With dump trucks increasingly considered too big for public roads in Norway, fleets are choosing powerful construction trucks instead. One haulage company has invested in three Scania 6×6 G500s with Allison fully automatic transmissions.
Construction fleets in Norway have been seeking the help of Scania to overcome the issue of dump trucks outgrowing the country’s public roads. The result for one haulage fleet, Per A Øren AS of Høyanger, a small municipality in west Norway, is the order of three new Scania 6×6 G500 construction trucks with extra large wheels and Allison 4500 Series transmissions with retarders.
Lasse Øren is the head of the construction department at Per A Øren AS: “In the past, we had many dumpers in the company, but when they became too large to run on public roads, we needed to find alternatives. Stangeland, which is a much larger colleague in the industry, had the same problems that they had solved together with Scania. We got to see their new Scania 6×6 G500 with extra large wheels at a vehicle fair a few years ago and thought it would suit us too.”
To date, Per A Øren has ordered three of these trucks, which are able to perform the same task as the existing dump trucks. Interest among other haulers is high and the company often receives enquiries about their new construction trucks.
“You can almost talk about this as a trend. I see many advantages, especially that they can run on public roads. They are cheaper than dumpers both to purchase and to operate. They have high ground clearance and are quicker to load and unload. The fully automatic transmission from Allison means that the startability with full load on a steep hill is absolutely superb. Fuel consumption is lower and maintenance costs on the transmission are minimal. It is really only planned service stops for the change of oil and oil filters that need to be done,” says Øren
The G500 has also been tested with standard, as opposed to extra-large wheels, on one of the trucks. “It works perfectly well and provides road features like any other construction truck,” says Øren.
The new trucks are the first in the history of the company that are equipped with Allison’s fully automatic transmissions; the remainder of the fleet is fitted with automated manual transmissions (AMTs).
“We are very pleased with how the transmissions work. They are very reliable and change gear smoothly and nicely. Although the driver comfort in modern dumpers has become much better, it still has a long way to go to match our new Scanias,” says Øren. He continues: “We have just gotten a new assignment where these construction trucks will fit perfectly. I wouldn’t be surprised if we will invest in another couple within a year. Of course, those will also be equipped with Allison’s fully automatic transmissions,” concludes Øren.
Høyanger is a small municipality with roughly 4,000 inhabitants yet is home to well-developed industrial activity. Per A Øren was founded in 1925 and has grown into a versatile transport company that offers a full service to the industry. For a long time, transport services were most in demand but since 2009, construction operations are the largest.
Image – © Per A Øren. When dump trucks became too big to be driven on public roads, the Norwegian haulier Per A Øren chose to supplement its fleet with powerful Scania G500 6x6s with Allison fully automatic transmissions. They now perform the same functions as the dump trucks.
Image – © Per A Øren. ”We got to see the new Scania 6×6 G500 with extra large wheels at a vehicle fair a few years ago and thought it would suit us too,” says Lasse Øren, head of the construction department at Per A Øren.
Image / Image / Image – © Per A Øren. Lasse Øren sees many advantages with the new trucks, especially that they can run on public roads: “The trucks are cheaper than dumpers both to purchase and to operate. The fully automatic transmission from Allison means that the startability with full load in steep hills is absolutely superb.”
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,900 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.