VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
DURABILITY THROUGH INNOVATION Manufacturers aim to boost durability, and drop weight, in the vocational truck segment.
M
ore features, more durability, better performance: all of these, and more, can be expected as competition for your vocational truck order continues to heat up. In addition to addressing the expectations for improved operator comfort and upgraded sensor networks, today’s vocational truck manufacturers are making the vehicles more durable than ever, but there’s more going on than just a show of strength. “In the context of the construction industry, not only is durability required,
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but weight reduction is equally critical,” explains Michelle McConn a heavy-duty vocational product marketing specialist at Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), the manufacturer of the Western Star X-Series and Freightliner Plus Series. In the X-Series for example, more durability but less mass is found in the single frame rail, hood, cab and air intake system. This helps mitigate today’s high manufacturing costs while also providing a bit of fuel savings during operation. DTNA is approaching weight reduction
through targeted placement of reinforcement. The cab in the new X-Series is aluminum, for example, has strategically placed steel reinforcements in the pillars that enable the cab to withstand such factors as extreme-duty door slam cycles over the truck’s lifetime. In addition, the use of factory-installed features that streamline body integration eliminates the need for truck equipment manufacturers to cut through the cab or dash for body controls and power. McConn adds that both the X-Series and the Plus Series
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MACK TRUCKS
BY TREENA HEIN
