Réunion Distributor Selects Allison Fully Automatic Transmissions for Extreme Delivery Route

Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions for medium- and heavy- duty commercial vehicles, is pleased to work together with Cotram, part of Pôle Logistique Réunion group, to ensure mass distribution and delivery of controlled temperature products on the French island of Réunion.

Allison transmissions provide an efficient and reliable choice for hauliers – from mountainous routes to coastal roads.

One of the Cotram’s missions is to deliver goods to the town of Cilaos, located at an altitude of 1200m, accessible only via a cliffside road, with 400 bends, narrow passages and restricted tunnels. This two-hour uphill journey requires continuous gear changes, numerous uphill starts and intensive use of the brakes.

Two years ago, Cotram took possession of two Volvo FL 12t vehicles equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions to make deliveries to Cilaos. Today, Cotram believes these vehicles have met their expectations, they traverse this particularly difficult route with great ease with enhanced control for the drivers.

“To complete this route, we used vehicles with automated manual transmission. We had to change the clutches every six months because they wore out very quickly, as did the brakes, which overheated,” said David Saint-Lambert, Cotram's Operations Manager. “With our new Volvo FL equipped with the Allison fully automatic transmission, we no longer have these problems and are much more confident about the safety of our drivers on this course. These vehicles are also used on a very congested coastal course, where there are many stops and starts, and again the Allison transmission provides real driving comfort. We are really satisfied and have definitely adopted the Allison fully automatic transmissions.”

Allison fully automatic transmissions smoothly manage gear changes, and with FuelSense^® 2.0 with DynActive^® shifting, an algorithm chooses the best gear according to road conditions and the driver's needs. This intelligent and adaptive software also takes advantage of the gear changes without loss of power and inertia that only a fully automatic transmission can provide. This ensures that torque is transmitted continuously from the engine to the wheels without loss of energy.

An Allison-equipped vehicle also has greater uptime due to the need for minimal maintenance. Allison fully automatic transmissions only require draining and changing fluids and filters at scheduled intervals, regardless of the difficulty of the routes, the traffic jams encountered, the type of driving or the experience of the drivers.

An optional integral retarder, coupled with the Allison fully automatic transmission, also drastically reduces the wear and replacement of the vehicle's service brakes.

“We are delighted to have been able to provide Cotram with an efficient and reliable solution to cover very demanding journeys in complete safety for its drivers,” said Stéphane Gonnand, Area Sales Manager France, Allison Transmission. “Allison transmissions are known for meeting the highest stresses and levels of exposure.”

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