It’s hard to ignore a 138,000-pound B-train, let alone a five-axle tractor-trailer running down the highway. By weight, class-8 vehicles handle the bulk of the over-the-road tonnage in Canada, so you’re excused if you forget that of the nearly 671,000 commercial trucks carrying freight in this country, only 28 per cent are class-8 tractors. Most of the remaining 72 per cent are straight trucks, powered vehicles with freight-carrying bodies attached, typically in that broad class-3 to 7 range –10,000 to 33,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

It’s a key market, accounting for about 250,000 trucks sold in North America last year. That’s down 33 per cent from the high of 381,000 units in 1999, but it’s a segment most manufacturers expect to grow at least modestly in 2003. The larger players-International Truck and Engine, Freightliner Trucks, Ford Commercial Trucks, and GM Fleet and Commercial — all have rolled out new models within the past two years. Two of these, International and Ford, are producing vehicles together.

Other changes are in the works. First, manufacturers that use Caterpillar, Cummins, or International engines have seen price increases due to emission rules that took effect for these companies in October last year. Engines from General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and Japanese suppliers don’t have to comply until January 2004.

Second, there are major shifts in the cab-over-engine market, which makes up about 10 per cent of medium-duty truck sales. One company is poised to enter: International is expected to offer a class-3 to class-5 low-cab-forward based on its 4000-series platform next year. Another, Hino Motors, which currently exports LCF trucks to Canada and the United States from Japan, may curtail its cabover line once it starts building a conventional-style truck in Long Beach, Calif., in October.

Paccar, maker of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks, has delayed a program to offer an LCF made by its Dutch subsidiary, DAF, until the economy improves. And Mack Trucks has stopped importing its Freedom Series class-6 and class-7 LCF altogether. Made in France by Renault, the Freedom is powered by the Mack E3 diesel engine; Mack says sales were not sufficient to have the engine certified to EPA emission standards, so dealers in Canada and the United States will bleed off inventory and wait for a new medium-duty truck in the future.

Amid these changes, there are other highlights in the medium-duty market:

Ford’s new F650 and F750 SuperDuty trucks and tractors are the first products of the Blue Diamond joint venture between Ford and International. Using International 4000-series frames, F650 trucks are rated at 18,000 to 29,000 pounds gross, while tractors are rated to 70,000 pounds GCW. F750 trucks cover GVWRs of 30,000 to 33,000 pounds, and tractors have GCWRs of up to 80,000 pounds. Ford agreed not to produce tandem-axle class-8 trucks until February 2008 when it sold its commercial vehicle business to Freightliner, but lift axles can be added by upfitters.

The F650 and 750 have an array of steel cabs, including two four-door extended cabs. International’s six-litre Power Stroke V8 diesel with 200, 215, or 230 horsepower is standard, with Cummins ISB or Caterpillar 3126E engines as options.

Ford says it has priced F650s and F750s lower than most competitors because of economies of scale represented by the joint venture and the use of cabs from its high-volume SuperDuty pickups.

Freightliner Trucks began producing 106-inch BBC Business Class M2 trucks last summer and added extended and crew cab options toward the end of 2002. A 100-inch BBC M2 will come on line this month, and a 112-inch BBC version will be available by the end of the year — welcome news. M2 power comes from a standard Mercedes-Benz MBE900 four- or six-cylinder engine in ratings from 170 to 280 hp, with Caterpillar’s 3126 and EPA ’02-compliant C9 (this fall) as engine options.

The M2 is an appealing truck, with its sharp wheel cuts, broad windshield, and multiplexed wiring. It is designed for local and regional distribution, emergency services, utility work, towing, and other vocations.

Ironically, among the M2’s competitors are Freightliner’s FL-series Business Class trucks, a mature product line spanning classes 4 through 8 (the FL-112 is marketed as a “heavy-duty” vehicle for a wide range of applications). Freightliner will continue to produce various original Business Models as M2 models are brought on line. Until then, the venerable FL trucks will have to suffice if you need a wider array of weight ratings, factory-built cabs, and powertrain options.

At General Motors, the GMC Top Kick — redesigned last year — is the lynchpin for the Commercial and Fleet division. The Top Kick competes in two fertile markets: pickups for commercial use, and easy-to-drive, short-term rental trucks. The C6500, C7500, and C8500 — badged to coincide with their respective weight classes — use a common frame for GVWs ranging from 19,501 to 61,000 pounds and are available with regular, crew cab, and commercial cutaway chassis cabs.

The C4500 and C5500 are class-4 and 5 models for vocational fleets, rental operations, and demanding recreational vehicle users (roughly 20 per cent of the class-4/5 market). GM offers six pre-packaged specs along vocational lines: ambulance, fire and rescue, school bus, shuttle bus, snowplow, and wrecker. Four-wheel drive models will be available for the 2004 model year.

GM also produces two cabovers. The T-Series shares common components with the TopKick and includes a tandem-axle T8500 model for 2004 that reaches up to 56,000 pounds GVWR — a true class-8. The W-Series LCF ranges from 12,000 to 19,500 GVWR.

International continues to refine its 4000 series. Last year, the company introduced a four-door steel crew cab (150.9-inch BBC) as an option; with 41 inches of front-to-back fixed rear seat spacing, there’s room for six. The well-insulated and sealed cab is designed to keep out the weather and noise, the one-piece roof section adds strength, and a standard rear cab air suspension adds comfort to the ride.

