck the pull of the side brakes. With the Park position, drivers can now park with confidence because the fully automatic transmission system prevents rollback incidents on slopes, helping to improve the efficiency of operations.

“As a business owner, creating a comfortable working environment for my drivers is very important to me, so when I approached Nishi Tohoku Hino Motors, I was offered the opportunity to test drive an Allison-equipped vehicle. I actually drove one and decided to adopt it because I thought it would help reduce the stress of our drivers due to its smooth ride and ease of operation. Some of our experienced drivers were skeptical about the drivability of the Allison transmission, but after actually driving the truck, they were surprised to find that its driving performance was powerful and exhaust brakes slowed them down on downhills better than they expected. Many drivers now say that the Allison Transmission-equipped trucks make driving easier. Our average fuel consumption data for June also shows that the Allison trucks averaged 6.9 km/l, compared to 6.6 km/l to 5.4 km/l for manual trucks, making the Allison trucks superior in terms of fuel efficiency. We believe that in the future Allison Transmission-equipped vehicles will be able to achieve consistent fuel consumption even when they are driven by drivers with differing levels of skill,” said Takayuki Saito, CEO of S-Transport Service.

Allison Transmission wants to offer more end users the opportunity to try Allison's fully automatic transmissions and experience their outstanding driving performance and ease of use, and plans to create test drive opportunities in cooperation with sales companies nationwide. Allison will continue to work with the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturers to help customers increase productivity through superior technology and products.

Sep 17, 2021

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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.