Driving large vehicles such as trucks and semi-trucks requires more force and speed to control, especially on challenging roads such as uphill or downhill slopes.
The best way to do it is by changing gears.
If there are more gears, you can ensure that the power engine of your Volvo truck distributes the correct torque to the wheels depending on the terrain you are traveling on.
Volvo trucks have specific gears set to improve the overall performance of their heavy-duty vehicles.
Here’s a Quick Answer to How Many Gears does a Volvo Truck Have:
A Volvo truck has between 16 to 20 gears depending on the I-Shift gearbox type. I-Shift transmissions come in a 12, 13, or 14-speed gearbox with 12 forward gears and 1 or 2 additional crawl gears, whilst the reverse gears include 4 or 5 reverse gears and may include an additional reverse crawl gear.
Table of Contents
Number of Gears each Volvo I-Shift Transmission Type has with gear ratios:
| I-Shift Transmission Type | Number of Gears (Forward & Reverse) | Gear Ratios |
| ATO2612F | 12 forward gears, 4 reverse gears | 11.73:1 |
| ATO2612F with ASO-ULC | 14 forward gears, 4 reverse gears | 32.04:1 |
| ATO2612F with ASO-C | 13 forward gears, 4 reverse gears | 17.54:1 |
| ATO2612F with ASO-ULC and ARSO-MSR | 14 forward gears, 6 reverse gears | 32.04:1 |
| ATO2612F with ASO-C and ARSO-MSR | 13 forward gears, 6 reverse gears | 17.54:1 |
What Gearboxes do Volvo Trucks Have?
Volvo trucks have I-shift gearboxes that provide safer, easier, and more comfortable driving.
Volvo trucks’ gearboxes are I-shift transmission, I-shift for severe duty, and I-shift with crawler gears.
These gears have already upgraded hardware and software for outstanding durability and driving performance. They also serve a lot of great features and benefits to make it easier for you to shift and drive your truck or semi-truck.
To highlight the features and benefits, the I-Shift gearboxes allow drivers to maneuver the truck more efficiently.
The gears use intelligent mechanisms or features to help you monitor grade, speed, weight, engine load, shifting gear, and holding gear. Thus, it also allows you to be more fuel-efficient.
But each of these gears has its designated features that will reduce fuel consumption costs, slow driveline wear, extend transmission life, reduce noise, and lower maintenance costs.
I-Shift Transmission
The latest I-Shift features one of the most excellent functions you can ever find in a truck’s transmission.
The I-shift transmission is an automated manual transmission with upgraded hardware and software, increased durability, and newly-designed countershaft brakes to improve overall performance.
With these upgrades, you can expect to be more fuel-efficient. The transmission also allows optimization in temperature and more comfortable driving.
Apart from these improvements or automation upgrades, the I-Shift transmission offers outstanding durability and a new countershaft brake.
With these additions, the overall performance of your Volvo truck will have noticeable advancements in its execution and smooth frequent shifting.
I-Shift for Severe Duty
As its name implies, the I-shift for severe duty is for more rigorous on and off-roads and heavy-haul applications.
This gear has an automated manual transmission of 12-speed, adding to the I-shift’s productivity and efficiency benefits. The result is more uptime and component life.
The I-shift for severe duty has hardened gears and other improved hardware to withstand more challenging environments and frequent gear shifting.
Thus, a Volvo truck with an I-Shift for Severe Duty gearbox is the best option if you want a truck that can run well on construction sites.
I-Shift with Crawler Gears
For extreme roads, the I-shift with crawler gears is a better option.
It has additional two gears to the 12-speed, which the I-shift transmission and I-shift for severe duty have in default. These two are the low and the ultra-low gear. It also has improved software.
The 13-speed has an added one low crawler gear with a 17.54:1 ratio. The 14-speed has one low crawler gear with a 19.38:1 ratio and another ultra-low crawler gear with a 32.04:1 ratio.
Overall, it has double the gear ratio of the I-shift transmission.
Regarding its software, the I-shift with crawler gears has high GCW applications that allow more effortless shifts at higher revs. It also lets drivers control downshifts effortlessly.
