Hino and Peterbilt trucks have been named the Commercial Truck of the Year in their respective categories by the American Truck Dealers (ATD). The announcement was made at ATD’s 47th annual Convention & Expo under way in Orlando.
The 2011 Hino 268 was the first-ever winner in the award’s new medium-duty category and Peterbilt’s Model 384 took home the honors in the heavy-duty classification.
“Peterbilt is honored to be selected as ATD’s Commercial Truck of the Year,” said Bill Jackson, gm of Peterbilt Motors Co. and vp of Paccar Inc. “Our team listens to the voice of the customer along with our dealer network, and works with our supplier partners to design and manufacture trucks that offer value, innovative features and exceptional maneuverability for a wide range of applications.”
The Model 384 has been updated with available all-wheel drive. It has a 108 in. BBC with front axle ratings ranging from12,000 to 16,000 lbs. It is equipped with a Paccar PX-6 engine offering 325 hp. Recent improvements include better sightlines and a 17% improvement in side-window visibility, noted Peterbilt.
The Modle 384 also includes an ergonomic package that with easy-to-read gauges and key vehicle performance data as well as a new HVAC system that improves air flow while reducing costs.
Hino’s Class 6 268 has been restyled for 2011 and features a six-cylinder 8-liter diesel producing 220 hp and 520 lbs.-ft. of torque.
“We are honored to be the first recipient of the ATD medium duty Commercial Truck of the Year award,” said Sumio Fukaya, president & CEO of Hino Motors Sales U.S.A., Inc. “This is a true testament to the hard work of our design team and their efforts to produce a truck that meets the demanding needs of our customers.”
“All the trucks in this year’s event were fine examples of the great strides the manufacturers have been making in developing new products,” said ATD Chair Pamela Hall and dealer-owner of Hall Volvo, GMC, Isuzu and Hino in Tyler, TX. “The winners brought the best combination of new features, driver comfort and safety systems.”
Hall noted that the trucks entered in the competition by OEMs were judged on innovation and design, driver satisfaction, ease of maintenance and safety by a panel of journalists from leading truck publications in North America.
Other nominees in the medium-duty class were: Kenworth T370 Diesel-Electric Hybrid, Freightliner Business Class M2 112 Natural Gas and Peterbilt Model 337. The other heavy-duty truck nominees were: Kenworth T660 Extended Day Cab and Freightliner Coronado.
