The automated manual transmission (AMT) is now the standard in the European tractorhead market, representing over 90% of new registrations. Unlike a conventional automatic gearbox (with torque converter, as in a car), an AMT is a robotised manual gearbox: it uses a conventional dry clutch and mechanical gears, but gear changes are executed by an electrohydraulic system controlled by an electronic control unit, eliminating the clutch pedal.
It is important to distinguish between the three types of transmission available in tractorheads:
Each manufacturer has developed its own automated transmission or uses the ZF TraXon:
The reasons why AMT has displaced manual gearboxes in Europe are multiple: