Meet your replacement

Truck manufacturers at MATS are confident they hold the keys to your next truck purchase. The competition is fierce, and that could work in your favor if you're going to need a new truck soon.

Each of the OEMs we've heard from during the press conferences -- Mack, Volvo, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Navistar and Western Star -- predict that 2013 will be quite similar to 2012 in terms of Class 8 sales. Many told us that 2014 has the potential to be a boom year for moving new trucks.

The makers hinge those predictions on a strengthening economy coupled with an aging vehicle population. They each say they're poised for when fleets and small-business owners are ready to invest in new equipment.

To be frank, I think a fair number of would-be truck buyers have held out on new purchases the past few years because of lingering doubts about the economy, tight bottom lines, and a bit of regulatory fatigue thrown in for good measure. It will be interesting to see where that goes.

Fuel cost is going to be a consideration. Many manufacturers have mentioned natural gas options, mainly for dedicated short runs or regional hauls. Long-haul options for natural gas could still be a ways out, but the infrastructure gap is starting to fill in.

Options and competition are good things.

Navistar: The swagger wasn't entirely gone

Navistar International held its annual press conference this morning as part of MATS Press Day. The company showcased its portfolio of trucks with SCR technology – a very different mantra from yesteryear’s annual EGRfest. 

The news conference was a stark contrast in content and style to the company’s traditional MATS Press Day event. This year it was a quick, half-hour presentation held in a large but modest, almost spartan, display booth in the Expo Center’s South Wing.

With little fanfare, Navistar stressed the truck maker’s confidence in its ability to “move business forward.” There was no customary open question period from the trucking press at the conclusion of the press conference.

I have to admit, I missed the colorful comments the trucking press corps is used to hearing at this event from James Hebe, former senior VP of North American Sales. Hebe retired last year.

But the swagger was not entirely gone. Still claiming to be the fuel economy leader, the company announced this morning that Navistar would again hire a third-party tester to see who is the best in the fuel economy battle. In Navistar’s corner will be the International ProStar with an ISX 15 engine. The ProStar will duke it out against competitors like Freightliner’s Cascadia and others.