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November 17, 1999 9:35 AM, EST

Meritor Automotive and a German company plan to produce an automated truck transmission that does not require a clutch pedal.

ZF Meritor, a joint venture that combines the clutch-building unit of the Michigan-based manufacturer with ZF Friedrichshafen AG, introduced its FreedomLine product at American Trucking Associations’ management conference, held Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in Orlando, Fla. The company said its system is the first fully automated mechanical transmission offered in North America.

A few competitors offer automated systems, but they still require the driver to use a clutch pedal for stops and starts.

“The FreedomLine transmission not only eliminates manual clutch actuation for starts and stops, it gives drivers the option of fully automated or operator-controlled shifting,” said Mike Pennington, director of marketing communications for Meritor Automotive, Troy, Mich.

For the full story, see the Nov. 15 print edition of Transport Topics. .