A Chinese built truck by Dong Feng and using an Allison transmission has finished a 5000km trip in the middle of winter across Western Siberia. The event was aimed to demonstrate the extreme capabilities of the truck and its transmission to the Russian oil companies. The truck was powered by a 375hp Cummins ISL E engine driving an Allison 4000 Series transmission.
In the extremely low temperatures encountered in Western Siberia, manual transmissions have problems with the air system which actuates the clutch freezing up. By fitting a fully automatic gearbox these problems are avoided.