Illinois-based Burklund Distributors, which operates a food and beverage distribution fleet, now is using Allison Transmission’s 3414 Regional Haul Series fully automatic transmission to support its regional delivery business.
In addition, two major wholesale food distributors recently selected 3414s for their trucks, the manufacturer reports, so the transmission currently is running in three of the top five largest private fleets in North America—with a combined count of 25,000 tractors.
The company says the growth is due to its investment in the series, and expanded OEM releases that support customer demand.
One wholesaler is integrating up to 500 International RH Series tractors equipped with 3414s into its fleet. A second selected Freightliner Cascadias with the fully automatic transmission designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, Allison said.
An uprated variant of Allison’s 3000 Series transmission, the 3414 offers up to 8% fuel economy improvement over the 3000 Series, the company added. For example, based on the national average cost for diesel of $5.36 per gallon on July 28, the average regional haul fleet could spend more than $66,750 on fuel per truck this year. By integrating the 3414, fleets could reduce this annual fuel burden by approximately $5,340 per truck, while simultaneously increasing performance through full power shifts and increased ratings.
The lightest transmission in the segment, the 3414 also provides 25% faster acceleration when compared to competitive automated manual transmissions, while also eliminating downtime associated with automated manual transmissions through the avoidance of clutch replacements, the company maintained.
