Trucks at Work Blog

“The recent economic improvement in China, India and Brazil benefitted Cummins during the quarter, due to our longstanding strong position in all three countries.” –From Cummins Inc.’s third quarter earnings report

Though hours of service (HOS) reform is bound to be the hot topic around water coolers across the U.S. trucking industry in the weeks and months ahead, another trend is happening up that could lead to even bigger changes and on a global scale for the trucking business – the movement of U.S.-European-Japanese level truck technology into burgeoning foreign markets such as Russia, India … and China.

This is a trend I reported on a while back, based on an analysis of China’s truck market by research firm Frost & Sullivan entitled Strategic Analysis of the Chinese Commercial Vehicle Market.

Sandeep Kar, program manager & senior industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan’s North American automotive & transportation practice, told me at the time that China’s truck manufacturers are increasingly looking to forge partnerships with U.S. and European truck OEMs to gain design expertise in fuel economy and emission control systems in order to meet a rapid series of changes to their business.

Kar said Chinese demand for new heavy trucks – those with gross vehicle weights of 14 tons or more – will climb due to several factors. The first is new “charge-by-weight” laws that severely penalized overloaded vehicles; rules that should force many Chinese truck owners to upgrade from medium trucks (with GVWs of six to 14 tons) to heavier models capable of legally hauling heavier loads.

The second is a boost in diesel fuel taxes from 1 cent to 11 cents per liter, he said. That move will drive demand for more fuel -efficient engines, Kar said. Finally, the harmonization of Chinese truck emission rules with those of the U.S. and Europe – expected to occur in stages between 2010 and 2012 – will boost demand for emission control systems.

All of this will help drive yearly heavy truck sales to levels far in excess of North America volumes, Kar (at left) explained to me. “Right now, the North American Class 8 market is hovering between sales of 100,000 and 150,000 annually,” he said. “Chinese heavy-truck demand will be in the range of 500,000 units annually; more than five times the volumes currently seen in North America.”

Those kinds of numbers are getting the attention of North American OEMs, for sure. While engine makers such as Cummins Inc. established joint ventures in China some time ago, Navistar is now jumping into the game with both feet, announcing that they are in talks with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. Ltd. (known by the acronym JAC) to explore a potential engine joint venture to develop, build and market advanced diesel engines for commercial vehicles in China.

The potential joint venture, if formed, would have a 50/50 ownership between Navistar and JAC, with a shared research and design center in China’s Anhui province for application engineering development, product design and technology advancements. Diesel engines produced by the new venture would primarily be used in China, as well as certain export markets, Navistar added.

The lure of China, of course, is high production volumes – the kinds that could end up helping lowering the costs of emission control system components back on this side of the big Pacific “pond.” China’s commercial truck production is projected to expand from 1.92 million annual units in 2008 to over 2.68 million units by 2015 – resulting in a compound annual growth rate of 4.9%.

Frost & Sullivan’s Kar told me that these numbers are critical in that economies of scale gained from such joint ventures could lower the global cost of producing emission control system components – possibly leading to price reductions for such system from U.S. and European truck markets.

“How do OEMs get economies of scale today? They can’t in their local markets – truck [sales] volumes are low in Europe and the U.S.,” he explained. “So you must take your technology abroad to markets that are growing. That not only gives you economies of scale but a way to test out technology as well; all while helping top and bottom line revenue look better and better.”

That’s a huge deal to U.S.-based OEMs such as Paccar, which builds Peterbilt and Kenworth branded trucks fmainly for the North American market and owns European truck maker DAF – and Paccar’s outlook for the European and North American truck market is tepid, to say the least.

“The estimate for 2009 industry sales in the above 15-tonne truck market in Europe is 170,000-180,000 units, reflecting ongoing challenging economic conditions throughout Europe,” noted Aad Goudriaan, DAF’s president, in Paccar’s third quarter earnings statement. “As expected, economic recovery in Europe is lagging North America with truck sales in 2010 anticipated to be in a range of 150,000-180,000 units, similar to industry sales in 1992.”

“Class 8 industry retail sales in the U.S. and Canada are expected to be in the range of 100,000-110,000 vehicles in 2009, reflecting continued economic weakness, particularly in lower housing starts and auto production,” added Dan Sobic, Paccar’s executive vice president. “There are some mildly encouraging signs as freight tonnage has recently started to increase and the ISM Manufacturing Index has exceeded 52.0 in each of the last two months, the highest readings since July 2007. Our customers are also benefiting from lower fuel prices and good availability of drivers; though freight rates and tonnage are lower than last year.”

However, Sobic noted that U.S. and Canadian retail sales for Class 8 trucks in 2010 are expected to improve only slightly, due to the aging of the fleet and general economic growth, to a range of 110,000-140,000 units. “That’s still below normal replacement demand of 225,000-250,000 units,” he said.

