Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/526371
28 commercial carrier journal | june 2015 C aterpillar last month unveiled two new CT trucks, the equipment maker's newest iterations of its four-year-old line. The new CT680s look considerably different from previous versions of the company's vocational trucks, and that's no accident. The bling, the styling; customers were asking for it, says Dave Schultz, vocational truck product manager. A lot of owner-operators and fleets think a truck's looks should reflect pride of ownership and reinforce a company's brand, Schultz says. So Cat created two versions that are considerably more eye-catching than the CT681's industrial look. The CT680L offers a good deal of flash: a three-piece Metton hood, three-piece chrome bumper, three- piece chrome stainless-steel grille surround, composite halogen head- lights and incandescent parking and turn lights. Meanwhile, the more subdued CT680LG sports a one-piece fiber- glass hood, three-piece black bumper, integrated fiberglass grille surround, sealed-beam halogen headlights and LED parking and turn lights. There's more than just eye candy here. The CT680 chassis is set- forward with a 124-inch BBC, which makes it Cat's longest truck by 10 inches. Combined with parabolic taper-leaf suspension, the far-forward front axle and long wheelbase help improve driver comfort levels, espe- cially for all-day driving. The trucks are powered by Cat's CT series 13-liter vocational truck engine with dual sequential turbochargers. Horsepower ratings run from 410 hp to 475 hp at 1,700 rpm. Peak torque at 1,000 rpm cranks from 1,450 to 1,700 lb.-ft. Dual air cleaners on the outside keep the engine from chok- ing on the dust common to many construction sites. The new trucks are available in both tractor and truck configurations, and a glider kit is expected in mid- July. A 15-liter engine will be available later this year. Cat brings some bling to new CT trucks The CT680L, in front, and the CT680LG in the back. By Tom Jackson The interior of the CT680LG. It's no accident the new CT680s look different from previous versions of the company's vocational trucks.