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LAFAYETTE, IN–(Marketwire – March 11, 2010) –  Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC) today announced that they have hired 100 temporary associates with plans to hire 90 more during the quarter.

“Our Lafayette operations are beginning to see production and customer demand levels not seen since 2008,” said Brent Yeagy, Vice President and General Manager of Transportation Products Group for Wabash National. “We are excited to see order levels finally growing to a point that creates a need for additional associates.”

Wabash National attributes the need for additional hires to recent improving trends in freight demand driven by general strengthening in the economy.

“While it is too early to declare that recent demand will prove to be sustainable, we are none the less encouraged by the increased quote and order activity of late,” said Dick Giromini, President and CEO of Wabash National. “We are hopeful that the addition of the new hires will be long-term.”

Big Sound, Little Box

Space-Saving KICKER^® CompVT^™ Sub Boxes the Smallest, but Loud

Slim-profile, KICKER^® CompVT^™-Loaded Sub Boxes are perfect for pickup-truck seats that hug the back of the cab, with three sub sizes in tight, sealed enclosures.

They are the smallest sub-loaded enclosures ever from KICKER labs, but still blistering, true high-performance KICKER woofers and boxes. The diminutive TCVT8 Sub Box is only five inches deep and 16 inches long, perfect for placing under a compact vehicle’s seat.

Take all the ground-breaking technology from the CompVT woofer – special four-layer voice coil, ventless solid-pole design allowing flush mount to the enclosure’s back wall, space-minimizing binding posts – and combine it with a legend – a tough KICKER wood box covered with dense gray carpeting.

The CompVT Subwoofer itself with reduced mounting depth provides the real, head-pounding bass expected from a KICKER woofer, minus the bulk of a standard round KICKER woofer. The same holds true if you want to drop a ready-made bass enclosure behind the seat or under the hatch, and still have plenty of hauling space.

Both CVT Sub Boxes feature the impedance (2 or 4 Ohm) designated at the terminal cup assembly.

KICKER performance audio systems, a division of Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc.^®, are available for the mobile and home audio aftermarket at authorized dealers worldwide, and also through selected Original Equipment Manufacturers. Consumers needing more information on KICKER or Livin’ Loud^® may call the Consumer Information Line at 1-800-256-5425 or visit the brand Web site at www.kicker.com. Follow KICKER at facebook.com/kickeraudio and twitter.com/kickeraudio.

2010 PACCAR PX ENGINES MUSCLE UP

Kenworth Announces 2010 Engine Offerings for Medium Duty Trucks

ST. LOUIS, Mo., March 11, 2010 – Kenworth Truck Company announced its 2010 engine offering for its medium duty product lineup during a press conference today at The Work Truck Show in St. Louis.  

“The 2010 PACCAR PX-6 and PACCAR PX-8 engines offer enhancements in torque and horsepower options which will provide greater benefits to Kenworth customers in a variety of medium duty applications,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth director of marketing planning and research.

“Both engines feature a fully integrated electronic control system for increased power density, enhanced reliability and serviceability, and optimized performance.”

The 2010 PACCAR PX-6 and PACCAR PX-8 engines are both available for the Kenworth T270 Class 6 and T370 Class 7 models. The Kenworth T170 Class 5 vehicle is available with the 2010 PACCAR PX-6 engine.

Ratings for the PACCAR PX-6 are 200 to 325-hp with torque from 520 to 750 lb-ft, while the PACCAR PX-8 offers 260 to 350-hp and 660 to 1,000 lb-ft of torque for heavier loads and severe grades. Both engines now feature a high pressure common rail fuel injection system, improved cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), patented variable geometry turbocharger (VGT), and new after-treatment system.

The PACCAR PX-6 series engine, which offers the highest horsepower to weight ratio in the industry, has earned a reputation for low maintenance, high miles per gallon and proven reliability.

For 2010, the PACCAR PX-6 further improves upon low maintenance, fuel economy, proven reliability and durability that add up to superior lifetime value. The durable PACCAR PX-8 contains many features typical of heavy duty engine design, including replaceable wet liners, roller followers, 2-piece steel articulated pistons, by-pass oil filtration and targeted piston cooling.  

For 2010, Kenworth offers three diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank options for the medium duty market. Useable DEF capacities are 6.6, 9 and 18 gallons which provide diesel fuel capacities of 110, 150 and 300 gallons, respectively.

Four exhaust options – right-hand (passenger) side under the cab, horizontal, horizontal in-series, and vertical independent – are available for Kenworth medium duty vehicles equipped with the PACCAR PX-6 and PACCAR PX-8 engines.

“Clear back of cab is an important feature for many body installations and Kenworth is proud to have true clear back of cab options for our body builder partners and customers,” noted Skoog.

