Volvo goes after owner-operators

Volvo is set to attack the so-called “premium” owner-operator market with both a new flagship tractor and a new line of 16-litre engines. Based on the successful VN series but sporting a long nose, a set-forward front axle, and other significant changes, the VT 880 is the company’s first entry into what it calls the “demanding long-haul” segment of the owner-op world. The tractor has a 200-inch BBC and the same 77-inch sleeper seen on the VN 780.

Volvo has also taken the wraps off its big new VE D16 engine-all 984 cubic inches of it-the first in a new family of diesels designed with 2007 and 2010 emissions standards in mind. Topping out at 625 hp and 2,250 lb ft of torque, it’s correctly billed as “the most powerful diesel engine in North America.” Caterpillar makes a 625 as well, but its torque output is presently a “mere” 2,050 lb ft.

Cummins ISX engines will also be available in the VT 880, with ratings from 475 to 565 hp.
The inline-six, overhead-cam D16 is standard in the VT 880 and will also come in 500- and 550-hp versions, both with torque ratings of 1,850 lb ft, and a 600-hp model generating 2,050 lb ft.

There is actually only one transmission capable of handling 2,250 lb ft of torque, incidentally, namely the double-overdrive Eaton Fuller RTLO 22918 originally made for Australia. It’s also available in an Autoshift version. Other gearboxes offered in the VT 880 are Eaton Fuller RTO and RTLO 10 and 13 speeds plus the Autoshift 10.

The D16, developed and soon to be assembled in the former Mack engine plant in Hagerstown, Maryland, utilizes Volvo’s new “Intelligent Torque” (I-Torque) feature designed to protect drivelines from torque spikes at low speeds. By recognizing selected gear ratios, it limits torque output to 1,650 lb ft in startup gears, switching to 1,850 lb ft in higher gears, with a third step to maximum torque in the 600 and 625 versions.

The D16’s 2007 emissions solution entails cooled-exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR), high-pressure injectors using four valves per cylinder, and a sliding-nozzle, variable-geometry turbocharger. The very big grille on the VT 880 is designed to accommodate the extra cooling and air-flow demands of the EGR system. As for 2010, Volvo says it hasn’t decided whether to pursue EGR or selective catalytic reduction (SCR).

The all-steel cab on the VT 880 has been moved eight inches back on the frame, compared to VN models, which serves to improve access to the rear of the engine and also to further isolate the cab from engine noise. The VN is already a quiet tractor, but our brief test drive seems to show that the new truck is perhaps a little quieter still.

Other features of the VT 880 include a tight turning circle with a 45-degree wheel cut, new mirrors on break-away arms that afford a better view around the A pillar, a three-piece chrome bumper, and the new, “non-torque-reactive” Hendrickson Primaax rear suspension that must be ordered with the 625. It’s rated for 46,000 lb.

You can order a Volvo VT 880 now, with deliveries beginning in June. Production at the plant in New River Valley, Virginia will start in April at a low level and ramp up, with full production beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.