Traction Control, International

Eaton Cummins automated transmissions were designed for superior reliability, performance, and efficiency. This driver video will get you started as you head out on the road in your International truck.

In this video our experts talk about traction control in the Endurant transmissions and other Eaton Cummins automated products.

What is traction control?

Traction control is a way for the vehicle to regain control in the event of a wheel spin situation. The traction control system applies the brakes to the wheel that is spinning so that the wheel that is not spinning can gain traction and you can get out of a sticky situation. Some examples of when you might use this is when you are in loose soil or icy or snowy conditions. You would use traction control when low traction affects the transmission's shifting ability.

When the traction control event occurs, you will see a light come on the dash which indicates that one of the wheels is starting to spin.

When this happens, the transmission prevents a shift from occurring. The driver might notice that the transmission does not shift when it normally would or that the engine is starting to lose power. This is because the engine is reducing fuel to prevent more power going to those wheels.

What should I do if the truck gets stuck?

If the truck gets stuck, you will place the transmission into Low Mode. You will notice that the truck will go down to first gear. A small L will appear in the gear display where you normally see D for drive.

And at this point, you turn your traction control back on and you allow yourself to walk out of the situation. 

How would I power through a snow drift?

To power through a snow drift, you put the transmission into manual mode by pressing in on the shift. When you do this, you should see an M come up in the gear display where it used to be a D for drive.

Once you see the M, you hit the off-road switch. You should then notice that your traction control light should be flashing in your display. This means that your wheels will be able to spin.

You can power through and maintain that momentum as you're going through the different situations. Once you're done, simply press the shift lever to change it back from manual mode to drive mode. At that point, it will continue shifting automatically.