And that kind of dramatic cratering of new truck demand is hitting truck OEMs hard. Paccar, for example, earned just $13.0 million on revenues of $2 billion for the third quarter this year – compared to net income of (get this!) $299 million in the third quarter last year. That’s a falloff in profit of almost 96% if I’ve done the math right. For the first nine months of 2009, Paccar earned $65.8 million on revenues of $5.83 billion – a VERY far cry for the $904.8 million in profits the OEM book in the first nine months of 2008.

Cummins is in the same boat, with net income in the third quarter falling 59% to $95 million on 31% lower sales of $2.53 billion, respectively, compared to the third quarter in 2008. While the company attributed much of its improved profitability and cash position from the second quarter to lower spending, better utilization of manufacturing capacity and reduced inventory, a 4% increase in sales to China, India, and Brazil helped out as well.

That’s critical going forward, for while Cummins reported an increase in engine and components sales to the medium- and heavy-duty truck engines markets in the U.S. in the third quarter compared to the second quarter in 2009, based on current orders and market intelligence, the company expects very low demand in these markets during the first half of 2010.

“While we saw improvement in some markets in the third quarter, we expect the economic climate to remain challenging until late 2010 – especially in the U.S. and Europe,” said Tim Solso, Cummins’ chairman and CEO, in the company’s third quarter report. Even though he noted Engine joint venture revenue and profits in China declined due to lower demand compared to year ago, things may be starting to trend back up due to that nation’s own aggressive “stimulus” spending.

Buoyed by nearly $1.3 trillion of stimulus money, the Chinese economy is starting to recover, and recover quickly, from the global recession. GDP for the country jumped 7.9% year over year, far outpacing what analysts expected, according to a story filed about a month ago by my editorial compatriot Brian Straight.

He noted a new report by ACT Research in combination with China’s State Information Center indicates second quarter medium- and heavy-duty truck sales climbing 67% in 2009 over the second quarter of 2008.

“A lot of it had to do with China having a massive stimulus program, much like ours, but much larger,” said Ken Vieth Jr. (at left), ACT partner and senior analyst. Vieth added that the dump truck market is doing particularly well, with recent reports indicating a rise in retail sales in China also. [You can find more data in the firm’s China Commercial Vehicle Demand Outlook.]

In the second quarter of 2008, China implemented more stringent emissions requirements, spurring a pre-buy in the first half of the year, Vieth said. In the second quarter of 2008, China saw sales of 288,100 vehicles before the economy’s troubles worsened. In the third quarter, the number dropped to 140,000 and even further to 113,000 in the fourth quarter before rebounding slightly in the first quarter of this year to 143,000.

Still, with sales of 239,000 in the second quarter, it appears the market is booming. “China has become the colossal commercial vehicle market today,” Vieth said. “China has slowly worked its way into a 600-pound gorilla. There used to be three 600-pound gorillas: North America, Europe and Japan. Now, China is bigger than them all.”

“Electronic stability systems were found to provide substantial safety benefits. Assuming that all existing 5-axle tractor semitrailers operating on U.S. roads were fitted with the technologies as they address rollover-relevant crashes, the expected annual reductions are 106 fatal injuries and 4,384 injuries.” –From the Safety Benefits of Stability Control Systems For Tractor-Semitrailers study released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The days of electronic stability systems being merely optional technology for tractor-trailer fleets might well be numbered following a new study released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) under a cooperative agreement between NHTSA and Meritor WABCO, the study examines the performance of electronic stability control (ESC) systems and roll stability control (RSC) systems for tractor-trailers.

Despite its clunky title (Safety Benefits of Stability Control Systems For Tractor-Semitrailers), this report contains some powerful data – the kind of information that can set the wheels in motion on a regulatory or even legislative level in order to improve highway safety.

Now, NHTSA admits its study of electronic stability systems on tractor-trailers comes with a few major caveats – the largest being that it’s a largely “theoretical” analysis done with post-crash data. In short, they didn’t measure the impact of stability control technology in actual crashes; instead, they looked at how such systems MIGHT have performed has they been installed on tractor-trailers involved in major accidents. Still, even with that being said, the findings are extremely interesting:

• Assuming that all existing 5-axle tractor-trailers operating on U.S. roads were fitted with RSC, the expected annual rollover relevant safety benefit is a reduction of 3,489 crashes, 106 fatalities, and 4,384 injuries.

• Alternatively, assuming that all existing 5-axle tractor-trailers operating on U.S. roads were fitted with ESC, the expected annual combined rollover and directional (yaw) instability relevant safety benefit is a reduction of 4,659 crashes, 126 fatalities, and 5,909 injuries.

• Because ESC addresses both rollover and yaw instability crashes and it is more effective in mitigating rollover crashes (through additional braking capabilities over RSC), the net annual expected benefit for an ESC system was found to be greater than for RSC.

