Work Truck Show roundup

We don’t cover a lot of medium-duty and pickup truck news here on American Trucker, but we do have editors on the ground at the annual Work Truck Show keeping us posted and filing reports over on the Fleet Owner side of the Web. Here’s a selection of stories, with links to the complete coverage from Indianapolis.

The 2017 NTEA Work Truck Show: Day 2 (photo gallery)

You can spot a little bit of everything truck related at the annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show, from Class 8 dump trucks, pickups and vans on down to snowplows, automatic tire chains, and ladder racks. Here are just a few of the sights spotted at this year's vent.

A time of change: How will the future of trucking look?

INDIANAPOLIS. Wilfried Achenbach, senior vice president of engineering and technology for Daimler Trucks North America, says we are living in a time of change – better yet, a time in which the trucking industry is changing at an extremely rapid pace. Achenbach delivered Tuesday’s keynote address here at the 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show’s Green Truck Summit and touched on what he believes the future of the industry will look like.

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Fuso unveils new gas-powered cabover, all-electric eCanter truck

INDIANAPOLIS. Mitsubishi Fuso announced it is developing a new gasoline powertrain for its FE Series medium-duty cabover trucks and launched its new electric truck, the eCanter, here at the 2017 NTEA Work Truck Show. According to the company Fuso’s FE130, FE160 and FE180 will be powered by a PSI-GMPT Vortec Series 6-liter V8 engine, coupled with an Allison 6-speed automatic transmission. The new V8 engine models will be the first Fuso vehicles to be assembled in the U.S., noted Jecka Glasman, Fuso’s president and CEO.

Cummins puts more focus on midrange engine improvements

INDIANAPOLIS. When it comes to midrange diesel engines, the focus at Cummins Inc. is how to keep bringing the “best of both worlds” together, according to Jeff Caldwell, the company’s executive director of North American truck OEMs – more fuel economy and more performance, all within the same package.

XL Hybrids displays XLP upfit on F-150 at NTEA

INDIANAPOLIS. XL Hybrids displayed its XLP plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) upfit solution for the first time during the 2017 NTEA Work Truck Show. According to Clay Siegert, XL Hybrids’ co-founder and chief operating officer, the XLP upfit on F-150 half-ton trucks will begin delivery in fourth quarter 2017 and will provide 50% improvement in miles driven per gallon, as well as reductions in C02 emissions.

Ford updates CV lineup, expands 2018 Transit

INDIANAPOLIS. Ford announced updates to its broad commercial vehicle lineup and introduced programs dedicated to its fleet and commercial customers here at the 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show.

Ford Motor Co. at NTEA's Work Truck Show (photo gallery)

Ford Motor Co. brought a bevy of its trucks and vans to the 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, highlighting some new vehicle features, a new commercial dealership rebranding effort, and new partnerships focused on bringing more alternative propulsions options to its customers.

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Chevrolet releases new Class 6 model at NTEA

INDIANAPOLIS. Chevrolet announced it is expanding its range of Low Cab Forward trucks with a new dock-height Class 6 model – the 6500XD. The vehicles are expected to be available by the end of the year.

Ram Truck highlights configurator, Q Pro program

INDIANAPOLIS. The commercial division of Ram Trucks showed off its Augmented Reality Upfit Configurator at the 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show – a system it introduced back in 2016 – and also rolled a new program called “Q Pro” designed to assist commercial upfitters, dealers and customers in “certifying” a wide array of truck-mounted products, though David Sowers, head of Ram commercial marketing, shied away from dubbing Q Pro a “certification program” and instead referred to it as a “qualifying program.”

The 2017 NTEA Work Truck Show: Day 1 (photo gallery)

The 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show started off with the annual Green Truck Summit, featuring truck engineers, state and federal government officials, plus fleet managers providing their take on the current and future direction of alternative fuels and future commercial vehicle designs. But it's not all "work" at the Work Truck Show, as the good folks from Adrian Steel Co. set out to prove.