Farmington, CT -In 1995, Ben Dunning, president of Dunning Sand & Gravel, a fourth generation family business, was involved in a small plane crash and severely injured. With his back and both legs shattered, his doctors told him that he”d never walk again.
But Ben proved them wrong. He regained the use of his right leg and began walking again with the aid of a cane. However, because his left leg was still not fully functional, he could not operate a vehicle with a manual transmission.
Determined to return to his active, hands-on involvement running the family business, Ben did some research because, as he put it, “I didn”t want to own any vehicle that I could not operate myself,”
His research quickly led him to the benefits of Allison automatic transmissions and his first order. According to Ben, “After driving the truck, I absolutely fell in love with it not just for the fact that I could drive it, but I thought it was the best transmission for us to use from a safety standpoint and from a driver comfort standpoint. I liked the control and the power that it had. And, ever since then, every vehicle that I”ve ordered has come with an Allison transmission.”
Dunning currently has four trucks in their fleet-three dump trucks and a tractor. All three dumps are equipped with Allison Automatics. “The tractor does not,” Ben explained, “because we bought it used. But when we go to replace that tractor with a newer one, we will spec it with an Allison transmission.”
“The drivers I have absolutely love them. They like the fact that they can concentrate more on their job and driving, than what gear they”re in and shifting, ” said Ben. That”s important because Dunning”s drivers have to deal with some pretty steep grades and a lot of congested two-lane roads.
As Mo Geneau, a long-time Dunning driver, put it, “It”s just an easy truck to drive. And it”s not the truck, it”s the transmission that makes it that way.”
If you would like to find out more about Dunning Sand & Gravel”s experience with Allison Automatics, contact your local Allison representative to receive the video presentation.
