VERITAS continues to expand use of Allison transmissions

30 June 2015

As a leading multi-utility organization in Italy, the Veneziana Energia Risorse Idriche Territorio Ambiente Servizi (VERITAS) manages the entire refuse cycle, from collection to treatment. In order to annually collect more than 507,000 tons of waste and recycle more than 95 percent of it, the company relies on a fleet of 75 Allison fully automatic-equipped trucks.

The Allison-equipped VERITAS trucks, which feature 3000 Series™ fully automatic transmissions, are used across municipalities to collect and transport dry organic waste, green debris and common recyclables, like paper, cardboard, glass and aluminum. The company’s innovative environmental procedures result in less than five percent of that waste ending up in landfills. Everything else is transformed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF).

In total, VERITAS operates a 250-vehicle fleet comprised primarily of Iveco trucks with gross vehicle weight from 3.5 to 26 tons. All of the heavy vehicles have diesel engines, while a few of the smaller ones are powered by natural gas. Among these, there are some Iveco Daily vans fitted with Allison transmissions especially for VERITAS. According to Mauro Zentilini, fleet manager for VERITAS, these vehicles often operate in long-lasting duty cycles, generating heavy engine loads that wear driveline components. They are also operated by a variety of drivers with different levels of experience and skill.

“With an Allison transmission, the key for us is the absence of a traditional clutch and other related components required with manual or automated manual transmission (AMTs), like clutch pumps, pressure plates and flywheels,” said Zentilini . “All these parts are subject to wear and require periodic maintenance, which takes the vehicle out of service.”

“Allison Automatics offer effortless diagnostics, making routine maintenance particularly easy,” he said. “Compared to manuals and automated manual transmissions, Allison transmissions simplify things for our drivers, especially on routes that require continuous stops and starts.”

Twenty years ago, VERITAS (at the time called AMIU) was the first environmental services company in Italy to use side-loader compactors and to understand the new system was ideal for pairing with Allison technology. The first four Allison-Iveco side-loaders from VERITAS were used for an environmental study in Barcelona and were so well received that afterwards the new configurations were introduced throughout the Catalan Region.

Of those first four Allison-equipped Iveco trucks, a Eurocargo 174E24 is still operating in Venice today. Complete with its original Allison MT647 transmission fitted more than 20 years ago, the transmission has never broken down or required anything more than routine maintenance. With such a successful first endeavor, Veritas has continued to work with the winning Allison-Iveco combination.

VERITAS also fitted 5 Daily vans with Allison transmissions. “We use these vans in the door to door refuse collection in the towns of Mogliano Veneto (TV) and San Donà di Piave (VE), and knowing the reliability of Allison transmissions, we required them to be fitted also on the Iveco Dailys”, says Zentilini.

“There are several reasons we trust Allison,” said Zentilini. “First of all, the driving comfort and ease of operation, but also the fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance. Allison Automatics are the gold standard in refuse collection.”