A roundup of new and changed trucks for the
 construction and government markets.

by Steve Sturgess, Truck Features

Everyone knew the 1990’s boom couldn’t last, and sure enough, the U.S. economy began spooling down last year, pulling with it truck sales. The bottom for the midrange business is not near as far down as in Class 8, where sales in the U.S. have shrunk by almost half. Forecasters don’t see a comeback for a year or more.

Overall, Class 3 through 7 business is down by 22 to 23%, with numbers varying with the individual weight classes and individual experiences differing by builder. Executives at all of them look through the same crystal balls and all see a return to normalcy — if that’s what the heady levels of most of the last decade are — by next year’s first quarter. That’s if the economy doesn’t slip further and change from a slowdown to a recession. Class 8, though, is mired in a 40 to 42% downslide that has as its only bright spot a reasonably healthy construction/vocational picture.

Construction and vocational applications are the bright spot in a bleak truck sales picture. While the economy has stuttered along, sales of heavy trucks have faltered. But medium-duty sales have held up much better due to home sales/retail activity, infrastructure investment, and municipal and utility fleet spending. As always, there’s plenty of activity at the light-duty end as the manufacturers update products to maintain their market appeal.

Kenworth Trucks

Kenworth has broadened its offering in medium duty, with both a conventional and an LCF product, extending down into class 6 which can be driven by non-CDL drivers. Kenworth says it is now able to fully satisfy demand for the T300 conventional and K300 low-cab-forward (which Peterbilt calls its Model 330).

New products and enhancements to others have seen Kenworth’s Class 7 market share go from 1.5% five years ago to between 4 and 5% now. Premium quality of its T300 conventional helped it garner the J.D. Powers Award for satisfaction in Classes 6 and 7 after two years of service, based on surveys with customer maintenance people.

The Class 6 model can be had with hydraulic brakes, which all but eliminates the driver’s need for a commercial license. A new dash is more attractive and effective, and a modernized heating/cooling system offers better ventilation.

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International’s new generation

International’s new generation steel-cab platform initially covers the 4000 medium-duty and 7500-series severe-service.

Styling is new in the grill and headlamp area, bearing a family likeness to the 9000i and 5000i aluminum-cab products though with a heavy chrome grill that gives the smaller chassis a Lincoln Navigator look. The new ranges replace the current steel-cab lines and deliver major advances in driver visibility from low hood line and deep windows, deep one-piece windshield, and a low dash.

The all-new steel cab sits on an equally new chassis claimed to offer significant advances in ride and handling not only over the old S-Series trucks but also over competition, says International. The new front suspension and steering has been engineered to give one of the tightest turning circles in the industry even with a driven, all-wheel-drive front axle.

Highly developed, more selective powertrains improve driveability, says Navistar International. Like the 4000 models at the launch, the severe-service 7500 features a multiplexed wiring with a system controller and distributed power modules to reduce wiring by 40% and simplify behind-dash and switch wiring. The system also includes superior diagnostics for all vehicle components and systems.

The 7000 construction chassis features a cab raised to maintain the hood line over the higher-profile cooling system. On this chassis, the radiator mounts above the frame rails to allow for front-mounted PTO equipment and is sized for the International 530 engine in its latest high torque 340-horsepower rating (with 1,200 pounds-feet torque).

The frame is beefed up and a much broader option offering includes components like driven front axles. The cab is suspended as standard to give added durability to the on/off-highway model.

While these trucks will launch with the International 530 power, vendor engines from Caterpillar and Cummins complying with the next emissions cut will be available in mid 2002.

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Sterling updates

On the construction-oriented Sterling L-Line, air-ride cabs are now standard across the board, including those in severe-duty applications. Previously only for tractors in highway applications, cab air ride has been made standard on straight trucks up to 98,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and on all tractors up to 190,000 pounds gross combination weight, the biggest that Sterling builds.

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International truck and engine

International’s high-performance 4000 series introduced earlier this year is being well received by customers, particularly in the towing and recovery business, but also in municipal and utility fleets. Striking styling and much-improved comfort and handling are traits most noticed by reviewers and mentioned by customers.

The initial 4300 model with the DT466 is being joined by a 4200 with the T444 V-8; heavier models with the DT530 are also planned as the series ramps up and the old 4000s phase down over the next year.

The 7000 series vocational trucks are due this month. The 7000s use a tougher chassis and reinforced 4000-type steel cab; they will be built in Garland, Texas, to replace the current 2000 severe-service models made there, as well as the Springfield, Ohio-made 4800 4x4 and 4900 severe-service trucks. International hopes to bank on the 7000s and the relatively new aluminum-cab 5000i series, which will serve the still healthy construction market.

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General Motor’s Isuzu trucks

GMITC, the development and marketing arm for GM and Isuzu commercial trucks, is one-year old and appears to be working well. It combines people from both sides, who work with dealers specializing in the sale of heavier duty trucks to commercial customers.

In products, GMITC has Isuzu’s N and F series low-cab-forwards, Chevrolet/GMC W and T series LCFs, and the GM C series conventionals. Come January, GM will start building the new GMT560 Class 5 through 7 conventionals, which will replace the 13-year-old C series.

