Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/522363
52 | Overdrive | June 2015 SEVERE SERVICE EQUIPMENT NEWS IN BRIEF The DumpTruckLoads. com construction-industry load board, accessible on both desktop and mobile browsers, enables users to find trucks or loads and receive real-time load notifications via e-mail and text. Dump truck owners also are able to search for loads outside of their local area, helping them reduce deadhead miles on longer return trips and increase revenue. The board is the brainchild of Steven Kolbe, an entrepreneur with almost 50 years of experience in the construction industry. His businesses have ranged from highway construction and pav- ing to quarry reclamation. DumpTruckLoads.com Freightliner named Indianapolis, the 2015 Work Truck Show's host city, as its first "Hardest Working City" honoree. The program promotes cities in the United States and Canada that are investing in infrastructure and economic growth to revitalize communities while promoting the role vocational trucks play in those efforts. The program's first onsite celebration was held at Stoops Freightliner in Indianapolis, and coffee and doughnuts were delivered to jobsites across the city. HardestWorkingCities.com Daimler Trucks North America in April announced plans to increase production and employment levels at its truck manufacturing plant in Mt. Holly, N.C., over a three-month period. The plant manufactures 108SD and 114SD trucks for severe-duty vocational markets and M2 Business Class medium- duty diesel- and natural gas- powered trucks. The company announced new option packages for the Class 6/7 M2, including Allison Trans- mission's FuelSense technology with the 220-hp Cummins ISB6.7 for pickup-and-delivery ap- plications. Also new are "driver retention" premium interior and "professional image" exterior enhancement packages. FreightlinerTrucks.com Sonim's rugged XP6 phone and XP7 smartphone feature an extra-loud speaker, noise cancellation, a powerful battery and resistance to water and drops. Both devices have a screen that can be viewed in direct sunlight; the XP7's screen can be used with dirty or wet work gloves, while the XP6 provides a numeric keypad. SonimTech.com By Tom Jackson Caterpillar 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 vocation- al trucks, and that's no accident. The bling, the styling -- custom- ers were asking for it, says Dave Schultz, vocational truck product manager. A lot of buyers think a truck's looks should reflect pride of ownership and reinforce a compa- ny's brand, Schultz says. So Cat cre- ated two versions more eye-catching than the CT681's industrial look. The CT680L offers plenty 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. The more subdued CT680LG sports a one-piece fiberglass hood, three-piece black bumper, integrated fiberglass grille surround, sealed-beam halogen head- lights and LED parking and turn lights. 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, especially for all-day driving. The trucks are powered by Cat's CT series 13-liter vocational engine with dual sequential turbochargers. 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 choking on the dust common to construction sites. The new trucks are available in both tractor and truck configura- tions. A glider kit is expected in mid-July. A 15-liter engine will be available later this year. Cat brings bling to new CT trucks The CT680L, in front, and the CT680LG in the back.