Truck Model Roundup CLASS 6 & 7
Changes For '07 Trucks Are Tied To New Diesels
By Tom Berg,
Senior Equipment Editor
Everything in the 2007-model trucks seems to revolve around their EPA '07 diesel engines. As with all other categories of diesel-powered trucks, Class 6 and 7 products have been extensively reworked to accommodate the new engines and their sometimes bulky exhaust aftreatment devices. Meanwhile, price sheets are getting final notations as builders prepare to pass along costs of developing and building the engines to customers.
Manufacturers outlined many of the '07 changes at the National Truck Equipment Association's Product Meeting in mid-September in Dearborn, Mich. Attendees at this annual event are always attentive because – as users and upfitters – they are directly impacted by alterations to trucks they've been familiar with. But they seemed especially alert this year as builder representatives went through their presentations over the meeting's three-day schedule.
Most presenters touted enhancements to their companies' products, ranging from better in-cab lights and trim levels to stronger frames and improved electrical wiring and power distribution centers. Some showed new models previously announced at other venues, and one builder's rep acknowledged the dropping of a model that he otherwise would not have mentioned. At least two of the Japanese-brand builders said major changes for some of their models will be announced soon into the new year.
Lots of LCFs
The heavier end of the midrange market remains crowded, with 13 nameplates from 10 manufacturers, by our count. Class 6 and 7 trucks are offered by most domestic Class 8 builders, along with models from big automakers Ford and General Motors, plus those from Japanese-brand builders. Most of the latter battle it out for shares of the low-cabover market. Hino is the exception. It has prospered since switching to conventionals assembled in the U.S. and Canada, and will open another American plant sometime next year.
The low-cab-forward segment continues to be curious. It accounts for only 15 percent to 20 percent of medium-duty sales, yet more new LCF models typically appear each year than within the more populous conventional-cab segment. Paccar recently announced its return to the LCF fray with Kenworth and Peterbilt Class 6 and 7 models sourced from DAF in Europe; Sterling has a new Class 4 model obtained from Mitsubishi Fuso; and Ford and International are making inroads with their jointly built Class 3 and Class 4 LCF trucks.
On the other hand, Freightliner and Sterling are dropping the Cargo LCF, obtained in '98 from the old Ford Heavy Truck. The Cargo's main use in recent years has been as a chassis for street sweeper apparatus. Freightliner will replace it with the short version of its Business Class M2, which is now available with dual steering and stand-up right-hand drive.
Manufacturers have noted a continuation in the trend toward Class 6 trucks, whose drivers don't need commercial driver's licenses. Class 6 vehicles often have hydraulic brakes, less costly than the air brakes common on Class 7s. But air brakes are offered by some builders on Class 6s for buyers who want better performance and/or cheaper replacement parts.
Price Hikes
Price increases for trucks with EPA '07 diesels will be moderate to hefty. Earlier this year, heavy truck builders announced upcharges ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per truck. Figures for the lighter classes have since been dribbling in, usually in range form, with $3,500 to $7,000 suggested for medium-duty trucks.
At NTEA, General Motors got more precise: A Duramax diesel-powered G series van will cost an extra $1,660, while a C4500 or C5500 conventional will cost $2,600 more. A C6500, 7500 or 8500 truck with the Isuzu 6H diesel will cost $5,400 more with air brakes (because the air system is useful to the new emissions gear) or $5,700 with hydraulic brakes.
The price hikes will certainly give many midrange truck buyers cause for pause, and a sales slowdown is expected early next year for these classes, as it is for heavy trucks. Unlike heavy trucks, which have experienced a prebuy boom, sales of midrange trucks this year have been flat because they are tied directly to the general economy, which has slowed in recent months.
Of particular worry to economists is the slowdown in housing. The boom has not busted, but value appreciation of existing homes has slowed in formerly hot markets. Consumers' use of home equity to buy all sorts of goods is thus crippled, though to what extent is not yet clear. New house construction has declined, which has impacted orders for and movement of materials. Then again, oil and fuel prices have been dropping almost as quickly and steeply as they rose in 2005-06, so perhaps the economy will not falter after all.
