According to Martin Daum, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks of North America, (DTNA) today’s strong U.S. economy has been good for the industry; DTNA, especially, has been experiencing strong truck sales and increased market share.
“Our current market share in the U.S. is 42%, but then we are usually off to a good start the first part of the year,” Daum noted at the 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show. “However, we are confident it will be a strong year. We have added 2,300 new employees with plans to increase that by 2,700.”
The added workforce is helping DTNA keep up with orders. The truck maker has seen increased demand for its DT12 transmissions. Daum said it expects to sell 44,000 units equipment with the DT12 this year.
The company rolled out its SuperTruck at MATS. The truck demonstrated a number of technologies developed to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency—achieving 12.2 MPG average. The forward-looking truck is a prime example of the truck maker’s focus on efficiency, according to the manufacturer.
DTNA continues to focus on meeting U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction standards. Because of all the new technology needed to meet future GHG requirements, costs will increase. The coming generation of trucks will cost more because the technology, prototypes and testing will cost more. “The total cost of ownership for our customers needs to be reached within the first 18 to 24 months,” Daum said. “We need to make sure there is a payback.”
Daum indicated that technology alone would not be the answer to meeting long-range goals, saying, “We will need to have government support with good regulations, funding for research and technology and an improved infrastructures.”
He noted that when your are trying to maximize fuel efficiency through truck equipment, one traffic jam on the road, which causes them to idle for a significant period of time, ruins any fuel efficiency benefits they could gain from all the onboard technology.
For more information, visit www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com.
