Heavy Duty Trucking, November 2018

MEDIUM DUTY HDT NOVEMBER 2018 66 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM ISUZU Following the launch of its all new Class 6 FTR low cab forward truck last year earlier this year Isuzu further grew its medium duty lineup by adding a crew cab version of its Class 5 NRR cabover Able to seat up to a seven person crew the NRR variant also carries a 19500 lb GVW rating Upfit applications will accommodate vocational bodies up to 30 feet in length with the standard cab and 16 feet with crew cab models Production of Isuzus gasoline powered NPR models began in January Like the NRR the NPR can be speced with a seven passenger crew cab option Class 3 and 4 NPR trucks are available with gasoline power and can be ordered with CNG LPG fuel capability The gasoline engine in the NPR is the Vortec 6L V 8 which generates 297 hp at 4300 rpm and 372 lb ft of torque at 4000 rpm Its mated to the GM 6L90 Hydra Matic 6 speed automatic with double overdrive In August Isuzu announced that the 50000th gasoline powered Isuzu N Series truck was produced in Charlotte Michigan The Isuzu model was the first gasoline powered low cab forward truck available in North America Assembly began at Spartan Motors in April 2011 KENWORTH Kenworths medium duty lineup consists of medium duty conventional and cabover models The Class 6 T270 and Class 7 T370 conventional trucks and tractors feature a 109 inch BBC sloped hood single rear or tandem drive axle and optional cab corner windows GVW ratings reach up to 66000 pounds Power is provided by Paccar PX 7 and PX 9 diesel engines rated 200 to 350 hp and up to 1150 lbs ft of torque and they can be mated to manual automated or automatic transmissions On the heavier T370 front axles are available rated up to 20000 pounds Now standard on the T270 and T370 are Dana Spicer S140 single reduction single drive axles The T270 has the S17 140 axle rated at 16000 pounds while the T370 is fitted with the S21 140 rated at 21000 pounds Kenworth notes that these axles provide excellent reliability and durability with higher horsepower and torque engines due to high capacity gearing Optionally available is the in dash Kenworth NavPlus HD system as well as 4x4 and 6x6 drive configurations The Class 6 K270 and Class 7 K370 4x2 cabovers feature a 634 inch BBC 55 degree wheel cut an automatic transmission a single rear drive axle and Paccar PX 7 diesel engines rated from 200 to 260 hp and 520 to 660 lbs ft of torque They come standard with front and rear drum brakes and with 225 inch tires and wheels 195 inch package available Front air disc brakes and rear air suspension are optional Standard onboard are an air suspension drivers seat and two person bench seat Now available on the K270 and K370 are the Dana Spicer S140 series of single reduction single drive axles ranging from 16000 to 21000 pounds gross axle weight rating Its been well proven that nowadays safety sells and very well Large fleets are driving the specing of safety technology to the industry says Fords Kevin Koester medium duty truck and Super Duty fleet marketing manager Collision avoidance and automated emergency braking are at the top of the wish list for large fleets both to protect the driver and the power unit Chad Semler Navistars director of product marketing concurs The large fleets that use medium duty trucks are more and more safety conscious he says This is shown by their increasing focus on active safety technologies such as collision mitigation systems Fleets safety focus is also reflected in their growing interest in enhanced visibility safe ingress and egress and ergonomic interiors For the medium duty segment safety features and telematics solutions as seen in our Class 8 trucks are becoming more prevalent says Kelly Gedert director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks and Detroit Components Wabco safety systems are available in the Freightliner M2 106 providing a great option for medium duty fleets to contribute to the increased safety for their own drivers and other drivers on their routes Yet despite all the things advanced technology can deliver a truck is at heart a business tool Its not just numbers on a spec sheet that makes things different and better says John Schwegman director of commercial product and medium duty for GM Fleet For example our new Chevrolet Silverados are designed to solve the most common upfit and ownership challenges fleets have Among those ownership challenges Downtime The days of fleets keeping multiple spare vehicles on hand to cover broken down vehicles are gone adds Fords Koester Fleets expect and demand higher quality in the manufacturing process and the same expectation exists for reliability once the truck is in service In order for our brand to have a presence as a preferred vehicle in a large fleet we must meet their expectation that the manufacturer and dealer have a priority to get that vehicle back on the road as soon as possible PHOTO ISUZU PHOTO KENWORTH