LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Meritor has introduced a new FUELite 6×2 tandem axle, which the company says will reduce weight and save fuel to the tune of 2%.

The tandem axle is the first in a new line of SoloDrive Series axles. The FUELite, based on Meritor’s 160 series drive axle, is designed for linehaul applications.

The 6×2 FUELite tandem axle is about 400 lbs lighter than traditional 6×4 designs. Meritor’s 160 DualTrac housing allows for dual or wide-base single tires with ratios ranging from 2.50 to 4.10, depending on application.

“We engineered the FUELite axle to accommodate all 40,000-lb linehaul suspensions, delivering an optimum solution that is lightweight yet heavy on performance,” Charlie Allen, general manager, rear drive axles with Meritor said at the Mid-America Trucking Show. “The Meritor SoloDrive Series is designed to provide lightweight axle solutions with greater efficiency by providing one driving axle in a tandem configuration. We’re confident that the FUELite will deliver these results to our customers.”

The axle comes with a five-year, 750,000-mile warranty.

A 14X milestone

Meritor also announced it has now deployed more than 100,000 14X tandem drive axles since its launch two years ago.

Meritor says the 14X has become the most widely adopted axle in the commercial vehicle industry.

“We would like to thank our customers for their support of our products. They are the most important element of our business,” said Joe Plomin, vice-president, North and South America, Truck, Meritor. “The 14X is an advanced axle system and was built on the legacy of the highest-volume tandem drive axle in commercial truck history: the Meritor RT145.”  

Meritor claims the 14X is the lightest weight axle in its class.

Bolstering support programs

Meritor has also introduced a new customer support initiative dubbed Meritor DriveForce. The new organization consists of more than 110 product experts, available to help customers with their needs before, during and after the sale, Meritor announced.

Meritor DriveForce team members average more than 25 years’ experience in the industry, the company announced, and will be equipped with the latest tools. Collectively, they’ll support more than 25,000 customers throughout North America via Meritor’s 6,000 dealers and distributors, the company announced.

“Meritor DriveForce delivers a unique experience because the team is devoted to building a trusted and personal relationship with each and every one of our customers,” said Matthew Stevenson, general manager, North American field operations and marketing, Meritor.

Also on the support side, Meritor launched a second generation of its Meritor Mobile application as well as a new Web portal called the Meritor BullPen.

“Meritor’s BullPen and Meritor Mobile offer our customers two innovative technology solutions to easily access Meritor product and training information,” said Stevenson. “These tools serve as an extension to our field sales and service organization, Meritor DriveForce, and help deliver high quality customer support.”

More information is available at Meritor.com.