In a city sculpted by rugged terrain and steep slopes, where the intense flow of tourists never lets up, urban waste logistics is not only a routine operation but also an engineering challenge. For Sotero Ambiental, the main waste collection operator in Salvador and a strategic arm of the Solví Group, the answer to maintaining high productivity in the more than 60 neighborhoods where it operates came from a precise technological choice: Allison fully automatic transmissions.
Currently, the company is responsible for managing waste in more than half of the capital city of Salvador. The coverage is vast and diverse, encompassing everything from outlying neighborhoods to the prized seafront and the iconic Corredor da Vitória. In total, the operation handles approximately 420,000 tons of household waste annually. What makes this task particularly complex is the highly rugged local terrain, with steep inclines and declines alternating along the roadways' topography. The use of vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions ensures a smoother, more even distribution of power.
Technology at the favor of consumption and maintenance
To support the volume of waste, Sotero manages a robust fleet in which automated compactor trucks play a leading role. Of the 53 compactor trucks at the facility, which also operates dump trucks and suction trucks, the biggest difference lies in what's under the cab. The technological journey began in 2012 with the first tests and culminated in the standardization of Allison technology as of 2014. Today, 42 vehicles are already operating with the fully automatic transmission system, a decision that directly impacts costs and fleet availability—specifically in a duty cycle where downtime is not an option.
"The automatic transmission pays off right from the start, driven mainly by its fuel efficiency. We estimate that the automatic truck is from 12% to 14% more economical than the manual one," says Carlos Viana Neto, Executive Director of Sotero Ambiental. "Furthermore, the availability of the vehicles is much greater. In the manual version, we faced frequent interventions on peripheral items and clutch kits—a bottleneck that simply doesn't exist in the automatic one."
The human factor and operational confidence
Engineering doesn't just look at costs; it directly impacts people. The well-being of drivers has become a game-changer for workforce retention in the capital of Bahia. On routes with frequent stop-start duty cycles and thousands of gear changes under the characteristic heat of the region, driver comfort contributes to the quality, reliability, and efficiency of the service.
"Drivers prefer trucks with automatic transmissions. In an urban environment marked by traffic jams and constant interference, the physical and psychological strain on drivers operating a manual transmission is extremely high," points out Neto.
He further emphasizes that the automated system promotes superior "operational health" for both the driver and the equipment: "The gears are changed automatically, always at the right engine speed (RPM) and with the best use of torque, eliminating unnecessary fuel consumption."
Strategic partnership and sustainability
Allison has been a long-standing partner in the evolution of Sotero's fleet, accompanying the transition from the Volkswagen 17.280 models to the new 18.260 and 26.260. In one of the most demanding sectors for heavy vehicles, automatic transmissions have proven to be a key to business sustainability. The ability of Allison transmissions to deliver maximum torque without power interruption is ultimately what allows the vehicles to easily conquer the hills of Salvador.