• The study found that ESC provided more overall safety benefit than RSC, though the difference between the estimated effectiveness of RSC and ESC varied among crash scenarios.

• Assuming ESC was fitted to all tractor-trailers, savings from rollovers prevented by ESC are estimated at $1.527 billion annually, and from LOC [loss-of-control] crashes prevented at $210 million annually, for a total of $1.738 billion annually.

• Assuming RSC was fitted to all tractor-semitrailers, savings from rollovers prevented at estimated at $1.409 billion annually, and from LOC crashes prevented at $47 million annually, for a total estimated benefit of $1.456 billion annually.

Again, though, despite these impressive findings, I still feel the study remains limited to a degree in terms of applying all of this to the real world because of its “theoretical” nature.

“The analysis of crash datasets proved challenging [as] identifying relevant LOC and rollover crashes within the national datasets proved a formidable task because the databases are developed for general use and this project required very precise definitions of LOC and rollover,” NHTSA noted in its report. “Relying on the general LOC or rollover categories captures a wide range of crashes, many of which have no relevance to the technology.”

Still, this study remains an important step forward in figuring out how technology can significantly boost highway safety. Just look at these numbers and you’ll know why that’s true: Although rollovers occur in only about 13% of heavy-truck fatal crashes, rollovers account for 50% of truck occupant fatalities, notes NHTSA.

Also, LOC and rollover crashes remain a major cause of fatalities and traffic tie-ups, resulting in millions of dollars of lost productivity and excess energy consumption each year – not to mention the emotional toll traffic injuries and deaths take as well, although you can’t put a dollar figure on them.

“As expected, continued weak truck and aftermarket sales caused the second quarter to be [our] most challenging operating period since this downturn began in 2007.” –W. Marvin Rush, chairman of Rush Enterprises, from the company’s second quarter earnings report

We’ve all seen the numbers by now, so W. Marvin Rush’s comment above shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Indeed, the Rush family – long a maverick in the truck sales industry – continues to batten down the hatches in the face of probably the worst trucking market in a very long time. Yet they, like everyone else, know that this grim time, too, shall pass – and they plan to be ready to roll when better days return.

Right now, though, those better days seem a long ways off. I talked to Eric Starks (at right), president of research firm FTR Associates, about his company’s take on what the sales picture for Class 8 models is going to look like for next year … and it wasn’t pretty, to say the least. In fact, his firm is lowering its sales projections for Class 8s in 2010 from 151,000 units down to 133,000 units – a 12% decline – as demand for truck freight transport is still declining and won’t bottom out until the fourth quarter.

“On top of that, we still have a lot of idle and under-used equipment out there, so while it may be old in terms of years, it’s useful life is still quite high,” Starks told me. “From where I sit, we think there’s at least a year or two years worth of useful life left in much of that under-used capacity out there, so there won’t be this pressure to go out and replace it with new units.”

Not exactly what you would call reassuring, especially for the folks that build and sell commercial trucks for a living.

The Rush family is one of those that sell trucks for a living, and that’ve done it successfully for a long, long time now. It’s been my good fortune to meet them face-to-face on more than one occasion – both Marvin and his son W. M. “Rusty” Rush (seen here below), president and CEO of Rush Enterprises – and I can tell you nothing much fazes these rangy Texans.

That being said, though, they are knuckling down to get through these lean times. Rusty noted in the company’s second quarter earnings report that forecasts for 2009 U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks got lowered to 93,000 units, down 19% from the first quarter’s forecast and some 33% down over 2008.

“We believe 2009 sales of Class 8 units will be in the range of 90,000 to 100,000 units, with U.S. retail sales of medium-duty trucks also forecasted to be down as much as 35% compared to 2008,” he said. “With U.S. Class 8 retail sales forecast now below 100,000 units, we expect this will continue to be one of the weakest markets since 1983.”

Still, Rusty believes the industry is at or near the bottom of this cycle, though – given the still ongoing economic uncertainly in the U.S., much less the world – it is virtually impossible to predict with confidence when this cycle will end.

“We have experienced a slight increase in new truck orders scheduled for delivery later in the year, primarily from large fleets looking to replace aged inventory prior to the impending 2010 diesel emissions regulations,” Rusty said. “But we expect overall new and used truck sales, as well as aftermarket operations, to remain sluggish through the remainder of 2009.”

He noted the company’s truck segment – it operates one of the largest Peterbilt dealership networks in the U.S., as well as for GMC medium-duty trucks, until General Motors shut that business down – recorded revenues of $298 million in the second quarter of 2009, compared to $425.2 million in the second quarter of 2008.

