MONTREAL, Que. – Volvo has announced it will be expanding its engine lineup for 2007 with the addition of an 11- and 13-litre engine as well as the company’s 16-litre D16.

The new engines will all combine exhaust gas recirculation with a diesel particulate filter to reduce emissions to 2007 levels.

“These new engines are designed to surpass the excellent record of the Volvo D12, while also giving our customers the ability to fine-tune their engine choice, based on their application and other requirements,” said Peter Karlsten, president and CEO of Volvo Trucks North America.

Brent Weary, vice-president of sales and marketing with Volvo Trucks Canada, reiterated that message at a press conference at ExpoCam in Montreal.

“These engines represent a huge commitment by Volvo Group to this market,” he said, adding the new offerings represent a major evolution for Volvo in North America. “They’ve been developed and optimized for North American operating conditions.”

Until earlier this year, Volvo VN and VT 880 trucks could only be spec’d with the company’s D12 engine or the Cummins ISX.

The company picked an interesting time to expand its engine lineup, with the stringent ’07 emissions standards looming but Karlsten says they are undaunted.

“Our testing indicates the new family of engines will maintain the level of fuel economy demonstrated by the current Volvo D12 while delivering driveability even better than the D12,” Karlsten insisted.

“We are taking full advantage of our EPA ’02 experience to optimize the 2007 engine family for our customers.”

The company will continue offering the Cummins ISX engine in its VN and VT models.

VT 800 doing well

The VT 800 day cab is a truck that will fit right in here in Canada, the company claims. The truck was introduced this fall and Canadian heavy haulers are already taking a shining to them, says Weary.

“Canada is a natural market for the VT 800,” Weary said at ExpoCam. “We think we have the truck for this demanding customer.”

Logging, mining and oilfield applications are particularly well-suited for the VT 800, which when paired with the D16 engine can produce 625 horsepower and 2,250 lb.-ft. of torque.

“The VT 800 shares the long hood, big grille, set-forward axle and long wheelbase with its long-haul sibling the 880,” Weary said.

Despite its big, square nose (which kills a lot of bugs, he adds), Weary said the VT 800 is extremely aerodynamic.

“The VT 800 aerodynamics also help provide the cooling capacity needed to cool 625 horsepower without breathing hard,” said Weary.

And with 625 horses under the hood, operators will be able to decrease trip times by maintaining high average (legal) speeds even in the mountains or under heavy loads.

Volvo Link Sentry introduced

With the VT 800 aimed at the owner/operator market, Volvo has introduced enhancements to its Volvo Link system which provide additional support for the independent operator.

Without the luxury of a dispatcher or maintenance manager at their disposal, Volvo felt owner/ops required some extra support while on the road.

The company has taken its Volvo Link system a step further for VT 880 customers and combined its capabilities with the knowledge of Volvo’s technical support group and its 24/7 call center, Volvo Action Service.

“Our mission is simply to prevent downtime by monitoring the health of the truck remotely no matter where the truck goes, provide advice and assistance to the owner of that truck and assist the driver in managing any technical issues with that truck,” explained Don Philyaw, director of sales and marketing support with Volvo Trucks North America.

Volvo Link Sentry allows the company’s technical support group to remotely monitor any fault codes issued by a vehicle.

When necessary, call center staff from Volvo Action Service can contact the driver via the message center or cell phone and warn him of any impending problems with the vehicle.

The system can monitor up to eight different ECUs on any given truck.

When a ‘case’ occurs, the technical support staff will advise the driver to ignore the fault code, have it checked at the next scheduled maintenance or stop at the next service center for attention. Volvo Action Service staff will also go so far as to book an appointment for the O/O.

“These are the same folks who help the dealers,” Philyaw said. “They’re very technical and they understand what’s going on with the vehicle.”

Owner/ops can also send a call for help if they break down, get stranded or blow a tire.

Philyaw says the system is easy to use.

“When the driver needs help, he’s not alone,” Philyaw added. “Volvo Link Sentry is always there on-duty no matter where the driver goes. We’re monitoring the health of the truck, watching for trouble before the driver notices it and helping the driver avoid unnecessary downtime.”

Volvo Link Sentry is available free of charge to customers of the VT 880 with Volvo Link.