’07 may mean kissing that favourite engine goodbye

TORONTO, (Sept. 20, 2004) — There are serious forces afoot that could very well change the way truckers spec the combination of truck and engine. And when they buy.

Diesel fuel prices have spiked in recent months, causing financial pain to fleets and owner-operators alike. Fuel surcharges help, but if prices stay high, it affect the kind of engine fleets buy.

Meanwhile, truck builders have cut the number of engine options available, meaning truckers may have to change models to get the engine they want, or get used to another engine type in their favourite brand of truck.

The diesels brought to market in October of 2002 were shunned by most heavy truck operators at first, but are now being ordered in large numbers by people who either can’t wait any longer to replace aging trucks or who want to beat the next round of Environmental Protection Agency clampdowns, due in January 2007. Most diesels then will need exhaust-aftertreatment devices that will be somewhat bulky and require more maintenance, and are bound to be more expensive than present models by anything from $5,000 to $10,000.

The end result is that truckers might very well be forced to change the make of truck they buy or at least get used to a different engine in it.

It used to be that you could spec almost any well-known diesel in almost any heavy truck made in the U.S. or Canada. The ability to pick and choose from a long list of components, including diesels, is what kept the “custom” truck ideal popular. But that’s changed as truck builders have reduced the number of components they offer.

Even though trucker may not always get what they want, they can still get the engine to do a job. Here’s what’s available from the various North American class-8 truck builders:

— Freightliner family (Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star, all owned by Daimler Chrysler through Freightliner LLC): Mercedes-Benz 900 and 4000 are standard, and Detroit Diesel’s Series 60 is optional (both M-B and Detroit are also owned by DC). Most Caterpillar models (C7, C9, C11, C13 and C15) are available but only two Cummins models (the ISC and ISL) and those in medium-duty trucks.

— International Truck & Engine: The company’s own DT and HT 466 and 570 diesels are standard in all medium and some lighter heavy trucks. The heaviest tractors and trucks come with Cat (C11, C13 and C15) and Cummins (ISM and ISX) power. Detroit Diesel is not available.

— Kenworth and Peterbilt: Standard with Cummins (ISB, ISC, ISL, ISM and/or ISX, depending on model), while Cats (C7 through C15) are optional.

— Mack: Its own 12-litre ASET models are standard in all highway and vocational trucks, for now, while two models offer a Cummins engine as standard (ISX in the CL) or optional (ISL in the Granite).

— Volvo: Its own VED12 is standard in highway and vocational models, while one Cummins engine (the ISX) is available in highway vehicles. Come 2007, Mack and Volvo will have a common engine platform based on the VED12, though the companies say the engines will be set up and named differently for each truck make.

— read the complete story in the Sept. print issue of Today’s Trucking