Hanson concrete agitators are now to be fitted with Allison transmissions featuring Load Based Shift Schedule (LBSS) programs delivering higher efficiencies and increased productivity.
For the past several years, Hanson has designated Allison as the transmission brand to equip its fleet of concrete agitators. This direction began in 2003 when Hanson unified its purchasing requirements into a single national specification. Since that time, more than 500 trucks across Australia have been fitted with Allison fully automatic transmissions.
According to Hanson’s national fleet logistics manager, Peter Black, Allison transmissions are a logical and rational choice given Allison’s track record for reliability and performance.
“Allison transmissions have proven themselves over many years, and minimising downtime is very important to us. Allison’s performance has made us confident in our decision to specify them for our entire fleet. Allison is a known entity with an extensive service support network behind it,” says Peter.
In major cities around Australia, the company’s concrete agitator fleet includes a mixture of mainly Iveco Accos and Mack Metro-Liners, all of which are equipped with Allison 3000 Series fully automatic transmissions.
To maximise efficiency, Hanson will begin using Allison’s new Load Based Shift Schedule (LBSS) programs. Allison LBSS adjusts the transmission shift schedule to best match the current vehicle load and operating conditions, achieved by monitoring vehicle throttle/engine torque demand and the vehicle acceleration rate. When light load conditions are identified, shifts are adjusted to ensure engine RPM is maintained at the most efficient point. When load is increased or grades are encountered, the shift schedule is adjusted to provide the operator with maximum performance.
Peter adds, “More than ever, fuel consumption is very important to us. We are expecting LBSS to deliver a significant improvement in fuel economy to the fleet.”
“Automatic transmissions are the only choice for our operations. They make our drivers’ jobs much easier and safer. Given all the things that drivers have to look out for, we don’t want them to have the extra task of changing gears. And Allison’s reliability keeps us confident that our vehicles will be on the road.”
As a leading heavy building materials company, Hanson produces and delivers construction materials including aggregates, standard and high-performance concrete and precast concrete products. All products are backed up by an extensive quality assurance process and first-class logistics.
In Australia, Hanson operates 55 quarries, 225 concrete plants and two precast facilities. With a fleet of over 1500 trucks, this allows Hanson to service residential, civil, engineering and commercial customers.
Hanson is part of the Heidelberg Cement group, which employs 57,000 people across five continents. Heidelberg Cement is a global leader in aggregates and has leading positions in cement, concrete and heavy building products.