FREIGHTLINER'S new family of Severe Duty (SD) trucks is almost certain to appeal to tank truck fleets in certain vocational sectors. Freightliner Trucks rolled out the new SD lineup during a March 19 media event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Designed to fit Class 7 and 8 vocational roles, the SD family includes two newly introduced truck models and SD versions of the Coronado. In addition to vocation-specific tanker applications, the SD family will target logging, oilfield hauling, construction, refuse, and municipal fleet sectors.
“Looking back at our brand history, Freightliner has had a strong presence in the vocational arena, specifically with the FLD-SD product line,” said David Hames, general manager of marketing and strategy for Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). “Our new line of severe duty trucks is purpose built and engineered for the vocational truck market.”
The company expects the SD product line to appeal to vocational customers who are looking for a combination of toughness and efficiency. The SD product line features options such as front frame extensions and radiator-mounted grills for body attachments, front- and rear-engine power-take-offs, and body-specific chassis layouts that will give vocational customers considerable configuration flexibility.
Ride and drive
During the media event, trade publication editors had the opportunity to drive trucks in the SD lineup in various configurations. Equipment available for test drives included a 108SD with a Vacon sewer cleaning system, 114SDs with dump and cement mixer bodies, and a Coronado SD configured as a four-axle tractor for oilfield operations.
In terms of basic specifications, the 108SD features a 42-inch setback axle position with axle ratings that range from 10,000 to 20,000 pounds for steering axles, and single- and tandem-drive axle options from 21,000 to 46,000 pounds. The 108SD is available with Cummins ISB and ISC engines, providing a power range of 200 to 350 horsepower and 520 to 1,000 lb/ft of torque. Manual and automatic transmissions are offered.
The 114SD SFA configuration comes with a standard 31-inch front axle position and optional 29.5-inch bridge formula configuration, and a setback axle configuration with a standard 48-inch axle setting for maximum maneuverability. Front axle ratings on the 114SD are available up to 23,000 pounds. Heavy-duty configurations for single-drive axles go up to 38,000 pounds, tandem-drive axles are rated up to 58,000 pounds, and tridems to 69,000 pounds.
Standard in the 114SD is the Detroit Diesel DD13 engine with a power range of 350 to 450 hp and torque ratings from 1,250 to 1,650 lb/ft. Engine options include the Cummins ISC and ISL providing a power range from 260 to 380 hp and 660 to 1,300 lb/ft of torque. Also available as an option is the Cummins ISL G engine that runs on compressed or liquefied natural gas.
A full offering of Eaton Fuller manual and automated transmissions, as well as Allison automatic transmissions round out the SD powertrain to handle any vocational requirement, according to Hames.
Durable cab
The new 108SD and 114SD models were designed with a lightweight cab that is extremely durable. The SD cab is fabricated from corrosion resistant aluminum reinforced with steel. Combining Henrob rivets and welded construction produces a durable, safe cab that meets stringent A-pillar impact, rollover, and back wall impact tests. The SD also comes with a robust backbone that includes a complete offering of single- or double-channel frame rails with tensile strength up to 120,000 psi and an RBM rating up to 4.4 million inch-pounds per rail.
The mid-chassis packaging capabilities of the SD family are unsurpassed, according to Rich Shearing, Freightliner Trucks director of product strategy. A variety of fuel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank configurations combined with under-cab after treatment systems and battery boxes provide a broad range of solutions for efficient body installation.
“Great care was taken in the design of the SD chassis packaging to provide truck equipment manufacturers with optimum flexibility to specify clear frame rail and clean back of cab configurations,” Shearing said.
The SD family incorporates SmartPlex, a truck equipment manufacturer-friendly multiplex electrical system that simplifies chassis-to-body electrical integration. SmartPlex provides a large number of switches and lamps that are configurable with simple snap-in legends, and additional computer power with more inputs and outputs for control. Body installers can access and upload programming from a library of parameters via Freightliner ServiceLink software.
Already in production for the SD lineup, the Coronado SD is available now. Production of the 114SD set-forward front axle model started in April. The 108SD and 114SD setback front axle models will be available in late 2011. The 108SD and 114SD trucks will be built at DTNA plants in Mount Holly, North Carolina, and Santiago, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. ♦