The electrical system gets new features, namely the company’s new Diamond Logic electrical connections. The factory-installed connectors are “plug and play,” meaning the body installer shouldn’t have to make splices or re-route wiring to do his job. The result is a system in which body components can be quickly and easily routed into the truck’s multiplexed electrical system.

The latest 4000 model is the 4200, a 4×2 truck rated from 20,200 to 35,000 pounds. Standard is International’s VT 365 diesel engine, a V8 with cooled exhaust gas recirculation in 175-hp, 195-hp, 215-hp, and 230-hp ratings. Transmission choices are a six-speed Eaton Fuller or an Allison 2000/2400 or MD automatic; the Allison transmissions are calibrated with the engine’s power curve to shift intuitively, depending on your load and driving conditions.

Hino Diesel is owned by Toyota, and they make a fitting pair. It’s been said that Hino is to commercial trucks what Toyota is to cars: reliable, well-built, and long-lived. In a J.D. Power & Associates survey last year, Hino owners reported the lowest incidence of downtime among commercial cabovers.

Hino supports its products well in Canada, and its line of LCFs has been expanded here in recent years. Hino lightened up in 2000, importing the class-4 FA1517, and beefed up in 2002, with the class-7 SG3325, which mates a nine-speed Eaton Fuller transmission to Hino’s J-Series six-cylinder 252-hp diesel. For 2004, the cabovers carry over with few noticeable changes.

These days, the product buzz at Hino involves a new conventional-style truck to be made in Long Beach, Calif., starting in October. The cab is based on Toyota’s Tundra pickup, the engine is a Hino diesel, and the driveline and brakes are North American.

While there are doubts about Hino’s future commitment to cabovers to the United States, Hino Canada vice-president Alan Masters says the company will not abandon its LCF line in Canada.

“Hino dealers in Canada don’t have multiple makes of cabovers to offer,” he says. “I expect that we’ll offer both lines in Canada, this new truck and COEs. I think as long as we have trucks that turn well, do what you ask of them, and don’t break, customers are going to be happy, whether they’re using conventionals or cabovers.”

Kenworth’s primary medium-duty truck is the T300. It’s available with Cummins ISB, ISC, or Caterpillar 3126 engines from 190 to 330 hp, mated to Eaton Fuller AutoShift or Allison 2000/2400 automatic transmissions.

The addition of the automatics is an attempt to appeal to more class-6 T300 buyers, who tend to prefer automatic transmissions. So far, the T300 has been more popular as a class-7 vehicle.

The T300 is available as a straight truck or tractor in a variety of wheelbases, with single or tandem axles, air or hydraulic brakes, and with GVWs ranging from 26,000 to 54,000 pounds.

Mitsubishi Fuso offers five different truck models in 10 GVWRs from 12,000 to 32,900 pounds. The line has remained static since the introduction of the FH 210 and 211, class-5 vehicles available at 17,000 pounds and 17,995 pounds GVW, respectively. The FH 210 is driven by a 175-hp four-cylinder diesel and automatic transmission, although a six-cylinder engine is available with a five-speed manual gearbox on the short wheelbase truck and a six-speed on the longer wheelbase. Mitsubishi also recently discontinued its 13,500 GVW model and upgraded that to 14,050 GVW.

More than any other, Peterbilt’s Model 330 is a medium-duty truck with a big-rig feel. J.D. Power & Associates ranks Peterbilt the highest among conventional medium-duty trucks in overall product satisfaction. Medium-duty truck product satisfaction is based on six key factors of the medium-duty truck ownership experience (in order of importance): vehicle quality; vehicle engine; vehicle transmission; ride, handling and braking; vehicle cab interior; and exterior design and styling.

A class-6 version of the 330 with hydraulic brakes for non-CDL drivers has led to extra sales. A new crew cab option seats five people and measures 52 inches long and 84 inches wide for a 160-inch BBC. The roofline is increased making it a 61-inch interior height throughout the entire cab. The conversion, from Bentz Transport Products of Fort Wayne, Ind., uses original Pete parts, such as rear door assemblies, corner panels, rear window, interior lighting, and grab handles.

Sterling has revamped its three-year-old Acterra line. “We’ve improved the entire chassis –from the frame rails to the location of the battery box to the rear suspension,” says John Merrifield, the company’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing. Indeed, some of the most significant enhancements come in the rear suspension — a 52-inch variable-rate taper-leaf suspension is standard in a six-step range of capacities from 18,000 to 23,000 pounds.

Beefier ratings are available, including Freightliner’s TufTrac suspension (40,000 to 46,000 pounds) and Hendrickson’s RT/RTE or HN (40,000 or 46,000 pounds) or RS series (52,000 pounds). In addition to the major component enhancements, Sterling engineers made a number of design changes to simplify body and equipment installation.

Also new is a factory-authorized all-wheel drive conversion made by Fabco Automotive for all Acterra 4×2 versions, with conversions for Acterra 6×4 trucks expected later this year.

The offset front drive carrier axle and four-shaft transfer case is designed to minimize any increase in vehicle height (six inches at the most, Sterling says). The conversion needs no step frame modifications, and a single piece forward driveshaft avoids the cost and weight of a two-piece shaft. The driver engages all-wheel drive with the flip of two switches on the dash.