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Commercial vehicle operators and governments around the world are looking for ways to cut down on fuel consumption for economic and environmental reasons. Two main factors affecting the fuel consumption of a vehicle are the drive route and the driver behavior. The drive route can be specified by information such as speed limit, road grade, road curvature, traffic etc. The driver behavior, on the other hand, is difficult to classify and can be responsible for as much as 35% variation in fuel consumption. In this work, nearly 600,000 miles of drive data is utilized to identify driving behaviors that significantly affect fuel consumption. Based on this analysis, driving scenarios and related driver behaviors are identified that result in the most efficient vehicle operation. A driver assistance system is presented in this paper that assists the driver in driving more efficiently by issuing scenario specific advice.

Eaton has been working on technologies for cost effective, reliable and safe Automated Mechanical Transmissions (AMTs) since the mid 1970's. The company has introduced three different systems since the late 1980's, but all three systems were constrained by the lack of precise engine speed control during shifting. With the advent of electronic engine controls the constraint has been removed and precise engine speed control during shifting can be easily accomplished. The result is a simplified system that is powerfully intelligent and fully capable of automatic shifting i.e., the transmission system determines when to shift and executes the shift without any driver inducement across the broad spectrum of truck usage. This paper discusses some of the AMTs available to the truck market, showing how the system benefits both the OEM and the end user.