Contact your Kenworth dealer for more information on the 2010 PACCAR PX-6 and PACCAR PX-8 engine offerings for Kenworth medium duty vehicles.

PERFECT FIT

Owner-operator/custom shop owner looking for the final puzzle piece in a custom restore of a special 1970 Kenworth W900A

By Todd Dills

Mercer-leased over-the-road owner-operator and Fast Transport custom shop owner Ted Streit is on a quest to find the “right engine” for his 1970 Kenworth W900A extended hood. “It came with an Allis-Chalmers in it,” he says, “and that’s what I’m looking for – an original Allis-Chalmers 25000 with 450 horses.”

If this sounds weird, that’s because it is: Farm equipment maker Allis-Chalmers was only in the highway-engine business for a brief period in the late 1960s-early ’70s, during which time some appeared in experimental units, including a few used in trucking.

Streit saw his first Allis-Chalmers-powered KW sitting on the lot of Gene’s Truck Stop located by the Spokane, Wash., scale. The truck stop owner had quit driving and gone to selling fuel and coffee, parking his white 1970 K100 cabover (both a former show truck and test model for Allis’ brief on-highway adventures) for all to see. It struck a chord with Streit.

In 1995, Streit went to work leased to John Sandburg’s northern Illinois-based small fleet. Streit and Sandburg hit it off, discovering both had a passion for classic trucks.

“I ran a restored 1985 Autocar and took it to shows,” Streit says.

Coincidentally, Sandburg owned the stable mate of the rare ’70 KW he saw in Washington: a W900A conventional, one of the two original A-C show trucks. Says Streit, “John always would point to it, saying, ‘Me and the boys will restore it someday.’”

Streit's '70 KW during the early stages of the long restoration.

But fate took a slightly different twist. A shop fire four years ago at Streit’s location destroyed his beloved Autocar. So he set his sights on Sandburg’s KW as his next restoration project. Over a dinner Streit finally convinced Sandburg to sell the Kenworth so Streit could “make it what it’s supposed to be.” And that he did.

During the four-year-long restoration he confirmed the W900A’s exact original color, A-C purple, by an otherwise hidden area of painted cab paneling near to the rear roll-down window in the sleeper cab.

He was also able to confirm the prototype trucks originated via Rihm Motor Co (now Rihm Kenworth) and the two purple Kenworths, the cabover in Washington and his conventional, were probably on display together at the Minnesota State Fair in 1970 when they were new.

He plans on continuing the show legacy now that his purple restoration project is finished, minus the gold-white-black stripe package (Streit’s still looking for a good photo to help re-create it accurately).

“I don’t know if it’s exactly road-worthy,” he says, but he’s got plans to take the W900A to events of the American Truck Historical Society (www.aths.org) in the near future—and he hopes it’ll have that Allis-Chalmers engine under the hood.—CR

TRANSPORT FOR CHRIST 29TH ANNUAL TRUCK RALLY

Where: Lebanon Valley Expo Center – Two miles south of Lebanon, PA. Turn east on Rocherty Road from Route 72.
When: Saturday, June 26, 2010

Meal Tickets & Information: 717-665-6347

Schedule of events:

• 10:30 a.m. Trucks meet at Fairgrounds
• 11:00 a.m. Parade of Trucks
  Vendors, Food, Benefit Auctions, Rodeos, Truck Judging, Children’s Activities, Light Show
• 5:30 p.m. Chicken or Pork BBQ
• 6:30 p.m. Awards and Concert
  Gospel Concert: Mark Trammell Trio Southside, AL  & The Swartz Family, Sturgis, MI

COTTON PATCH LARGE CAR GATHERING & DIESEL DRAGS

The Second Annual Cotton Patch Large Car Gathering and Diesel Drags will be May 1 at the San Angelo Dragway in San Angelo, TX.

Festivities will include a display of working show trucks, antique trucks, and diesel drag races.[kaltura-widget wid="gojc1mvk2g" width="260" height="260" addpermission="" editpermission="" align="right" /]

Proceeds from the “Charities Choice Award” will benefit the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund.

It is not necessary to pre-register for the gathering. Truckers wanting to participate can pay $20 at the gate the day of the show. If they would like to race, it is an additional $17. To be a part of the event, trucks need to be at the track by 10 a.m. on Saturday. General admission tickets are $6 for adults and $2 for children age 12 and under.

The San Angelo Dragway is located on U.S. Highway 87 South at 10492 Hawk Ave. Truckers arriving on Friday will be permitted to park at the race track overnight. Roach says the track can easily accommodate 50 to 100 trucks. Participants arriving Friday night are invited to a reception dinner.

For more information about the Cotton Patch Large Car Gathering and Diesel Drags, click here or call Tommy at 325-473-8880 or John at 432-559-4567.