Rush delivered 954 new heavy-duty trucks, 638 new medium-duty trucks and 776 used trucks during the second quarter of 2009, compared to 1,665 new heavy-duty trucks, 979 new medium-duty trucks and 795 used trucks in the second quarter of 2008. Parts, service and body shop sales revenue was $95.8 million in the second quarter of 2009, compared to $111.9 million in the second quarter of 2008.

“The extended recession continued to impact aftermarket operations throughout the second quarter of 2009 as Rush Truck Centers’ parts, service and body shop revenues decreased 16.6% and gross profit decreased 21.4%, compared to the second quarter of 2008,” Rusty noted. “Through continued expense management, we were able to soften the impact that this sharp decline in aftermarket gross profit had on our absorption rate. Despite the 21.4% decline in gross profit, our absorption rate only declined 10.2%, from 105.4% in the second quarter of 2008 to 95.2% in the second quarter of 2009.”

Things no doubt will remain tough for a stretch for Rush – the company had to take a $4.9 million pre-tax impairment charge to wind-down its GMC dealership agreements in the second quarter, leading to a $1.5 million loss – but they, as I suspect most truck dealers are doing these days, are tightening the belts and preparing to soldier on.

“I remain very confident in our people and their ability to weather this extended downturn,” Said Rusty Rush. “Their continued execution will keep us well-positioned for growth when the economy rebounds.”

Let’s just hope that rebound comes sooner rather than later.

“We wanted to show that aerodynamic trucks can be cool, too.” –James Carello, general manager, Regional International dealership

To call “Mayhem” and “Bad Habit” eye-popping show trucks is an understatement – a BIG one.

Yet these products of extreme imagination of Jim Carello and son Jason – dealer principle and general manager, respectively, of Regional International Corp., a chain of Navistar truck and Jerr-Dan equipment dealerships in upstate New York – aren’t just vanity projects. They were designed to prove a point – that aerodynamically-shaped trucks can be just as far-out and glamorous as any rig with a square hood, if not more so.

“Sure, we went to extremes, but we wanted to show off the possibilities,” Jason Carello told me by phone. “Because we believe the aerodynamic truck model – with its fuel economy advantages – is the wave of the future.”

Headquartered in Rochester, NY, Regional originally started out in 1983 as Malcuria Brother Motor Truck Corp. under principle Sam Malcuria, who then sold it to a group of eleven investors in 1989 – the lead investor being Jim Carello – that renamed the company and expanded it to serve the western part of upstate New York along with five northern counties in Pennsylvania.

The genesis for these one-of-a-kind trucks came from Jim Carello’s desire to bring his enthusiasm for hot rods and motorcycles into the truck world – but not just as a hobby. In particular, he wanted to show the truck buying public that “aerodynamic” tractors – the kind favored by fleets for their fuel-sipping sleekness – can pack just as much “wow” factor punch as their classic, square nosed brethren.

“Our primary goal is obviously to promote our dealership, but what we also really want to do is show truckers out there that you can do just as much customization to an aerodynamic tractor as you ever did with a classic model,” Jason Carello told me.

“Mayhem” (at right) is built off a Navistar International ProStar tractor – touted as the most fuel efficient truck in the company’s lineup – with a wheelbase stretched out to 340 inches and powered by a 500-hp Cummins ISX with a 13-speed manual.

Customized by Elizabeth Truck Center in Elizabeth, NJ, over the space of six months last year, “Mayhem” is as tricked out as you can get, with 8-inch chrome exhaust pipes, Lamborghini-style doors, cut-out wheels, and a 6,000 watt stereo system, among many other customized features.

But when the Carello family got wind of Navistar’s new aerodynamic LoneStar tractor, designed to appeal for the owner-operator market, so they decided to get one and perform work it over as well for the very same reason – showing off the “cool” factor of aerodynamic designs.

Dubbed “Bad Habit,” this LoneStar truck mirrors a paint scheme used on one of Jim Carello’s custom motorbikes. With a wheelbase stretched out to 315-inches, powered by a 600-hp Cummins ISX and equipped with an 18-speed transmission, “Bad Habit” took Elizabeth Truck Center four months to create – arriving at the Mid America Trucking Show this year for its grand debut with the paint almost literally still wet.

James Carello said he’ll be taking both trucks on tour this year, from June through December, to participate in a bevy of show truck competitions from coast to coast this year shows – with “Bad Habit” mostly towing “Mayhem” across the long miles of the U.S. highway system.

Though it’s going to probably be a grueling adventure at more than one point [but not all uncomfortable, as the interior of “Mayhem” at left reveals], Jason Carello told me he can’t wait to see what the reaction is going to be to these trucks from the public and drivers alike.

“We’re excited at how these trucks turned out,” he said. “Now we get to find out what everyone else thinks about them.”

