Cat, truck--Cat to Unveil Its First Vocational Truck at CONEXPO

PEORIA, IL - Caterpillar Inc. will unveil the first model in its full line of Cat Vocational Trucks, the Cat CT660, at CONEXPO on March 22, 2011. The Class 8 trucks will be sold and serviced exclusively through the Cat North American Dealer network, with production beginning after CONEXPO for customer delivery later in the year.

To develop its first line of trucks, Caterpillar leveraged its industry-leading technologies, extensive knowledge of worksite and operator environments gained from meeting the heavy equipment needs of a wide range of industries, and an unparalleled dedication to customer support. The trucks will offer custom solutions for a large variety of job applications?from moving rock and hauling trash to logging and pouring concrete.

Before Caterpillar engineers started designing, the company asked vocational truck owners and drivers what they wanted and needed from their trucks. "Our design and manufacturing has been focused squarely on making the customer input we gathered a reality," said George Taylor, Director and General Manager of the Cat Global On-Highway Department.

Taylor added, "We coupled customer input with our knowledge learned from years of experience working closely with different industries to meet their heavy equipment needs to identify the ideal standard options for various industry applications. As a result, we're proud we will deliver a line of vocational trucks that our customers want, knowing they are built for a wide variety of jobs."

Caterpillar will offer the heavy-duty Cat Vocational Day Cab Trucks with a full range of popular engine ratings and torque capability options. The specs are designed explicitly for customers' demanding applications and include a Cat CT11 engine with ratings from 330 bhp to 390 bhp, a Cat CT13 with ratings from 410 bhp to 475 bhp and, coming in 2012, a Cat CT15 with ratings from 435 bhp to 550 bhp.

Because of its proven record for quality and reliability that maximizes uptime, the Cat CX31 torque converter style automatic transmission, with three standard locations for Rear Power Take Off drive positions, will be a noteworthy option for Cat Vocational Trucks. Caterpillar also offers a complete line of other OEM vocational transmission options, including Eaton manual and automated manual transmissions.

"These trucks are everything the Cat brand represents in terms of quality, durability, reliability, and driver ergonomics, so we're looking forward to seeing the reaction to the CT660 at CONEXPO," said Cat Vocational Truck Product Manager Gary Blood, who is responsible for product strategy, design and introduction of the new trucks.

Product Support and Dealer Readiness

According to Product Support Manager Tom Eberlin, customers can count on exceptional product support, as they do with all Cat equipment. That means support in the field, as well as from the 24/7 Cat On-Highway Call Center and from Cat dealers. Eberlin said, "Over the years, Caterpillar and our dealers have provided unsurpassed product support to our customers who operate our truck engines. We will continue to support the 1.6 million truck engines in operation today and leverage this support with our new vocational trucks." 

Strategy/Dealer Development Manager Ed Cullen has been working closely with Cat dealers as they've been gearing up to support the new trucks with bumper-to-bumper service. Cullen has also been communicating truck options and features and benefits to dealerships, so they are well prepared to consult with customers during the sales process. 

Cullen said, "We're sure owners, as well as the drivers, will be thrilled when we share details about the features and benefits of the CT660 at our unveiling, and they'll be equally thrilled with our full Cat truck line over the coming years, because these are the trucks customers told us they wanted."

Source: Caterpillar Inc.