Allison Debuts New Transmission, Announces Partnership With Freightliner Trucks

Allison Transmission announced it is partnering with Freightliner Trucks to launch its new 3414 Regional Haul Series (RHS) transmission on Oct. 29 at the North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) Show in Atlanta.

The new transmission will be an option with the Detroit DD13 engine on Freightliner's M2 112 medium-duty truck and its flagship model, the Cascadia, starting in the second half of 2020, said Kary Schaefer, general manager of product marketing and strategy of Daimler Trucks North America.

Freightliner, a division of Daimler Trucks North America, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading commercial truck manufacturer in North America.

Schaefer said Freightliner is partnering with Allison in response to the truck maker's food and beverage customers, who "expressed a need for this product."

The 3414 RHS transmission is an uprated variant of Allison's existing 3000 series, the company said.

Allison Transmission's new 3414 Regional Haul Series transmission. Photo: Allison Transmission

Headquartered in Indianapolis, the 104-year-old company is offering the new 3414 RHS with ratings up to 410 horsepower and 1,450 pound-feet of torque for commercial vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds, according to John Coll, senior vice president of global marketing, sales and service of Allison.

The new transmission offers a 20% increase in torque capacity over its exiting 3000 Series transmission.

 "This increased power supports a growing trend for fleets to utilize their trucks in mixed duty cycles, often in delivery routes in the morning on one shift and regional haul transport routes during the second shift," Coll said.

Allison said the new transmission is 11% lighter than its closest competitor in the segment. It is a drop-in solution for any chassis with a current Allison 3000 Series option.

The 3414 RHS will deliver up to an 8% increase in fuel efficiency over existing Allison transmission products, according to Coll.

"This increase in power expands Allison's coverage of regional haul engine ratings to nearly 60% of our 3000 Series base products," he said.

The new transmission is compatible with both diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) engines, the company said.

The increased power with the new transmission will provide fleets with 25% faster acceleration as compared to competitive automated manual transmissions.

The new transmission includes a five-year, 750,000-mile warranty.

"We're thrilled to bring this product to market," said Coll. "We're confident this product will deliver everything our customers have been asking for: increased ratings capability, improved drivability, industry-leading warranty coverage, compatibility with diesel and natural gas engines and improved fuel economy—all while maintaining the lightest weight in the segment with the proven performance and durability of an Allison."

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