Detroit Virtual Technician achieves 100,000th installation
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) celebrated the 100,000th installation of its proprietary Detroit Virtual Technician remote diagnostic system. Since its launch in 2011, Detroit’s Customer Support Center has personally assisted more than 13,000 customers with actionable and detailed service recommendations, said the company. Virtual Technician reduces downtime and decreases maintenance costs by providing a technical
DTNA recognizes manufacturers as ‘Masters of Quality’
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has recognized 59 North American manufacturers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico as recipients of its highest award for suppliers: the 2013 Masters of Quality Supplier Award. The selected suppliers provide top quality components for Freightliner and Western Star truck brands. The annual program—now in its 27th year—recognizes outstanding suppliers
DTNA breaks ground at new headquarters site in Portland
Daimler Trucks North America broke ground at the site of its new headquarters building on Swan Island in Portland, Ore., on Friday, July 18. New construction will begin immediately on the new headquarters building. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and City of Portland Mayor Charlie Hales were on hand to join the celebration. “With our roots
Greenhouse Gas emission standards: Costs and benefits
Vehicle technology related to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission standards are adding initial vehicle purchase costs, but in the long run, the benefits will be outweighed by projected lifetime fuel savings. Even taking into consideration the higher overall acquisition and potential maintenance costs associated with tougher GHG standards for heavy-duty trucks, the significant fuel savings these
Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 on the road today
Recently, Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 prototype was debuted in Germany. It is an autonomous semi that drives itself—but is not a “driver-less” vehicle. The demonstration truck had a number of proprietary technologies, some of which are available today that will change the way vehicles are driven in the future. According to Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member
Volkswagen denies planning a bid for U.S. PACCAR
Volkswagen denied planning a bid for U.S. truck PACCAR Paccar after analysts published comments in a research note from a senior executive of German rival Daimler saying he had heard of such a plan, according to a report by Reuters. According to Bernstein Research, Daimler Trucks Chief Wolfgang Bernhard insisted that “serious, multiple sources” informed him
Detroit produces 250,000th DD Series heavy-duty engine
Detroit Diesel Corp. marked the production of its 250,000th DD Series engine, less than seven years after the introduction of the engine. The DD Series engines includes the Detroit DD13 Detroit DD15 TC and Detroit DD16 engines. “When we unveiled our new heavy-duty engine platform in 2007, we anticipated our customers would benefit from greater efficiency and
Weighing fifth wheel options to spec a lighter-weight truck
When fleets spec lighter-weight components, it’s generally an attempt to offset increases in weight in other areas of the vehicle and/or increase their payload capacity. As a result, the savings in fuel comes in improved efficiency in the operation of the fleet—greater cargo capacity equals revenue per trip and more capacity may even mean less
The 6×2 cometh?
It’s an exciting time to be involved in the trucking industry. Take a second to compare the trucks of today to the trucks of 20 years ago … pretty staggering. Today’s heavy-duty haulers are churning out a seemingly limitless stream of data points, running automated transmissions and achieving eight miles per gallon and beyond in
Detroit Connect wins Best Telematics Solution from Telematics Update
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced that Detroit Connect received the Best Telematics Service or Solutions for Commercial Vehicles award from Telematics Update. This award recognizes brands that have developed exceptional telematic solutions for a variety of commercial vehicles. More than 400 nominations were received for the 2014 Telematics Update Awards from around the world, and the