DALLAS, TX–(Marketwire – March 10, 2010) –  Greatwide Logistics Services, a national provider of third-party logistics services, today announced the significant accomplishments of Rick Gassman, a company driver with a career spanning more than 51 years and four million miles without a single moving violation or accident.

Gassman’s driving record is an example of Greatwide’s relentless focus on safety, and comes on the heels of a recent announcement of the company’s 26 percent improvement in collisions per million miles over the last four years.

Gassman is based out of Greatwide’s Dubuque, Iowa, operations center, which services Nordstrom, Inc., one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers. Greatwide recognizes him due to his outstanding performance record, ability to operate in a safe manner and contributions to the company and community.

In 2008, Gassman was recognized as Greatwide’s Company Driver of the Year. Additionally, he recently placed second in the country in the prestigious Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) Company Equipment Driver of the Year competition.

“We are very proud to have Rick as part of the Greatwide team and appreciate the support he and all the other Greatwide drivers provide for our business,” says Loren VandenBerghe, director of transportation at Nordstrom. “Congratulations to Rick and the entire Dubuque team.”

Gassman holds an impressive safety record; in his 51-year professional driving history, he has driven more than four and a half million miles without a collision. That’s the equivalent of driving cross-country more than 1,300 times, or driving around the earth 160 times — all without a single collision.

“On behalf of everyone at Greatwide, we are honored to have a professional driver such as Mr. Gassman in our organization,” said John Simone, president and chief operating officer of Greatwide Logistics Services.

“Because of drivers like him, we have been able to provide Nordstrom an exceptional level of service with a best-in-class collision rate of 2.18 collisions per million miles. Without a commitment to safety and customer service throughout our organization, we would not be able to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

NAVISTAR DEBUTS 2010 MAXXFORCE 7

New 300hp diesel V-8 aimed at the medium-duty commercial truck market

ST. LOUIS, MO. (March 10, 2010) – The 2010 MaxxForce^® 7 V-8 turbodiesel charged into the spotlight this week as Navistar (NYSE: NAV) unveiled the new engine at the National Truck Equipment Association’s (NTEA) Work Truck Show in St. Louis, Mo. The powerful 6.4-liter MaxxForce 7 includes a new rugged 300-horsepower model that offers medium truck owners outstanding fuel economy and low overall cost of ownership.

It combines a 28,000-psi (1,900 bar) high-pressure common-rail fuel system, dual sequential turbocharger system and a high strength compacted graphite iron (CGI) block to power all standard-cab models of International^® DuraStar^® Class 6/7 commercial trucks and the new International^® TerraStar^™ Class 4/5 commercial trucks.

Four available ratings range from 220-300 horsepower and 560-660 lb.-ft. torque. The MaxxForce 7-powered TerraStar will be matched with an Allison 1000 transmission for optimum power output.

“This V-8 marks one of the most significant product upgrades in our history as we met the market’s challenge for big power from an efficient, reliable and durable platform,” said Jim Hebe, Navistar senior vice president, North American sales operations.

“Customers whose business involves pickup and delivery, towing and recovery, landscape or emergency vehicles such as ambulances, will find the MaxxForce 7 to be the perfect fit for their operations with true commercial vehicle power, durability and capability.”

For higher performance and increased durability, an improved air-management strategy includes dual sequential turbochargers and a dual-path exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooling system. The smaller, primary turbo responds quickly for immediate take-off at low engine speeds and the larger, secondary turbo provides peak power at higher speeds and on steep grades.The free-wheel turbo design protects against vibrations for improved durability.

Dual-path EGR cooling provides cooler EGR in a robust, solidly mounted cast-aluminum housing that suspends critical components to resist vibration and increase reliability. A floating-core EGR cooler design allows for thermal expansion, which significantly extends system performance and life.

The high-pressure common-rail fuel system enables precise fuel dosing, injection timing and optimal combustion. This results in better fuel efficiency, in-cylinder reduction of emissions, and one of the quietest running diesel engines in the industry.

The MaxxForce 7 is also compatible with quality B5 to B20 biodiesel blends that meet the industry specification.

The MaxxForce 7’s CGI block brings increased durability and lower noise without added weight, compared to typical gray iron. Because CGI has at least 75 percent higher tensile strength, 45 percent higher stiffness and near double the fatigue strength of gray iron, castings don’t have to be as thick and heavy in order to achieve the desired structural integrity and durability. At just 1,225 pounds, the 2010 MaxxForce 7 V-8 adds payload and axle capability.

The MaxxForce 7 also offers outstanding unaided cold-starting capability to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with a highly reliable intake-air grid heater so it’s ready to go at every turn of the key. Hydraulic roller-cam followers provide a service-free valve train, as valve lash adjustment is not required.