“I don’t care about hot rods or motorcycles. It’s just trucks man. I think they’re the coolest art movement going on.” –Roger Snider, truck photographer

It’s not every day that you find the craftsmanship of custom trucks appreciated by the art world – much less the young, hip, “Graffiti Art” style set.

Yet at the Inked Souls 2009 “Art Whino” gallery show held this past weekend in Crystal City, VA, there they were – a collection of eye-popping photographs by the one and only Roger Snider of customized big rigs, given their due alongside oil paintings, sculptures, tattoos, and other forms of artistic expression.

“Being part of a show like this is great thing,” Snider told me. “This is the fourth gallery show I’ve done, and for the work I do with these trucks to be displayed alongside this kind of 21st century ‘post-post modern graffiti art’ is really something else.”

I’ve talked about Snider and his work in this space before and I strongly suggest checking out his web site, Ultra Rigs of the World, to glimpse just some of the many types of custom trucks he’s photographed – not just here but from around the globe. (You can also click here to see which of his prints are for sale and for how much).

Snider also tries to create some unique compositions with his work, especially in terms of photographing trucks in more unique urban settings.

“I try to find a lot of urban settings for my photographs as the design of these trucks really complements modern architecture,” he explained to me. “Yet I also use a lot of rural settings as well – it really depends on the type of truck involved.

[I talked to Roger about some of these themes at the Art Whino exhibit. I apologize for the loud music; the party wasn’t about to stop on account of a video interview by the likes of me!]

Snider tries to approach the world of custom trucks from what he likes to describe as “an eight year-olds sensitivity,” trying to capture that level of excitement, passion, and wonder most kids feel when they see big rigs on the road. It’s an easy feeling for him to tap into, because he himself had those experiences in his childhood.

A native of Miami, Roger fell in love with trucks at a very young age after numerous road trips to the outskirts of Roanoke, Va., to visit family relatives in the late 1970s. He badgered his parents into taking him to the truck stop down the road every night so he could look at all the glistening steel and chrome for hours on end it seemed – cementing in his mind the desire to be one of those truck drivers when he grew up.

His other passion, photography, intervened – eventually leading him back to the world of trucking by a most circuitous route. His passion for trucks still burns brightly, and he’s planning a journey to the Pacific Northwest in June to capture images of many customized rigs this summer – many of which have never been displayed in show truck competitions.

[Snider talks more about what fuels his passion as a truck photographer below – and again, I apologize for the extremely loud music.]

What also continues to fascinate him about custom trucks is how many of them remain “working rigs” that their owners rely on to make a living.

“That’s one of the reasons I am trying to get the owners of the trucks themselves more involved in my photographs, because they are a critical part of the artistic story,” Snider told me. “These trucks look awesome, but they are also someone’s livelihood and home on the road. It also largely makes no economic sense for them to so this to their trucks – yet the result speaks for itself.”

[You can also read some of Roger’s tales of the road and view some of his other work by clicking here.]

As I’ve noted before, Snider’s gone to Japan and Europe to photograph custom rigs and still hopes to line up sponsors to allow him to travel to Australia and photograph the mighty road trains plying the Outback, as well as to Asia, Latin America, and who knows where else.

“My goal is to go all over the world, take pictures of all these different custom trucks, and put together the ultimate global coffee table book about them,” he said. He’s still plugging away in North America, too, with plans to visit four truck shows alongside other road trips aimed at unearthing other custom big rig owners that don’t ply the truck show circuit.

Needless to say, I’m eagerly awaiting the results from the journeys he’s planned for this year – and wish him much success with these endeavors.

One of the big treats that comes with attending the Mid America Trucking Show is the opportunity to view a lot of dazzling show trucks gathered from around the country.

This year is no exception, with the National Association of Show Trucks (NAST) hosting its annual championship here on the asphalt surrounding the big Expo center just outside of the city of Louisville, Kentucky.

The flurry of activity as the contestants is a sight to see as they buff, polish, and touch up paint every square inch of their rides as they vie for the bragging rights that come with owning a championship show truck.

[The video clip below details how much elbow grease comes into play getting these rigs ready for judging.]

A personal favorite of mine, of course, is the entrant from the Hitchcock family from Webberville, MI.

The family’s trucking business – MBH Trucking – is dedicated to hauling gravel and other bulk commodities with some of the slickest trucks around.

The father, Matthew Brian Hitchcock (where the ‘MBH’ in the family’s trucking crest comes from) is a longtime show trucker, but now his sons are full into this as well. His eldest, Rick Hitchcock, brought a slick re-tooled 2005 Peterbilt to the show two years running, but came up empty in the championship round.

Now middle brother, Jordan Hitchcock, is trying his hand at it, rebuilding his dad’s 1996 Peterbilt 379 into a lean, mean riding machine (and I think he more than succeeded if you ask me).

Equipped with a 550 horsepower 3406E Caterpillar and 18-speed transmission, Jordan’s deep red 308-inch wheelbase Peterbilt glistens with obvious craftsmanship and pride.

