Mack Trucks Adds Features to AMTs
Mack Trucks introduced Mack mDRIVE rolling start and auto neutral, two new features designed to improve the job-site performance and safety of trucks equipped with Mack’s mDRIVE and mDRIVE HD automated manual transmissions.
Both features are standard on all Mack mDRIVE and mDRIVE HD transmissions.
The mDRIVE rolling start feature allows drivers to shift the transmission into drive without pressing the truck’s service brakes, according to the Greensboro, North Carolina-based truck maker. This eliminates the possibility of creating a bump in the paving surface, which is a critical benefit for paving applications.
By automatically shifting the mDRIVE into neutral when the parking brake is set, the auto neutral feature reduces the possibility of the truck moving due to throttle application, Mack said.
In 2016, mDRIVE transmissions were spec’d in a record percentage of Mack models, making mDRIVE the most dominant transmission across Mack’s complete lineup of heavy-duty trucks for the first time ever, the company said.
Its mDRIVE HD is designed to withstand the demands of vocational applications, Mack said.
“Mack’s mDRIVE transmissions serve a wide range of customers, including those with demanding paving and concrete applications,” Tim Wrinkle, Mack construction product manager, said in a statement.
Mack is a unit of Sweden-based Volvo Group.
Tim Wrinkle from #MackTrucks explains the new rolling start feature now standard on MACK mDRIVE Automated Manual Transmissions #WOC2017 pic.twitter.com/9P8mFEa0Ce — Mack Trucks (@MackTrucks) January 18, 2017
