International Truck and Engine Corp. said its new Class 3-5 low-cab-forward commercial truck family, the CF Series, is on the receiving end of attention from an unexpected market segment — government fleets.
“We're getting a lot of inquiries from government and municipal fleets about the CF, especially in terms of street sweeping, road maintenance, and equipment delivery applications,” Rob swim, director of marketing for International's medium-duty products, told FLEET OWNER. “It's a market we really didn't think about for this truck.”
International held a special ride-and-drive event at the National Truck Equipment Assn.'s annual trade show in Baltimore last month, where Swim said the interest in the cabover medium-duty exceeded expectations.
“A lot of fleets and body suppliers attended our ride and drive,” he said. “But the product was only part of the formula. Most were looking to get the same national service and parts support for a medium-duty cabover as they get for their conventional trucks, especially the municipal fleets.”
International is building the CF through its Blue Diamond joint venture with Ford Motor Co., using components from both OEMs. The CF is being built at an assembly plant in Escobedo, Mexico, and should be available in the first quarter of 2005.
www.internationaldelivers.com