But so do the other trucks gathered here to vie for NAST’s top prize.

Those competitors include: a 2007 379 extended hood “King Ranch” Peterbilt owned by Bobby Lindamond Demolition of Irving Texas; Hamilton, MI-based Rabbit River II Transport’s slick tractor and trailer combination; and a 1991 Mack redone a piece at a time by a Cottage Grove, WI-based owner-operator.

Not an easy bunch for sorting out winners and losers, as ALL their rigs rate about as high on the show truck quality meter as you can get. But then again that’s the fun of it, as often times a mere point or two separates the best from the rest (I should know — I served as a show truck judge one year — it ain’t easy!)

It is truly impressive stuff to look at, these hard-working freight hauling rigs redone into rolling works of art. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that so much work goes into cleaning and touching up these big machines.

“While I was stopped at a traffic light, three guys got out of a pickup and started walking around the truck. They thought it was a custom rig and couldn’t believe it when I told them it was factory built. They had all sorts of questions but I kept telling them, ‘Guys, you have to get back in your pickup; the light is going to change!’” –Mel Fair, vice president of fleet sales, Central Maryland International dealership, sharing his experience with Navistar’s new LoneStar tractor

Perhaps both the biggest advantage and danger to the singularly bold design of Navistar’s Class 8 LoneStar tractor is that it sacrifices the middle ground: drivers and truck buyers alike will either hate it or love it, period. There’s just no fence sitting with this one.

Yet making a decision solely on the LoneStar’s radical design cues (taken from the 1937 International pickup truck of yore) overlooks a ton of functionality built into this tractor.

This truck is built with a lot of things in mind — especially, though, to create a factory-built “owner-operator” truck style yet not sacrifice things like fuel economy, practicality, or comfort to attain it. The substance of the LoneStar to my mind trumps the style (bold though it is) for it’s that substance that’s going to matter to a driver and owner over the long haul.

[Below is a video review of the exterior and interior of Navistar’s new LoneStar tractor.]

Take cab noise, for starters – it’s so well insulated that road noise and even engine braking hardly register. During my own ride and review of the LoneStar, I never had to raise my voice or strain to hear responses to my questions – despite plugging along at 65 mph on a grim rainy day on Rt. 15 north of Frederick, Maryland. The smoothness of the ride made an impact as well – especially since we were bobtailing. Without a heavy trailer, you find out quick if those rear tandems buck, shake and vibrate; in this case, they did none of those things at all.

What really impressed me most about the LoneStar doesn’t even concern its style at all. First, it’s a fuel efficient truck – a hair or two below Navistar’s top fuel efficient model, the ProStar. In other words, an owner-operator or fleet captivated by the styling of the LoneStar doesn’t have to sacrifice extra diesel to drive it. This is a trend I’ve been noticing from all the truck OEMs of late and that holds nothing but good tidings for truckers of all stripes.

Then there’s the price. According to Mel Fair, vice president of fleet sales at Central Maryland International – one of six dealerships owned by the Beltway Companies – the LoneStar only costs on average about $9,000 more than the ProStar. Of course, spec upgrades can change that in a hurry, but the basic mid level LoneStar package I reviewed – equipped with a 500 hp Cummins ISX engine, 10-speed Eaton Fuller manual, air ride suspension, cab, and seats – proved very luxurious.

It’s the thought that went into the interior design elements, though, that should really get the attention of drivers and owners – again, a trend I’m seeing from all the OEMs to varying degrees. Navistar’s LoneStar, for example, has many of the critical vehicle control elements – cruise, engine brake, and air horn to name a few – right on the steering wheel, just as you find in most cars today. Circuit breakers are elegantly hidden behind the dash, so no more crawling on the cab floor to find wires is required.

Storage bins are designed using ergonomic “airline styling” so they slide open easily. The spaciousness of the cab is pretty telling, too – a nice wide-open feeling with plenty of head room and maneuvering space to make life on the road that much easier.

“Driver comfort is really critical today,” Mel told me. “You can’t have wobble in the cab; it’s got to be easy to live in this space on the road. Most importantly, though, it’s a clean, quiet truck – there’s no more black smoke; there’s no more of those high pitched harmonics as the truck goes by. This is a time when we’re truly revising the role trucks play out here.”

The hardest thing to shake, however, is the bad-old image of trucking – an image defined in many ways by the movie “Smokey and the Bandit,” Mel explained to me. “Look, as much fun as ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ was, it created a VERY negative stereotype for truckers,” he said.

“Just look at this truck and see how far we really are as an industry away from that image. These trucks come with DPFs [diesel particulate filters — pictured at left behind and below the fuel tank] so there is no black smoke anymore; they run almost as clean as cars,” Mel noted.

