Peterbilt grows fleet sales, looks to build on strong 2016

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Peterbilt in 2016 opened 25 new dealerships for the third year in a row and produced more than 36,000 trucks – the fourth highest tally in its history.

Kyle Quinn, senior vice-president of Paccar and general manager of Peterbilt, provided a recap of the truck maker’s year during a press conference at the Mid-America Trucking Show. He said Peterbilt achieved a 13.4% share of the Class 8 market in 2016. More than 48% of its trucks were sold with Paccar MX engines. It also set a record for plant quality.

The Model 579 EPIQ package has new options.

The company plans to grow its Class 8 retail market share to 15% in 2017, and Quinn said he’s confident this will be achieved, since January and February orders showed a 16% share. Asked where the company will gain share, Quinn said “As the energy sector improves, we see a return of those vocational trucks. We’ve had good performance this year and late last year for vocational orders and as the vocational and energy markets strengthen, we will see some return there.”

Peterbilt has been focusing on improving its fleet sales, in response to consolidation within the trucking industry. Fleet sales now represent 37% of Peterbilt’s orders, up from 23% three years ago.

“Our growth in fleet sales is making a big difference in the landscape of customers Peterbilt services today,” said Quinn. It plans to grow that number to 38% this year.

Peterbilt’s Denton plant has received $100 million in investments, and is now churning out the highest quality trucks in its history, Quinn said.

The company’s SmartLinq remote diagnostics platform has been rolled out on more than 27,000 Peterbilt trucks and now includes Cummins engine coverage. Service Management is being added to provide dealers and fleets with more insight into vehicles’ repair histories. Fleets will be able to grant approvals online to expedite the service process.

Petebilt revamped its Red Oval used truck program and is offering one-year, 125,000-mile warranties on qualifying trucks, which undergo a 150-point inspection.

Scott Newhouse, Peterbilt’s chief engineer, said the Model 579 EPIQ package will boast 8% better fuel economy, thanks to a new Paccar 40,000-lb tandem axle and improvements in engine design. Key areas of focus on the MX-13 included the turbo, coolant water pump and air management within the cylinder.

All trucks now come with a single canister exhaust aftertreatment system, which provides a 100-lb weight savings. The 579 and 567 now have a sleeper window that’s 40% larger, allowing more ambient light.

Peterbilt is making available the Allison TC10 automatic transmission in the third quarter of this year. It is suitable for regional and linehaul applications with gross combination weights of up to 110,000 lbs.

Another new offering is FlowBelow’s wheel covers and rear and center wheel fairings, available on the 579.

 

 

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James Menzies is editorial director of Today's Trucking and TruckNews.com. He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 24 years and holds a CDL. Reach him at james@newcom.ca or follow him on Twitter at @JamesMenzies.


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