INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Allison Transmission Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ALSN) today announced that Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) has selected the new TC10® for its 2015-2016 Class 8 truck purchases. MVT made the decision after conducting real world comparisons of manual, automated manual, and automatic transmissions.

With 10 forward speeds and two reverse, the fully automatic TC10 uses a patented torque converter and full power shifts to deliver superior performance and productivity. The transmission is ideal for tractor applications and is extremely well-suited for distribution applications where the tractor-trailer splits its work cycle between city and highway conditions. With MVT's newest order, approximately one-third of their fleet will be equipped with the TC10 by the end of 2016.

"We pride ourselves in making our equipment as fuel efficient as possible," said Royal Jones, co-founder, CEO, president and majority owner of MVT. "Our TC10 equipped tractors have demonstrated an improvement of more than 3.5 percent when compared to the rest of our fleet. In fact, we have a dozen TC10 tractors that have achieved double-digit mpg."

Overall, fleets adopting the TC10 and sharing data with Allison are reporting an average fuel economy improvement of 8.3 percent mpg when compared to other transmission technologies. With FuelSense®, a unique package of software and electronic controls, the TC10 achieves the best fuel economy, regardless of driver experience or expertise. It shifts at just the right points to maintain vehicle performance and maximize fuel economy. Allison engineers focused on all aspects of a vehicle's operation to achieve the best integrated package.

"MVT has a reputation for being on the cutting edge when it comes to adopting technology to maximize fuel economy," said Heidi Schutte, executive director of North America sales for Allison Transmission. "We're pleased the TC10 has proven to be effective in helping them achieve even greater mpg."

MVT is one of the largest locally-owned transportation providers in western Texas and New Mexico. With a fleet of more than 1,200 trucks and 5,000 trailers, they are a leading dry freight carrier specializing in time sensitive service between manufacturing centers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. As part of an ongoing initiative to achieve maximum fuel economy, MVT was the first fleet to apply different innovations in the trucking business to maximize truck performance.

"When you factor in all of the life cycle costs, including the price of the vehicle, fuel and preventive maintenance –along with increased driver retention– an Allison Automatic-equipped vehicle costs less to operate than a competitively-equipped vehicle," said Jones.

Due to its ease of use, the TC10, like all Allison fully automatic transmissions, expands the size of the driver pool. Even experienced drivers benefit from more precise, safer handling and improved comfort. Fully automatic shifting reduces driver fatigue and keeps a driver's attention on the road.

"Class 8 tractors have historically been forced to compromise overall vehicle drivability, along with transmission reliability, dependability and performance," said Schutte. "But with the TC10, that's no longer the case. It maximizes powertrain fuel efficiency while achieving and maintaining highway cruising speeds to save both time and money."

More information about the TC10, including customer testimonials, is available at allisontransmission.com/tc10.

About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world's largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. 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 2,700 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.

About Mesilla Valley Transportation
Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, Mesilla Valley Transportation began in 1981 hauling primarily refrigerated/perishable goods, as a small, independent fleet in the Southwest. Today Mesilla Valley Transportation is one of the largest locally-owned transportation providers in Western Texas and Southern New Mexico. The company specializes in time sensitive service between major manufacturing areas in the U.S., Canada and Mexico borders. MVT also has the most efficient fleet in the U.S. The company prides itself on finding ways to make its equipment cut through the wind like no other. They also use low rolling resistance tires, have cut parasitic drag in its tractors, was the first to use trailer skirts 100% and have started installing boat tails on the back of trailers to further reduce drag.

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SOURCE Allison Transmission Holdings Inc.

Craig M. Koven, Manager, Communications & Media Relations, craig.koven@allisontransmission.com, 317-242-3432 office, 317-509-7670 mobile