“You can add in all sorts of safety technology – forward collision warning radar, lane departure warning systems, all kinds of things,” he said. “These are safer, cleaner, and more efficient trucks than ever before – yet no one outside the industry understands that.”

It’s a struggle the trucking industry still faces and probably will face for a long time to come. Yet it’s important to note that trucks like the LoneStar keep revamping the standards on issues such as safety, efficiency, plus environmental stewardship even as they bring new styling to the iron that plies America’s highways and roadways every day. It’s well beyond styling where a lot of the most important changes to big rigs are happening today.

“I just love my truck.” –Jeffrey Glanville, veteran truck driver and owner-operator

At first glance, you might not think the 110-inch studio sleeper adorning the back of Jeffrey Glanville’s 2006 model Kenworth W900 is all that practical. Yet if you talk with him for a while, pretty soon you come to understand that this mammoth sleeper is actually a huge boon to him and the job he performs week after countless week on the highways that crisscross the U.S.

A native of Jamaica, Glanville has worked for Interstate Van Lines based in Springfield, VA for over 20 years now – with a goodly portion spent driving long haul routes. In moving industry parlance, he’s known as a “super van operator” – an owner-operator whose specialty is loading up, transporting, and then unloading at destination a family’s worldly possessions long distances.

It’s some of the toughest work in the trucking business for a driver, because not only are you logging a lot of miles, you’re spending back-breaking hours emptying a house, loading everything onto your trailer, then reversing the process at destination – all the while face-to-face with customers that, at bare minimum, are on pins and needles.

Yet Glanville loves the work – and finds his big rig is an important tool in conveying to the customer his ability to take care of their household goods. “You drive up in front of their house with this truck, with everything shiny, and it changes their outlook,” he told me.

[For a tour of Jeffrey’s truck, watch the video below – he’ll also tell you a little bit about why he likes his job so much.]

Again, though, there’s a lot practicality built into Glanville’s truck. For example, it’s equipped with a shower [attached to a 40-gallon water reservoir] so he doesn’t have to waste precious time at the end of a long, exhausting day waiting in line at a truck stop to clean up. “You can wait three to four hours for a shower sometimes,” he told me. “Having my own shower allows me to clean up, relax and then sleep.”

His sleeper also comes equipped with all the comforts of home – stove, microwave, refrigerator, kitchen-style booth for eating, a full bed, and 20-inch flat screen TV, to name just a few of its comforts. His auxiliary power unit (APU) also fires up pretty easily, just with the touch of the button, and makes an almost inaudible hum while running – making sure his time in the sleeper isn’t disturbed by excessive noise and vibration.

His rig also doesn’t lack for power – with a 550 horsepower Caterpillar C-15 under the hood, he’s got enough “get up and go” when he needs it. But Glanville stresses he’s a cautious driver, never one to push a bad situation. “You get out in bad weather, heavy snow out in the plains, you stop,” he says. “You need to take care of yourself and your cargo – it’s not worth the risk.”

It’s that kind of philosophy that’s allowed Glanville to accumulate two decades of experience on the road and acquire the truck of his dreams. And he doesn’t plan to stop any time soon, he told me: “I just love what I do.”

“What’s nice about this is that the shifting is smooth while drivers get to totally focus on the road – keeping the truck centered in the lane, watching the traffic flow. It’s much safer.” –Clint Bushong, engineering supervisor, Peterbilt Motors Company

I rode shotgun in Peterbilt Motors Co. Model 387 highway tractor equipped with an Eaton Fuller 10-speed Ultrashift last week with Clint Bushong at the helm and came away yet again thinking automated transmissions are just going to be the way to go in the near future for most over-the-road operators out there.

Let me stress that I said “most” as Clint would be the first to tell you that automated transmissions like the Ultrashift are not for everyone.

A 12-year veteran engineer with Peterbilt, Bushong drove for a living for a while back in his hometown of Los Angeles, making residential deliveries for a landscaping company in posh places like Beverly Hills – and in places like that, you needed to not only have a manual transmission, but be VERY skilled with it.

“One of the things an automated transmission still can’t quite do is help you ‘feather’ a trailer while backing up – simply because the clutch is fully engaged all the time,” he told me. “Aside from that, though, it’s pretty much a winner – especially for new drivers.”

As we zipped along I-35E, Clint merely had to nod his head at the roadway around us to show me why he thinks automated transmissions are the wave of the future. “Look at this traffic – not only do you need to maneuver the truck, know where the cars and other vehicles are around you, we’d also need to be simultaneously aware of where we are in the gears. That’s a lot for any driver to manage – but more so for a new one.”

[Clint discusses the other advantages of transmissions like the Ultrashift below.]

