Coll said that the features fleets demand in transmissions, for example, vary widely — including gear ratios, number of gears, torque and manual or automated shifting. He noted that the latest lineup of the company’s UltraShift Plus automated transmissions includes eight platforms and more than 50 different models, which he said will “blanket the transmission requirements of any fleet, regardless of vocation or application.”

While that kind of breadth can help a company attract more customers, a spokesman for Mack Trucks said buyers also place value on streamlined products.

“Complete system integration offers better performance in terms of fuel economy and drivability, as well as the ability to fine-tune operational settings or parameters to suit each customer’s duty cycles,” said David McKenna, director of powertrain sales and marketing for Mack Trucks Inc., Greensboro, N.C. “Components specifically designed to work together simply perform better.”