Engine Concerns
Products were the focus at the NTEA meeting, and much was said about EPA '07 diesels and their effects on trucks. Questions were numerous in initial sessions, reflecting high interest in engine-oriented subject matter. Among the highlights:
• By government fiat, pollutants in diesel exhaust must be cut drastically, which requires cleaner-burning engines and devices that will strip most of what's left in the exhaust stream;
• Greater doses of exhaust-gas recirculation will make for cooler combustion that will cut oxides of nitrogen, but introduce more heat into the cooling system, and that heat must be shrugged off by bigger radiators;
• Front portions of many main frames have been altered to accommodate the larger radiators, while underhood areas will be more crowded; and
• Diesel particulate filters will sometimes clean themselves of accumulated soot in everyday operations, and sometimes will heat up to burn off the soot.
Heat inside the particulate filters and at the tailpipe will reach 1,000 to 1,200 degrees, so extra care must be taken in mounting truck bodies so they'll not be too close to the exhaust system – an important matter to body builders and upfitters. However, exhaust heat should be no higher than with current gasoline engines, and at least one upfitter remarked that old rules of thumb about clearances observed for gas-engine exhausts will simply have to be used for '07 diesels.
Most drivers will not notice when active regenerations occur in DPFs, but many medium- and heavy-duty trucks will have indicator lamps to tell drivers a "regen" is happening, plus a switch to start or stop a regen, reps said. Control of regenerations will be needed in some operations where they should be avoided for operational reasons. Most light-duty trucks will not have the lamps or switches.
Are Exhausts Sacred?
Exhaust systems will be certified by manufacturers for '07, and presenters emphasized that most of the systems must not be changed by body builders or users. Oxidation catalysts and DPFs themselves must not be touched, nor can the pipes leading to them be altered. Tailpipes can be, but even here upfitters must be careful so they don't change the amount of back pressure and adversely affect operation of the aftertreatment devices. Also, tailpipes must be kept away from brake chambers and rubber or plastic parts on frames.
Exhaust heat at tailpipes has Ford and the Freightliner family sufficiently concerned that engineers have designed diffusers to mix in cool ambient air, thus dissipating heat. These will be standard on those manufacturers' diesel-powered trucks with horizontal exhaust systems.
Even some vertical exhausts might get them, though they seem far enough away from people and materials that could be burned. But users and upfitters might consider diffusers if combustible overhead objects such as tree branches are likely to be encountered for extended periods in regular operations.
Presenters showed various configurations of exhaust systems that they'll offer for varied medium-duty applications. Many configurations put all components under the cab, keeping the frame clear for body and equipment mounting. Some systems have combined O2 catalysts and DPFs, while others split the two components. One builder showed eight possible configurations – horizontal, vertical and a combination – that might be needed to accommodate various bodies and underframe equipment.
One or two manufacturers indicated that they might offer kits so dealers could legally change existing exhaust systems to suit applications other than what the vehicles were originally built for. Most builders said they would not offer kits, or that they hadn't decided if they would.
What's An '07?
While most changes for new truck models revolve around their new diesels, not all trucks built after New Year's Day – the effective date for the Environmental Protection Agency's new emissions rules – will get the new diesels.
Current EPA '02-'04 diesels may legally be built until Dec. 31, so trucks with those engines will continue coming off final assembly lines until the supply runs out. Thus an '07-model truck might or might not have an EPA '07 diesel. And some light trucks will not get EPA '07 diesels and aftertreatment devices until summer, when the '08 model year begins.
The coming of '07 diesels has made Model Year '07 a two-tiered affair for many builders. The model year began last spring and summer, using currently configured, EPA '02-'04 diesels. It will finish sometime in 2007 with trucks getting EPA '07 diesels and titled as '07 truck models.
However, some builders – particularly the Japanese importers – will call them '08s, because they've traditionally begun their model years way before the calendar years for which they're named. This is legally permissible in the U.S. because provisions in federal law define a vehicle model-year period as any time up to 364 days prior to its namesake calendar year. A builder may therefore start the '08 model year as soon as Jan. 2, 2007 – and some will.
Most consumers buying new cars and trucks like this pull-ahead titling, even if it begins in March or July rather than January, because they feel they're getting "next year's model." Buyers of new commercial trucks also know that the vehicles' resale values are higher due to their artificially younger age. But some people argue that this is misleading to used truck and car buyers, and confusing to maintenance managers.
So there's a move within the industry to greatly restrict the lead time for a model year to no more than a month or so prior to the calendar year. If this practice is adopted, it'll be a voluntary thing, not the law.
But whether they're designated 2007 or 2008 models, Class 6 and 7 trucks are seeing some big changes related to the 2007 diesels.
Truck Model Roundup continued...
