Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328680
Meanwhile, U.S. Xpress operations were evolving. Where a stan- dard length of haul was once 1,800 miles, Fuller now found it to be a mere fraction of that — 450 miles — by 2010. His primarily long- haul operation had become a primarily regional haul operation. Fortunately, his partnership with Peterbilt resulted in a custom solution. "The equipment we required became very different," he says. "We needed a smaller cab and a smaller engine. And newer en- gines have added about 2,000 lbs of additional weight overall, which is an issue." Mid-roof, MX Peterbilt answered with a mid-roof design for its Model 587, which Peterbilt engineers have long worked diligently to make as weight-efficient as possible. And Fuller decided to test-run PACCAR MX engines, whose compacted graphite iron con- struction and smaller size saves 330 pounds compared to a 15-liter, gray-iron engine. "I toured that PACCAR engine facility and their calibration levels, their tolerances, were the best I've seen in the market," says Fuller. "Compared to other engine manufacturers, it's pretty amazing the precision they're achieving." The PACCAR engine plant, in Columbus, Miss., and the Peter- bilt plant in Denton, Texas, impressed Fuller in another important way as well. "I'm seeing a lot of other trucks being built in Mexico," he says. "Peterbilts are still built here in the U.S. You hear a lot of scream- ing about jobs here coming from people who are buying prod- ucts not made in the U.S." But in the end, a productive truck is what really matters to the further growth of U.S. Xpress. "If you're going to build a truck for U.S. Xpress, you're going to have to get your engineers busy because we're going to push you to build a perfect, mission-specific truck. "It all comes down to a truck that gives us maximum produc- tivity, and we get that from Peterbilt," he says. "All our trucks have to be work horses. They've gotta earn their keep. "Peterbilt does." FIRST CLASS 15 The U.S. Xpress fleet features more than 2,200 Peterbilt Model 587s, which have proven ideal for the company's team drivers as well as adaptable for its regional- haul routes..