Another key feature of the MaxxForce 7is its chassis-mounted electronic control unit with standard built-in electronic engine protection features which automatically guard against adverse operating conditions.

International^® brand on-highway commercial vehicles powered by 2010 MaxxForce engines will use MaxxForce Advanced EGR emissions technology.

Navistar has pursued its in-cylinder emissions solution path for most of the past decade, with a goal of providing the most customer-friendly powertrain in terms of fuel economy, performance and overall ownership costs. MaxxForce-powered vehicles require only diesel and operate just as commercial vehicles of the recent past.

Most importantly, MaxxForce Advanced EGR provides customers with a no-hassle solution that keeps responsibility for emissions compliance with the manufacturer, not the vehicle owner or driver.

MaxxForce-powered International brand vehicles are backed by the largest commercial-truck dealer network in North America with nearly 800 dealer locations and 7,000 service technicians.

* New model rating for 2010

Texan Drennon Durham turned to the ‘Mafia for help, and “$40,000 later, here we are,” says  the proud owner of …

KWITCHERBITCHIN’

By Ashley Vice

(Lead photo by Paul Hartley)

Complaints come over the CB about high fuel prices, low pay and long hours. Texas owner-operator Drennon Durham’s response is lacquered across the rear window of his 2007 Peterbilt. One word say’s it all: Kwitcherbitchin.

Drennon Durham, owner of Kwitcherbitchin.

“Easy Money” is the 23-year-old entrepreneur’s CB handle, given to him by a fellow trucker in recognition of Durham’s success at such a young age. “I consider myself pretty young for a guy with a fleet,” he says. Kwitcherbitchin was Durham’s special project in his eight-truck fleet, launched when he was just 20 years old.

Fully customized by the Chrome Shop Mafia of 4State Trucks in Joplin, Mo., the Pete 379 extended hood flattop looks more decorative than durable, but Durham and the Mafia recognized and delivered on the need for a balance between showmanship and serious business.

The 550-hp Caterpillar and 18-speed Eaton Fuller transmission enable Durham to haul drilling rigs, pipe and equipment with little difficulty other than keeping Kwitcherbitchin’s candy-apple-red finish safe from damage. “I scratched it the other day, and I liked to have cried,” Durham says.

According to Joe Overfelt, Mafia body shop manager, Kwitcherbitchin was customized to fit its owner’s personality with a blend of “flash, style and attitude.”

Durham made a few changes to the truck before taking it to the Mafia, but the makeover was a collaboration, as are many of the Mafia’s custom projects: Durham’s ideas and CSM’s artistry, under the direction of Mafia boss Bryan Martin.

“Bryan and I sat down and made a list of things I wanted done to it,” Durham says, “and $40,000 later, here we are.”

That list was extensive, including a shiny stainless frame cover caressed with a custom airline box. The headlights, single squares mounted in the truck’s 22-in. American Eagle front bumper, are among the most talked-about features.

“Most of the time truckers want to know where the headlights are, because they’re easy to miss going freeway speed,” Durham says.

Kwitcherbitchin is outfitted with WTI rear fenders and a set of outlaw-styled front fenders to make it look just a little lower to the ground.

“You know lower is better,” Overfelt says. They also “dropped” the look of the cab and sleeper with a set of custom cab/cowl and sleeper panels. The job didn’t end there.

“We gave it attitude with a huge audio/video setup so Drennon can draw a crowd at the local truck stops with his old classic country boy tunes,” Overfelt says. The setup combines four 10-in. subwoofers and two 1,000-watt amps with a Panasonic head unit. The truck has a 20-in. flat screen with a DVD player and an Xbox 360. Durham says he’s considering adding satellite.

“The boys here at CSM love building trucks, but it makes it that much sweeter when the trucks we build fit the owners to a T,” Overfelt says.

Only a year since the truck was customized, Durham already is thinking about taking it back in for a few updates. “I would like to stretch it to 379 inches, so the wheelbase and the model would be the same,” he says.

At press time, Durham planned to show off Kwitcherbitchin at the 2008 Paul K. Young Memorial Truck Beauty Championship at the Mid-America Trucking Show. After that, it’s back to work. Durham recently sold his fleet, seeing the opportunity to pay off debts and make a good deal of money in a short time. He plans to continue working for the company he sold to.

“All the big guys around here are buying out the little guys to avoid competition,” Durham says. “It’s just easier to work for someone else and let them deal with the headaches, like taxes.”

He kept one truck: Kwitcherbitchin. “A guy offered $155,000 for it, but I have almost $200,000 in it and wouldn’t sell it anyway,” he says.

Selling his fleet, he says, gives him the opportunity to go to shows – and keep customizing. “Why not?” he asks. “I like to change things up and be different.” Durham says neither he nor his truck is what people imagine when they think of the trucking industry — and that’s the way he likes it. — CR