Bering looks to Canada

FRONT ROYAL, Va. (March 29) — Bering Truck Corp. could be sending trucks north to Canada before the year’s over. It just began delivering its first trucks, the class-6 “MD Series,” to U.S. dealers. The company is backed by private and commercial U.S. investors and lenders, including Ford Credit.

Jay Sandler, Bering’s vice president of sales, marketing, and fixed operations, says the present North American dealer network is in the U.S. east only. But by year end, he adds, there could be dealers in Canada as well as the western U.S. Sandler notes that the company is only seeking established truck dealers interested in dual franchises, which is common in the U.S. but not in Canada.
The question is, can he change Canadian tradition?

The continent’s newest truck outfit is selling Korean-made Hyundai trucks from class three to eight, all of them cabovers. The class-6 MD Series vehicles are powered by Cummins ISB diesels. Other featured North American components include Meritor Wabco ABS, Hayes Lemmerz wheels, Delco Remy starters and alternators, and Kysor fans, fan clutches, and fuel tanks.

The MD cab is extended, providing a small sleeper or storage area. Standard equipment includes an air-suspension driver’s seat, central door locks, heated mirrors, and a tight turning circle. Parts information and on-line parts ordering will be available through an internet-based system working from a distribution centre in Canton, Ohio. Initially made in Korea, Bering class-7 and class-8 trucks will be assembled in a new U.S. facility by the end of this year.