Medium-duty work trucks take the stage

The Work Truck Show 2016, produced by NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, draws record crowds to see the latest in vocational vehicles.

Eric Brothers, Editor - Manufacturing Group

Published April 08, 2016

Drawing nearly 12,000 people, about 1,000 more than 2015’s show, NTEA’s The Work Truck Show 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana, in March highlighted the strengths of the medium-duty truck world. With new vehicle introductions by major manufacturers and several new diesel engine options, vocational buyers will have an increasing number of choices this year.

“The Work Truck Show is the one event where everyone involved with vocational vehicles in North America comes together to share ideas, see what’s new, and find opportunities for their businesses,” says NTEA Executive Director Steve Carey.

The following pages include notable vehicles on display at the 2016 show.

The Work Truck Show

www.worktruckshow.com

Hino Trucks is expanding its Insight platform to create connected vehicles with telematics data for fleet efficiency; remote diagnostics for real-time trouble code notifications; and case management for streamlined communication between customer, dealer, and OEM for managing service and repairs. All 2017 model year conventional and cab-over Hino trucks will have Insight standard across all models. www.hino.com

Daimler Trucks’ Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America brand showed off its Fuso E-Cell battery powered truck, a vehicle that could save customers 64% per year in fuel costs compared to diesel, based on Fuso testing. In Europe, test trucks used an average of 76.6KwH per 100 miles, electricity that would be significantly cheaper than the equivalent 3.72 gallons of diesel. www.mitfuso.com

Switch-N-Go executives demonstrate a detachable body hoist system paired with a roll-off Voth truck body. The system permits unloading a full, partial, or empty body onto the ground and allows fleets to use one chassis for multiple applications or operate with no body during transport. www.switchngo.com

To be built by Spartan Motors Inc. in Michigan, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America’s Class 6 FTR has a 25,950 lb GVWR. The FTR will be powered by Isuzu’s 4HK1-TC 5.2L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine. www.isuzucv.com

Vans continue to push into commercial spaces once dominated by trucks, as demonstrated by a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 chassis, fitted with a Scattolini 3-way-tipper body. The Work Truck Show’s floor had as many commercial vans on display as it had commercial trucks. www.mbvans.com

Designers at Brandon Mfg. eliminated long frame members from its EXL steel dump body, significantly reducing weight. Engineers say the body has the strength of a steel system but the weight of an aluminum one. www.brandontruck.com

Bearings Group President Rich Collins shows off Composite Truck Body and partner Fleetwest’s CTB 175 low-profile transferable truck body made of lightweight composites. According to Dan O’Connell, Composite Truck Body vice president of sales and marketing, the truck body can be transferred from truck to truck as the chassis wears out. www.compositetruckbody.com

Cummins B6.7 engine, ranging from 200hp to 325hp and 520 lb-ft to 750 lb-ft, is an update to the work truck engine that’s been produced since 1984. Updates optimize the engine for stop-and-go duty cycles, increasing fuel economy 7%. www.cumminsengines.com

Designed for medium-duty trucks and to be built at an upgraded plant in Detroit, Michigan, Daimler’s Detroit brand showed off its DD5, an engine rated at 210hp, 575 lb-ft, or 230hp, 660 lb-ft. www.demanddetroit.com

The show’s focus was on commercial vehicles, but machine-tool maker Cincinnati drew a crowd to its Shelby Cobra auto body, built with its big-area additive manufacturing (BAAM) process. The body, produced in five pieces, took less than a half-day to print but weeks to finish with layers of gel coat to achieve a smooth finish. www.e-ci.com

A cross-section shows the tubular layers of black plastic material produced with the BAAM process overlaid with gel-coat filler.

Volvo Trucks subsidiary Mack introduced the ClearTech One system, a single package exhaust aftertreatment system (EATS), that combines a diesel particulate filter (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) dosing system into one unit, saving space for other components. www.macktrucks.com

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