LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Volvo Trucks North America introduced new safety and performance features for its line of I-Shift manual transmissions at  Conexpo-Con/AGG 2017 this week.

Now the I-Shift, I-Shift for Severe Duty, and I-Shift with Crawler Gears will have Auto Neutral and Paver Assist features.

“Auto Neutral and Paver Assist mark the latest Volvo VHD updates centered on the capabilities of the Volvo I-Shift,” said Allison Athey, Volvo Trucks product marketing manager – transmissions. “The intelligence of the I-Shift gives us a great platform for customizing application-specific solutions that make a big difference for operators across a range of applications.”

Volvo said Auto Neutral can help improve jobsite safety in many applications, including concrete mixers, where remote throttle is often used. The Auto Neutral feature helps reduce the possibility of the truck moving as a result of inadvertent throttle application by placing the I-Shift transmission into neutral when the parking brake is set. Auto Neutral will be available for order during the second quarter of 2017 for vehicles equipped with Volvo GHG 2017 engines and the latest generation Volvo I-Shift. For trucks already in service, it can be activated with the Volvo Premium Tech Tool.

Paver Assist for the I-Shift on Volvo VHD model dump trucks helps eliminate bumps and disturbances in the pavement laying process that traditionally occur while shifting from “neutral” to “drive,” Volvo confirmed. Truck operators can engage “drive” without first applying the brakes when transitioning from “neutral” and being pushed by a paver to driving operations and pulling away from the paver equipment. To do so, the driver simply shifts from neutral to drive while rolling very slowly and depressing the plus (+) button on the I-Shift shifter.

Paver Assist can also be used in other low-speed applications when a vehicle needs to drive away without applying the brakes. The feature is currently available on Volvo VHD models equipped with Volvo GHG 2017 engines and the latest generation I-Shift transmission. Paver Assist can be activated using the Volvo Premium Tech Tool.