GMT560 conventionals feature roomier and stronger cabs, based on the wide Savana van cab rather than the pickup cab as now. They offer better visibility with steeply sloped hoods, and claim a turning radius almost as tight as a compact car’s. Front wheels cut up to 52 degrees, thanks to a longer axle and wider track. The trucks will use Vortec gasoline engines and the Duramax 6600 V-8 diesel from GM’s heavy-duty pickups, plus the 6-cylinder Duramax 7800 and Caterpillar 3126E diesels.

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Oshkosh adds style

The Highland is the latest vocational on/off-highway all-wheel-drive chassis from Oshkosh and is designed for a variety of extreme-duty applications in construction, including transit-mix concrete, and block-truck applications. The standard model has a 211-inch wheelbase and 69,000-pound GVW (23,000-pound front- and 46,000-pound rear-axle ratings).

The standard engine is a Cummins ISM rated 305 horsepower, with an Eaton Fuller RT-11609A nine-speed transmission. For all-wheel-drive applications, the chassis features an Oshkosh 55000 two-speed, three-shaft transfer case with shafts extending fore and aft.

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Mack goes Granite

Mack introduced the Granite Bridge Formula in the spring rollout of what is developing into a broad construction-truck range that fits between the R-Model and the CH/CL and Vision.

The Bridge Formula is very specifically tailored to the weight standards being adopted across the nation. Optimization results in light weight with Mack’s typical construction-truck toughness, says Mack. In its lightest spec as a West Coast style mixer, the chassis can scale as little as 14,000 pounds through the extensive use of aluminum throughout the chassis.

The broader Granite range appeared in the summer. Like the Bridge Formula model, the range features the same styling and some sheet metal from the CH/CL, but it has been totally redesigned to make it the strongest cab the company has even produced, says Mack.

The improved visibility over the CH/CL is gained from the sloping side glass and a large optional peeper window on the passenger side. The new frame, with straight-through rails — and an aluminum front crossmember/engine mount for the Bridge Formula model — features a low-profile cooling package. With the relocation of the air filter to an underhood position and the removal of external air cleaners, driver visibility is significantly enhanced over the R-Model vocational trucks.

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Ford-Navistar Blue Diamond

Grade A is how one competitor described the joint venture formed by Ford Motor Co. and Navistar International Corp. Blue Diamond Truck Co., as it’s called, seems to bring only gains for both parties, as well as to its dealers and customers.

Under the deal, Navistar’s plant in Escobedo, Mexico, will assemble Ford F650 and F750 trucks using a modified 4000 series chassis and Ford’s cab and hood. Initially, Ford’s engine offerings will be the same as now: the International-built PowerStroke V-8, plus Cummins’ ISB and Caterpillar’s 3126E midrange inline 6s. Not far down the road, International’s DT466 will also be offered.

International dealers won’t like losing their exclusive on the highly regarded DT diesels, but they’ll eventually gain new service business, sources said. And dealers will get new Class 3 through 5 chassis to sell, Blue Diamond executives say, starting in 2003.

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Vocational Volvos

The newest model from Volvo is the VHD, which shares its cab with the conventional highway VN. However, the VHD conventional range of truck and tractor chassis is designed specifically for vocational applications. These include general construction, mining, logging, and refuse, where reliability and durability are the first requirements and where driver comfort has often been secondary.

To meet the contractor fleets’ often immediate obligations, Volvo says the latest Internet-enabled communications makes the highly customizable VHD available in the shortest possible time — as little as 21 days after the order is finalized.

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Ford commercial truck

Until Blue Diamond trucks get into production, Ford will continue selling its current F650 and F750 series, as well as the lighter SuperDuty F250, 350, 450, and 550 series. The SuperDuties owe their popularity to spacious interiors, choice of three cabs, attractive styling, and application flexibility. Because the Blue Diamond trucks will use the same cabs, all those advantages should continue.

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Freightliner’s cabover Condor

When the Freightliner/Sterling Condor LCF was introduced for the refuse industries, Freightliner said it would be the basis for more vocational models. Now, the American LaFrance-built cab/chassis is out as an extreme-service chassis for construction applications.

Launched at World of Concrete, it appeared in a similar configuration to the refuse truck, with 6x4 drive and a heavy front axle. The concrete-handling equipment on the three chassis displayed — badged both Sterling and Freightliner — was by Putzmeister America. Both Freightliner Condors were built as relatively conventional pumpers with different reaches. On the Sterling, though, was the new-concept conveyer materials handler.

According to Freightliner, the Condor can be configured to offer the sort of pumping and highway performance concrete operations need with up to 400 horsepower for fast point-to-point trip times.

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Western Star heavy options

Western Star’s new tandem option for steer axles on the model 5800 brings the optional chassis capacity to a maximum 86,000 pounds, with 40,000 pounds on the twin steering axles.

Western Star also gets an increasingly large number of Freightliner components available in the data book. The latest includes the AirLiner tandem air suspension and the vocational TufTrac mechanical suspension, claimed to offer high articulation and low maintenance.

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Peterbilt components

The big news from Pete comes in the shape of new components and specifications. Principal among them is the FlexAir tandem suspension, initially available for lightweight applications on Peterbilt models 379, 387, 385 and 378. Rated 38,000 pounds, the suspension is up to 400 pounds lighter than the current low Air Leaf. Allied to this is the standardization on the Dana DSP40 tandem.

Peterbilt is also the first OEM to make the ZF Meritor FreedomLine automated transmission available.

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