Truck journalist test drive new International LT

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Navistar Demos Platooning Technology, Concept Vehicle With New LT, HX Series Trucks

Transport Topics  /  October 13, 2016

NEW CARLISLE, Ind. — Navistar Inc. engineer Scott Smay paid close attention to the ProStar tractor he was driving on a closed course here; he just didn’t spend much time with his hands on the wheel or feet on the pedals.

As the driver of truck No. 2 in a platoon, there was no need for it, even though he was driving at 45 miles per hour and was just 17 meters, 56 feet, behind another tractor-trailer. Usually a driver should leave enough distance for a 3.5-second gap to allow for reaction to changes on the road, but now it was sliced to a single second — far too little distance for humans, but an ample amount in the wireless-connected world of truck platooning.

At what was once a Studebaker Corp. facility*, the original equipment manufacturer took Oct. 12 to show off its present — the new International LT and HX series trucks — and a glimpse of the future with a platooning demonstration and rides in its CatalIST concept vehicle built for the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck research and development program.

Navistar is working on a platoon project with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the Texas Department of Transportation. Mo Poorsartep is the TTI project manager in charge.
He said they are working on a system that combines longitudinal control, or following distance, and latitudinal control, or steering.

“The system can do lane changes. We worked with Bendix [Commercial Vehicle Systems] and what we’re doing is built on top of their Wingman system,” Poorsartep said.
Engineering consulting firm Ricardo PLC wrote the software that controls the inter-truck movements in the platoon. Asked if a sudden, hard stop would be part of the demonstration, a Ricardo engineer said no.

“We are still in the proof-of-concept stage of development, not the bullet-proof production stage,” he said.

The CatalIST demonstration included height adjustment of the tractor while in motion. The tractor-trailer has a 6x2 power configuration, and at highway speeds the front of the tractor and back of the trailer drop lower, while the tractor’s tag and drive axles stay high, thereby producing an air foil.

At lower speeds the front and back elevations return to normal heights, said Dean Oppermann, Navistar’s chief engineer for advanced technologies, including the SuperTruck program.

Oppermann said the truck utilizes three different electrical systems: a traditional 12-volt for most applications, 48 volts for solar and hybrid operations and 24 volts for the starter system.

International LT was unveiled Sept. 30 in Las Vegas, immediately before the start of American Trucking Associations’ annual meeting there. The new linehaul tractors made available for editors and reporters came with either automated manual or classic manual transmissions and were hooked to Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. flatbed trailers.

The LTs traveled around the high-speed oval at the proving grounds, while the vocational HX dump trucks went through their paces on a dirt course that included man-made obstacles.

The HX was launched in February as part of Navistar’s effort to update its entire product line.

*  http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/40066-navistar-buys-668-acre-indiana-proving-grounds-from-bosch/

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Up close: 2018 International LT

Kevin Jones, Fleet Owner  /  October 13, 2016

NEW CARLISLE, IN. Following up on a spectacular unveiling of the new International LT series at Las Vegas, Navistar invited truck editors to the company’s 700-acre test facility here to put its Class 8 flagship tractor through its paces.

“The reception from customers—and most importantly, from drivers—has been absolutely spectacular,” said Jeff Sass, senior vice president, North America Truck Sales and Marketing at Navistar, who also reported more than 3,000 orders already. “I can’t be more excited. Everything we’re doing is based around the driver.”

Indeed, the "DriverFirst" design of the LT series addresses a critical part of the cost-of-ownership equation: driver retention.

“What’s the number one thing to keep drivers happy? The truck has to work,” Sass said, and he did the math on the staggering cost of replacing drivers when the industry is averaging a turnover rate of 100%. “Uptime and fuel economy comes under that, but it’s all about driver retention.”

And it really is that straightforward, added Denny Mooney, ‎Navistar group vice president for global engineering.

“We have big fleets, CEOs that look me in the eye and say, ‘if the drivers don’t want to drive your trucks, we’re not buying your trucks,” Mooney said.

Of course, uptime is a factor; and the New Carlisle Proving Grounds has hand in important role in the development of the LT, Mooney continued.

“For me in engineering, when I think about uptime it’s really about reliability and durability. It’s about making sure the truck never has to come in unless it’s about scheduled maintenance,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything worse for a driver than to be on the side of the road with the truck not running.”

A former executive at GM, Mooney noted that the truck business is different from the automobile business in that a brand can “earn” its way into a fleet through real-world testing and performance.

“The proving grounds has been a huge enabler for us,” Mooney said. “It’s been the icing on the cake to make sure our trucks are reliable.”

Slide show - http://fleetowner.com/equipment/close-2018-international-lt#slide-0-field_images-203231

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Navistar: LT Truck Sales Already 'Great,' Joint GM Project 'On Schedule'

Tom Berg, Heavy Duty Trucking  /  October 13, 2016

Order levels for Navistar International’s LT series are “absolutely great,” reflecting dealer and customer enthusiasm for the new highway trucks, said a company executive at a ride-and-drive demonstration at the firm’s proving grounds near South Bend, Indiana, on Oct. 11.

The LT, unveiled September 30 in Las Vegas, followed the February 1 introduction of the HX premium vocational model, for which “thousands” of orders are in hand, said Jeff Sass, senior vice president, sales and marketing.

Meanwhile, Navistar and General Motors are proceeding with development of a new series of Class 4 and 5 trucks, and the project is “on schedule and under budget,” he said. The trucks are due out in 2018 and will have International and Chevrolet versions using GM cabs on Navistar chassis, other sources said. Engines will include GM’s Duramax diesel.

