Electronic controls
Just about every new component going on trucks recently was designed for electronic control. A super-brain to efficiently control these parts is an obvious, but as yet unmet, need.
Mercedes-Benz, world leader in big truck production, has just unveiled its Telligent computer, which manages a truck's engine, manual or automatic transmission, braking system, level control, roll control and the vehicle's servicing system. If that doesn't sound like the desired super brain, it comes pretty close.
The producer announced no plans to offer the computer control or the new Actros truck model on which it was shown in the U. S. Those who saw the introductions wondered if the control or other features of the new truck might be offered by Mercedes subsidiary, Freightliner Corp.
Air brakes
Mercedes has joined growing world action on another truck-related product by introducing air-actuated disc brakes. Rockwell International is bringing its air discs, developed in Italy, to the U. S. market where they will start off in Freightliner trucks.
Meanwhile, the newly combined Lucas Varity line is making a major American effort with its air discs, made in Wales. Better performance at high temperatures, less fading and shorter stopping distances are among the features of air discs.
International influences
Without taking a minute to review the figures, it is difficult to grasp the international character of truck business in the U.S. One recent tabulation showed that well in excess of half the sales of heavy-duty Class 8 trucks were being made by lines with foreign ownership interests.
The Freightliner-Mercedes entry was making close to 30% of those sales. Mack, now owned by Renault of France, and Volvo GM, which has General Motors and White ingredients but is now controlled by Volvo of Sweden, got about a quarter of the action. Western Star with Canadian and Australian ties was a minority participant. In April, there was a report, later denied, in a Swedish newspaper that Volvo was interested in buying Mack Trucks.
World trade is not a one-way street. Paccar, parent firm of the Peterbilt and Kenworth lines, has just added DAF trucks from Holland to a British truck operation acquired earlier. One truck veteran saw a place in Paccar offerings for a DAF cabover model. DAF had a tie with the American truck maker Navistar--at the time, International Harvester--in the 1960s.
The truck industry is plagued by high costs of product development and the long time needed to earn back the money on the low level of sales. Every few years, the idea of designing something of a common world truck to be used in many applications around the world is tried again as a way to spread the high cost of truck development. It has yet to work because of the varied work expected of trucks in a variety of locations around the world.
Thanks to its approach to the truck market around the world, Mercedes-Benz could be making progress on meeting variations in truck needs from one nation to the next around the globe.
One report has it that Freightliner in the U.S. is serving as the total company's link to the developing NAFTA free trade area in Latin America.
Ford sale
The pending sale of Ford's heavy truck business to Freightliner made more headlines than any other development on the U.S. truck scene in late winter.
Ford's departure from the heavy truck field would mean the nation no longer has a full-line truck producer. From about 1960 on, Ford prided itself on offering trucks of all sizes along with Chevrolet, GMC, International Harvester (now Navistar) and Dodge.
Freightliner's off-and-on alliance with Oshkosh Truck in the construction truck business also got some attention earlier in 1997.
Components and trailers
Adding to a chaotic recent past on the truck scene, there were these developments in the components and trailer fields. Component manufacturers have been doing all they can to lengthen the lines of parts they offer, feeling that this leads to increased sales. Consolidation of the Lucas and Varity lines in the brake field, mentioned above, is an example.
While it had nothing to do with component sales, the parent firm of Rockwell International's automotive components operation spun off that unit as an unnamed separate company. It continues to lead in sales of heavy-duty antilock braking systems.
A market slowdown made things chaotic in the trailer business. News was a mix of producers leaving the field by way of the bankruptcy courts, such as Fruehauf, once the industry sales leader, and Great Dane, a volume producer, being absorbed by a smaller firm.
Kelley is a truck writer based in Dearborn, Mich.
