PEORIA, Ill. — For a sixth time, a heavy-duty truck engine from Caterpillar has received a prestigious award for customer satisfaction in the 2006 Heavy Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Survey.

International marketing information firm J.D. Power and Associates awarded Caterpillar’s C-12 clean power engine its highest levels of customer satisfaction, and said CAT has done an excellent job in meeting the challenge of the new emission standards with its own innovative technology.

This year’s study was based on interviews with more than 2,500 customers who own 2004 Class 8 trucks (weighing 33,000 lbs. or more). It measures customer satisfaction in four areas of engine performance: engine quality, engine performance, engine cost of ownership and engine warranty.

“The credibility of the J.D. Power and Associates Award is that it is customer-driven, reflecting the feedback and voices of the end-users who rely on Caterpillar’s engines,” said Jim Parker, Caterpillar vice-president, power systems marketing division. “Team Caterpillar’s ongoing focus is on delivering enhanced customer value while at the same time meeting the more stringent EPA emissions standards. We are pleased that customers are experiencing the value of this tireless work.”

The Caterpillar C-15 followed the C-12 in the rankings with strong scores across all customer satisfaction factors, the company said.