Western Star is rolling out its next-generation vocational truck, the 49X – a modern and tech-rich takeoff of its 4900.
A clean sheet design built from the ground up, the 49X is engineered to be easier to upfit, and also features a lighter-weight chassis and cab.
The new model also debuts a new work-specific DT12 transmission.
“A vocational truck is a tool for a job,” said David Carson, Daimler Trucks North America senior vice president, vocational segment. “We’ve completely rethought the foundation of the 49X to make it easier to upfit, deliver greater durability, return greater payload and improve productivity at the jobsite.”
The 49X has been tested in some of the most grueling applications where it could be deployed, such as the oilfields of west Texas, plowing operations in New Hampshire and logging operations of British Columbia, Carson said.
“We have beat this truck to hell,” Western Star General Manager of Heavy-duty Vocational Platforms Tracy Mack-Askew said of the new model’s testing regimen.
The 49X, Carson said, was developed out of demand from Western Star’s work truck customers that wanted increased safety features and more modern technology found in the lineup. Part of the reasoning for retaining the 4900, he added, was that it allowed Western Star to continue to provide a product for “the customers focused on simplicity that is older in its design and features.”
