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Machine Matters

November 01, 2011 |

Calling on Construction

Established and new players alike take aim at the vocational truck market.

New players in the vocational truck game notwithstanding, it remains a market long served by renowned, established brands – so much so that construction dump trucks are often called Mack Trucks regardless of their actual make. With its VHD series, Volvo Trucks has a rugged vocational truck offering based in the comfort and safety traditions of the cross-market Volvo brand. Volvo is among eight truck brands currently serving the North American heavy-duty construction market.

By Mike Anderson

While there may be a new brand in the heavy-duty construction truck business, established players are intent on keeping their strong positions in the vocational market, currently about one-third of all Class 8 trucks made.

All have introduced product enhancements (see Machine Matters Roundup, starting on page 26); some of them rolling out new models altogether. Western Star has multiple versions of a new construction and municipal truck model, the 4700, as well as an additional new model designation to more clearly define the former shortened version of the 4900. Mack has a lighter version of its Granite truck aimed at municipal and lighter vocational users, who will also consider Kenworth’s up-shifting of the T370 medium-duty truck to a “Baby 8” vehicle. On the severe-duty end, Freightliner has two new models, including a tri-axle. Peterbilt, Volvo and Navistar International continue to counter with options galore.

And while the new player, Caterpillar, is not exactly new to the truck market, having supplied truck engines for 40 years, it does think it has an advantage in this market: the company believes the “yellow iron” customer is the Caterpillar customer.

Caterpillar’s CT660 is about leveraging the company’s background in construction solutions, says the company.

“We’re focusing not just on a truck, but on the application of that truck in the construction business,” says George Taylor, director, Caterpillar Global On-Highway Truck Group. “How does it work with load-and-haul? How does it work with the fill operations? How does it interact with the construction machines?

“We know our customers don’t use that truck by itself. At some point, the truck’s interacting with that excavator, that wheel loader, that paver,” says Taylor, “and customers have told us that’s that one of the weak points (in their business), and if you can find a way to optimize the way those things work together, we’re going to be miles ahead.”

Ready to roll

While hosting a trade press ride-and-drive event in late September in Peoria, Illinois, Taylor and fellow Caterpillar Vocational Trucks officials made no bones about their target audience.

PACCAR brands Peterbilt and Kenworth, along with venerable Mack now owned by Volvo, collectively have 80-percent vocational market share in North America, they say, and the Caterpillar goal is to be the number-one or number-two player in five years by offering a premium-quality product. The process began in 2007 as Cat observed the rapid vertical integration of truck manufacturers and decided to exit the truck engine market as a supplier for other manufacturers.

Then it set its sights on creating a truck that would appeal to its core base: construction. Partnering with Navistar to create the CT660, Caterpillar was aware that some construction customers joke that trucks are a necessary evil; others take a lot of pride in their trucks, says Gary Blood, product manager.

The inaugural CT660 set-back-axle model now in production at partner Navistar’s plant in Garland, Texas, was developed under a Caterpillar standard: “How can we design that truck so that in the 10th year or beyond, the customer can still be proud of how that truck looks?” Blood says.