PORTLAND, Ore. — Freightliner becomes the latest truck-engine maker to become ’07 ready. The company announced that it has initiated the build of EPA 2007 emissions-certified heavy-duty Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines.

Like most other EPA-compliant new engines hitting the market this year, Series 60 engines compliant with the new regulations emit 95 percent less particulate matter and 50 percent less nitrogen oxide than comparable engines in 2006.

“These engines pass the ‘white handkerchief test’ where a white hanky placed over the exhaust pipes of the running truck shows there is no soot or odor emitted. They also demonstrate Freightliner and Detroit Diesel’s commitment to clean air and environmental progress,” said Tim Tindall, director of sales.

Freightliner LLC has made a significant investment in the innovation of this new technology in its Detroit Diesel engines, including extensive validation with laboratory and field testing, the company says. Since the inception of the development program in 2004, Series 60 engines that are EPA’ 07 compliant have accumulated over 14 million equivalent miles, with 2.5 million of those miles in actual customer vehicles executing revenue service.

“This is the most thoroughly tested engine and vehicle combination that Freightliner LLC has ever released,” continued Tindall.

Effective December 29, 2006 Freightliner LLC’s Detroit Diesel plant in Redford, Mich. began building engines for some of Freightliner’s largest customers. These first 2007 emission-certified engines will be installed in vehicles at Freightliner’s Cleveland, NC, Portland, OR, and the Sterling plant in St. Thomas, Ont. beginning on January 8, with initial customer deliveries planned before the end of this month.

“The truck plants have already built a significant number of trucks with pre-production engines and we are more than ready to begin full production of EPA 2007 emission certified engines,” said Larry Dutko, General Manager of EPA 2007 activities for Freightliner LLC.