Wabash National Corporation plans to roll out a new line of dry and refrigerated freight truck bodies for Class 6,7, and 8 chassis at the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) annual conference in Phoenix this week: truck bodies the OEM said are designed to reduce maintenance costs, enhance productivity and maximize equipment life for fleets
“We’re very conscious of a shift happening in the trucking industry fueled by re-urbanization and e-commerce trends,” noted Brent Yeagy, Wabash’s group president of commercial trailer products.
He added that Wabash’s new line of refrigerated truck bodies combine a new bonding assembly technology with a new patent-pending composite panel that provides up to 25% improvement in thermal efficiency when compared to conventional units; a new design that also reduces weight by as much as 15% without sacrificing strength and durability.
Yeagy said Wabash’s new line of dry freight truck bodies (seen at right) are made with the company’s DuraPlate composite panels, used in its dray van trailer products.
“Earlier this year we opened a dedicated facility in Lafayette, Indiana, for the production of truck bodies and other final mile equipment,” he pointed out. “Although we’re in a limited production phase currently, we will continue to ramp up production for both dry and refrigerated truck bodies over the next 18 months.”
Yeagy also stressed that “increasing regulations” and “rapidly changing shipper needs” are driving the need for new truck body designs
For example, to meet new safety considerations and regulatory changes, both of Wabash’s dry and refrigerated truck bodies feature a rear underride guard tested to U.S. and Canadian standards.