The new automated models today, he told me, are much, much better in terms of how they “synch” with the engine, not allowing the torque to fall off as much between shifts so drivers get smooth steady acceleration and deceleration. The engine brake is also integrated into the package so drivers don’t have that to fiddle with either – enabling them to stay totally focused on the road.

It was no accident that the Model 387 we were in was headed to a fleet after our test runs – U.S. Xpress Enterprises, to be exact – a fleet that’s no stranger to automated transmissions. They’ve been focused for years on brining more automated models into their operation, to make it easier to both recruit and retain drivers.

Another thing, too – taking out the shift lever frees up a lot of room in the truck cab, making it much easier to move from driver to passenger seat (and vice versa) along with moving from the driver’s area to the sleeper. “Let me tell you, on our longer test runs, you can fit five guys comfortably in a truck cab equipped with an automated,” Clint mentioned to me. “It’s much more cramped when we’re using a truck equipped with a manual shifter.”

“It’s all about gaining a tenth of a gallon improvement in fuel economy over here, another tenth over there, and suddenly you’re saving half a mile or more per gallon – and that really adds up over the ownership period for the truck.” –Kevin Tobin, general sales and service manager-East region, Kenworth Truck Company

It’s been a fascinating process (for me at least) to observe the intensifying focus of truck OEMs on making ever more subtle changes to Class 8 tractor designs in search of just a little more efficiency – and not just in terms of fuel economy. They continue to make numerous small changes to both the exteriors and interiors of their vehicles to make improvements across a number of metrics – especially in terms of comfort and convenience for drivers and maintenance technicians alike.

A recent ride and drive I took with Kenworth Truck Co.’s flagship tractor, the T-660, down here in Orlando — conducted by Kevin Tobin, the company’s general sales and service manager-East region (on the left) and Jared White, the Great Lakes region manager (on the right), brought home some concrete examples of that to me.

Take the very simple, ho-hum duty of opening and closing the hood. Tobin showed me how Kenworth’s engineers went back and developed a bigger grab handle – one a driver can fit their hand in while wearing a glove – that not only has a drain at the bottom so water or snow doesn’t accumulate but one that’s also integrated into the aerodynamic styling of the hood so it doesn’t create even the tiniest amount of drag. A special automatic locking mechanism also makes sure that once the hood is open, a gust of sudden wind doesn’t knock it closed.

Another small detail, this time under the hood – all the fluid points, from windshield wiper fluid to engine oil, are all on the driver’s side of the truck for more convenience in making their daily checks. “It’s all about ease of use,” Tobin explained to me. “Drivers live with these trucks for days and weeks. Building more convenience into it makes it easier for them to do their jobs.”

[Tobin points out more of the exterior improvements to the T-660 design below.]

Those exterior improvements, of course, aren’t just limited to convenience factors. The hood, bumper, and side fairings are made of composite materials that are strong yet lightweight, shrinking the fuel economy footprint of the truck. Subtle tweaks include a 5% larger front grille to accommodate increased air flow and cooling performance, without compromising the aerodynamic signature of the T-660.

There’s also the “Clean Power” package – a factory-installed, battery-powered no-idle system that can enhance fuel economy by as much as 8% as it eliminates the need to run the truck engine during stopovers. Factory installation means warranty coverage—a big deal in and of itself – and Clean Power is also fully compliant with California Air Resources Board (CARB) idling regulations that went into effect for sleeper trucks with 2007 and later model engines.

The system has the capability to provide engine-off cooling and heating, plus 120-volt power for hotel loads. Once the truck is shut off, a sleeper control panel regulates the temperature range and a variable speed fan circulates chilled air through a duct located near the bunk.

Whatever you think of this technology, one other thing stands out – it’s packaged so discretely behind the cab and under the driver’s bunk that you don’t even know it’s there, yet access to Clean Power’s related components is super-easy for repairs. That kind of engineering detail is a result, I think, of the feedback from drivers, technicians, and fleets alike over the years.

Inside, it’s the same thing: subtle changes and improvements here and there that add up to a better work environment for the driver. Tobin and White showed me how uniquely designed adjustable and fold-away armrests on the seats offer more comfort yet also four inches extra inches of pass-through width to the sleeper berth.

Adjusting the steering wheel is done with a foot pedal so drivers don’t have to bend over and work a lever, with more controls on the steering wheel itself – like the engine brake – to reduce the need to reach over to the dash to flips switches and the like.

Brighter push-on, push lights dot the interior – some in some unexpected places, like a map reading light over the passenger seat. It’s all designed along ergonomic lines, making the interior of the truck a more comfortable and convenient place for a driver to use.

[Here, White gives a more detailed look at the T-660’s interior.]

All of these improvements – outside and inside – may seem simple, but they result from accumulated feedback being tempered and honed in truck OEM engineering departments over the course of several years. All that work, though, adds up to trucks that cost less to operate and are easier to use – and you really can’t argue with those type of goals.