What’s the Difference Between I-Shift Transmission and I-Shift for Severe Duty Gearboxes?
The I-shift transmission and I-shift for severe-duty gearboxes have similar features at a glance.
Both have intelligent electronic mechanisms to improve and monitor grade, weight, speed, engine load, and more effortless shifting when needed.
The most noticeable difference between the two is that I-shift for severe duty is more applicable for heavy-haul applications and on/off-road work.
The 12-speed automated manual transmission of I-shift severe-duty becomes more efficient because of the added I-shift components to it.
With the I-shift for severe duty’s hardened gears and improved hardware, your truck can withstand shifting in more challenging environments.
Variations of I-Shift with Crawler Gears and Their Application
The I-shift with crawler gears has an extra module between the gearbox and the clutch. This additional module includes different variations.
The I-shift with crawler gears has three variations:
- ASO-C crawler gear
- ASO-ULC ultra-low crawler gear
- ARSO-MSR reverse multi-speed
All these three variations offer several advantages and improvements to the gear.
These advantages are electronic control, ergonomic design or consideration, a fast gear charging system with torque interruption, and a driving program for maximum efficiency.
Here are the variations of I-shift with crawler gears and their application:
ASO-C – Crawler Gear
For a ride requiring the engine to start quickly and maneuver the gears even at low speed, the ASO-C crawler gear is the best option.
The ASO-C crawler gear has improved stability and allows you to drive promptly at low speed.
ASO-ULC – Ultra-low Crawler Gear
The ASO-ULC features two additional crawler gears. These are the ultra-low crawler gear and the crawler gear.
The ultra-low crawler gear has better gear stability and low-speed maneuvering performance than ASO-C – crawler gear.
ARSO-MSR – Reverse Multi-speed
As its label implies, the ARSO-MSR offers improved reverse maneuvering for your Volvo truck or semi-truck.
The ARSO-MSR has a function to add two extra reverse gears.
The first gear allows you to start the truck or semi-truck in reverse, while the second extra reverse gear gives you a high-range start.
To make the ARSO-MSR work, the vehicle should have either an ASO-C or ASO-ULC gear.
Does the Truck Gearbox Speed Number Correlate to the Number of Gears?
There is a correlation between the truck gearbox speed number and the number of gears.
For example, a 12-speed gearbox is called 12-speed because of its number of 12 forward gears. The same principles apply to the 13 and 14-speed gearboxes.
As the truck gearbox speed increases, you will notice that extra gear or gears are added, or the gear ratio has doubled.
If there are more gears in your truck or semi-truck, your vehicle is more flexible and efficient to run on its engine speed on a given wheel speed. The gears on the truck help increase or decrease the rotation speed on the wheels.
How many Gears are in a Volvo I-Shift 12-speed?
A Volvo I-shift with a 12-speed gearbox has a total of 16 gears. It consists of 12 forward gears and four reverse gears.
How many Gears are in a Volvo I-Shift 13-speed?
A Volvo I-shift with a 13-speed gearbox will either have 17 or 19 gears depending on the gearbox type.
The Volvo I-shift ATO2612F with ASO-C has 17 gears with 13 forward gears including 1 forward crawl gear, and 4 reverse gears.
The I-shift ATO2612F with ASO-C and ARSO-MSR has 19 gears with 13 forward gears including 1 forward crawl gear, and 6 reverse gears including 1 reverse crawl gear.
Which Gearboxes come Standard in a Volvo Truck?
Certain gearboxes come standard in a specific Volvo truck model.
All the I-shift gears can work well with the Volvo FH, Volvo FH16, Volvo FM, Volvo FMX, and Volvo FE.
More specifically, the I-shift with crawler gears is available for Volvo F16, Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX. While the I-shift dual-clutch is available for Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX.
The I-shift’s range of automated gearboxes is designed to make driving easier, safer, and more comfortable. Because of the seamless integration of these models and gearboxes, you can ensure a smooth shift and ideal engine speed every time you go for a drive.
It will also save your vehicle from wear and tear, allowing it to extend its drivetrain life.