Allison Transmission Provides Training for EcoUrbis Drivers and Mechanics

Allison trained over 300 employees at one of the main household refuse collectors in Brazil’s largest city.

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – June 2022 - Allison Transmission recently completed another end customer training at EcoUrbis Ambiental. From the customer’s eastern and southern regions, 308 drivers and 28 mechanics/electricians received theoretical and practical teachings. In several training sessions, the company's employees received detailed instruction on daily operation and the correct maintenance of Allison 3000™ Series transmissions, specifically on the Mercedes-Benz Atego 1729 and Volkswagen Compactor 17260 trucks that EcoUrbis Ambiental maintains actively for household refuse collection in São Paulo.

“As our fleet was recently upgraded from manual transmissions, our drivers lacked some experience with fully automatic transmissions. The content taught by Allison representatives, both in theory and practice, was fundamental for improving our drivers' expertise," said Marcelo Balsani, Operational Planning and Training Coordinator at EcoUrbis Ambiental.

The training received high marks from attendees, who complimented the Allison team which has been at EcoUrbis fo several months. “At first, as upon any significant change, there was a certain fear. However, today, for sure, most drivers prefer automatic transmissions. We also expect a reduction in vehicle downtime due to improved driver confidence, reduction in fuel consumption, and lower maintenance costs,” said Balsani.

The training program for drivers and mechanics includes a theoretical presentation explaining the basic concept of how automatic transmissions work, including their construction, their electronic controls, the planetary gear system, and the torque converter. Next, participants learn about the gear selector, the digital display as well as how to drive for optimal performance. Finally, they move on to real-life application of the training, where participants travel a predetermined route monitored by an instructor, who coaches participants on how to proceed through several scenarios and how to reduce brakes and powertrain maintenance costs.

“The training was quite useful in meeting our needs. It was essential for our employees, for whom automatic transmissions are completely new. These 110 trucks, including both Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagens, were the first fully automatic vehicles in our fleet,” said Cledson Valmir da Silva, Maintenance Supervisor at EcoUrbis Ambiental.

One of the best tools for this part of mechanic/electrician training is likely to be the Allison Mobile Training Unit. The minibus designed specifically for training has provided technical instruction to approximately 1,500 people and acts as a travelling arm of Allison's technical team. It is equipped with custom tools including a transmission and all items needed for tests, technical deliveries, and diagnostics as used by fleet owners. The existing equipment in this vehicle allows for teaching basic and advanced maintenance of Allison fully automatic transmissions.

It is important to EcoUrbis that its team understands preventive maintenance procedures, while the training also delivers access to occasional failures identification that may occur, so participants have a complete understanding of automatic transmissions. “As our trucks are expected to be in use for only five years, we expect to not have to replace worn components. In fact, we plan for these transmissions to run around six and a half years without any necessary procedures – just changing the oil and filters,” says Silva.

It was evident to the new operator of Allison's fully automatic transmissions that this type of training is essential for their employees to know and keep up to date with the equipment they are handling. Following the positive experience, EcoUrbis is considering adding future training sessions.

Jun 01, 2022

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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.