Navistar CEO Troy Clarke often says his company builds the most driver friendly truck on the highway, so it only makes sense that he doubled-down when it came time to overhaul the company’s flagship on-highway truck.
Many of the refinements that went into International’s LT Series, which the company unveiled earlier this month in Las Vegas, were gleaned from feedback provided by more than 400 drivers.
Adding a crowd-sourced element to the design process of a truck that will eventually replace the company’s ProStar is in step with Clarke’s pro-driver charge. Denny Mooney, Navistar senior vice president of global product development, adds it also hones the company’s focus on building a truck that can become a tool for driver recruitment and retention, since driver feedback has begun predicating purchasing decisions.
“We’ve had fleets tell us that ‘if the drivers don’t want to drive your truck, we’re not going to buy your trucks,’” Mooney says.
“Driver retention equals cost of ownership,” adds Jeff Sass, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Navistar. Sass says keeping drivers in the seat has begun to trump fuel economy and efficiency benefits due to the investment in the driver’s equipment and training. “Everything we’re doing today is for the driver.”
This week, I was able to take the LT for a quick spin around Navistar’s New Carlisle, Ind., proving grounds to get a feel for just how driver-friendly the final product is.
The company borrowed many of the LT Series’ exterior elements from its SuperTruck project, a multi-million dollar joint endeavor with the U.S. Department of Energy.
