Peterbilt Motors Company Celebrates Completion Of 300,000th Production Truck.

Peterbilt Motors Company recently celebrated a significant milestone at the company’s Denton manufacturing facility with the completion of its 300,000th production truck. Delivery of the Model 387 aerodynamic truck to Witte Brothers Exchange, Inc. was done at the Denton, Texas plant amongst Peterbilt employees, local government officials and the media.

“Peterbilt is proud to celebrate this important milestone with Witte Brothers Exchange, as both of our companies share an unwavering commitment to the transportation industry, our employees, and a superior product,” says Bill Jackson, Peterbilt General Manager and PACCAR Vice President. “The 300,000th truck produced, a Peterbilt Model 387, signifies the attributes of Peterbilt past, present and future through its fuel efficient design, while not comprising the Class and Style that have become synonymous with the Peterbilt brand.”

Source: Peterbilt

"Slice Of Life" Truckers Try Out The 2009 Freightliner Cascadia

Freightliner Trucks is trying a unique way to prove the worth of the 2009 Freightliner Cascadia, by letting three truckers drive it for one year.

The truckers in the "Slice of Life" program by Freightliner have been on the road for more than three months, each one driving a Detroit Diesel DD15 equipped 2009 Cascadia truck.

According to Freightliner, the year-long Slice of Life program enables its participants – Henry Albert, Kurt Grote and Dick McCorkle – to experience firsthand the Cascadia’s enhanced aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, roomy cab and quiet ride.

The Slice of Life program kicked off at the Cleveland, N.C., Freightliner Trucks plant on August 19, where the owner-operators were presented with their new Cascadia trucks and given a VIP tour of the truck plant.

"'The Slice of Life trucks are already generating significant interest among other truckers who want to know more about what it is Kurt, Dick and Henry are a part of, said Jamie Cabrera, manager, owner-operator product marketing for Freightliner Trucks. “We are excited to have launched a program that allows owner-operators to share their first-person Cascadia experiences."

In addition to appearing on the Midnight Trucking Radio Network, where Henry Albert answered listener questions about their journeys and were featured in a podcast, the drivers are blogging about their impressions. The blogs, additional podcasts of the drivers and upcoming appearances are available on www.SliceofTruckerLife.com.

“I haven’t written this much since school, but it’s been a great exercise every couple of days,” said Albert. “Blogging is an entirely new experience for me and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

McCorkle noted that one of his favorite things about the Slice of Life program is talking to people on the road and at truck stops, and answering their questions.

“I am just tickled to death with this truck and this experience,” said McCorkle. “I invite everyone to take a walk around it and see for themselves the aerodynamic features on the outside, and the comfortable appointments on the inside. Plus, my fuel mileage has been outstanding.”

Source: Freightliner Trucks

Western Star Wrecker Handles The Big Towing Jobs Others Fear

The Daimler Trucks North America homepage features a story on Madison Motors and the Western Star 4900.

According to Daimler Trucks, the Fremont,Ohio-based Madison Motors uses their Western Star wrecker for handling jobs that normally required two trucks.

“I was looking for a wrecker that could really take on anything,” said Rick Seitz, president of Madison Motors. “We’re often called to handle huge commercial vehicles, like tractor-trailers or buses, and they require a tough, dependable truck with a lot of towing capacity. Purchasing a Western Star has increased our profitability for these extreme jobs.”

Madison Motors utilizes a specialized wrecker body with a sliding rotator crane built by NRC. The wrecker body has precise specifications and Seitz worked closely with Western Star to build the perfect truck. The 4900 SA features a 550 horsepower Caterpillar engine, Chalmers rear-suspension, twin steering with a pusher axle and an Eaton-Fuller RTLO transmission. The finishing touches included custom Madison Motors graphics, polished aluminum wheels and flotation tires.

“The truck’s front-end capacity and a wide, solid wheel-base were very important,” Seitz said. “We’ve had our Western Star pull up to 154,000 lbs. and haven’t maxed-out yet.”

Source: Daimler Trucks North America

Kenworth Expands Owner's Gallery On Website

Kenworth has expanded its popular Owner’s Gallery on its Web site to showcase nearly 400 of The World’s Best Kenworth trucks operated by customers throughout the world.

The featured trucks encompass the wide variety of Kenworth’s extensive heavy duty product line. Among applications shown are bulk freight haulers, expediters, refrigerated transporters, fuel haulers, dump trucks, mixers, heavy haulers, loggers, tow trucks, snow plows, fire engines, and even Australian road trains.

As a special feature, electronic postcards featuring any truck in the Kenworth Owner’s Gallery can be customized with a personal greeting and message, and then emailed to others. Customers also have the opportunity to submit images of their favorite Kenworth truck for consideration as a future posting in the Owner’s Gallery.

Source: Kenworth

Kenworth Offers 30-Gallon, Under-Cab Fuel Tank Options For Kenworth T170 Class 5 Model

Kenworth Truck Company recently announced added fuel tank options for its T170 Class 5 model, which serves applications in pickup and delivery, general freight, leasing and rental, towing and recovery, landscaping, and construction.

According to Kenworth, the Kenworth T170 can be ordered with optional 30-gallon, under-cab, rectangular steel fuel tanks. The 30-gallon, under-cab options include a single, right-hand side tank; and dual right-hand and left-hand side tanks. The dual 30-gallon tank configuration requires an in-cab battery box, or customers can choose to order a battery box which Kenworth temporarily mounts across the frame rails with final installation done by a body builder. The T170 is standard with a 35-gallon, rectangular steel fuel tank.

The Kenworth T170 is a straight truck in a 4x2 configuration with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) up to 19,500 lbs. Standard features include the PACCAR PX-6 engine rated at 200 hp and 520 ft-lb of torque, 8,000 lb. front axle and 11,500 lb. rear axle, hydraulic brakes, low-frame height chassis with 19.5 inch wheels and tires, power door locks, passenger-side electric windows (optional on driver’s side), and Kenworth DayLite™ doors with right-hand peeper window. Customers can choose a manual or automatic transmission. The 6.7-liter PACCAR PX-6 engine offers the highest horsepower to weight ratio in the industry and has a 2-year warranty with unlimited miles.

Source: Kenworth