Navistar execs also showed off their SuperTruck, built under federal Department of Energy sponsorship, and a pair of tractor-trailers engaged in platooning development with the Texas Transportation Institute, part of Texas A&M University. The platooning trucks have automated steering, called “lateral control” by engineers, as well as throttle and braking controlled by the lead vehicle as the two rigs proceed along a roadway.

LT, for Linehaul Transport, is a redesign of the nine-year-old ProStar using ideas gathered in interviews with about 400 drivers, Sass said. The LT’s exterior is more aerodynamic and the cab’s interior has extensive changes based on drivers’ suggestions.

“Everything we do today is based on the driver,” Sass said. Drivers are vital because of the ongoing shortage, and the cost of hiring and training a replacement driver is about $5,000, fleet executives have told Navistar people.

“Fleets have told us, ’If my drivers don’t want to drive your trucks, we’re not going to buy your trucks,’”  related Denny Mooney, senior vice president, Global Product Development. Navistar has answered by building reliability into its current models and upgrading the ProStar into the more desirable LT.

The long-nose LT625 using Cummins' 2017 X15 diesel will begin production in November, and a medium-nose LT613 with Navistar’s own N13 engine will follow in April. Equivalent ProStars will be phased out as the new vehicles come on line.

Brief drives in three LT625 tractors showed exceptional quietness, smooth ride, good outward visibility, and pleasing design and convenient placement of gauges and controls. The drives were confined to the grounds’ 3-mile high-speed oval track, though reporters could take as many laps as time allowed. (A Quick Spin article will follow later on TruckingInfo.com and in Heavy Duty Trucking magazine.)

Only rides were allowed in the SuperTruck and the platooning rigs. The SuperTruck, called "CatalIST," is based on a futuristically streamlined ProStar pulling an extensively faired Great Dane van trailer. It has attained 13 mpg in highway cruising tests, Navistar has said. The tractor includes heat and kinetic energy recovery devices, while the trailer has three large solar panels on its roof.

An engine stop-start system works like those in hybrid cars, with the engine shutting down while the rig is stationary and restarting when the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal. During that time, HVAC continues functioning because the system is electric-powered, using energy stored during operation and from the solar panels. While coasting, the engine disconnects from the Eaton automated transmission and goes into idle to further conserve fuel.

The platooning demonstration had one rig leading and the other following with a gap of 15 to 30 meters (5o to 100 feet) between them. The second rig’s engine, brakes and steering were controlled by radio signals from the first tractor. The system works from a standstill to highway speeds; the second tractor’s driver placed his hands near the steering wheel, but not on it, throughout the demonstration.

Automated steering, using an electric-over-hydraulic system from TRW Automotive, is unique to this project, they said, as others require drivers in the second rigs to steer while other functions are controlled from the lead tractor.

The second rig faithfully followed the first rig but wavered several feet left and right at times as the two rigs traveled along the track. Interference in signals from GPS satellites overhead was to blame, said the second rig’s driver, Navistar engineer Scott Smay. Steering control will be further refined as development continues.

Aside from that, today’s technology would allow platooning of trucks with no drivers in the second and subsequent tractors, TTI engineers said. Operational and regulatory hurdles remain before platooning could become routine, said Navistar executives in discussing the development.

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Test drive: International LT Series

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  October 13, 2016

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.

Upgraded aerodynamic features on the new International LT Series include an aero-contoured hood (with 4 inches added to the slope), fender, wheel opening and chassis skirts and an aero-enhanced three-piece front bumper. Longer side extenders also shorten the trailer gap. Standard LED headlamps offer a bump in durability and efficiency over halogen predecessors.

The exterior may have been inspired by efficiency, but the inside is all about comfort. Based on a review of more than 500 points where the driver and truck interact, the LT features an all-new interior that offers better elbow room, hip room and leg room. In a shout-out to all the shotgun riders, the LT Series passenger side gets two extra inches of room over the ProStar.

The air brake release has been relocated from the left side of the B-panel, giving the driver easier access to switches more applicable for driving and improving egress into the sleeper.

“There’s no reason to have the primary real estate on the B-panel because you don’t touch [the air brakes] unless the truck is stopped,” Sass says, “[and] you don’t bump it with your right knee if you happen to be swinging into the sleeper.”

The redesigned interior also features a premium dash cluster with a digital driver display that features up to 15 customizable digital gauges. It can be manipulated with a steering-wheel mounted toggle and offers real-time fuel economy monitoring.

A column-mounted gear-shifter also helps un-clutter the dash and shares the right side of the steering column with a three-stage engine brake switch.

The air horn was relocated back to its traditional position over the driver door in another nod to driver feedback.

The truck features a redesigned one-piece side window for a clearer line of sight and the mirrors have been engineered so the driver will have to turn their head 15 percent less on the driver’s side and 5 percent less on the passenger side – a change Sass expects to improve driver fatigue. It’s also a design element that contributes to LT’s “wrap around” feel from the driver’s seat.

A better HVAC system – more tightly sealed vents and improved reliability and performance – is sure to be popular with International loyalists. Bendix Wingman Advanced Collision Mitigation system also comes standard in the LT Series.

The LT Series will initially be available with the 2017 Cummins X15 engine, offering a horsepower rating of up to 500 hp in the efficiency series and up to 565 hp in the performance series.

My white 73-inch SkyRise sleeper LT test unit featured a horsepower rating of 450 and was matched to an Eaton Fuller Advantage 10 speed automated manual transmission.

My brief test only flirted with 60 mph a couple of times, but the truck is a comfortable driver. Sass says aero enhancements also provide a four-sone decrease in wind noise inside the cab. I didn’t spend a lot of time at highway speeds so I’ll defer to their experts on that, but the cab is noticeably quieter than a ProStar similarly equipped.

International’s predictive cruise control uses preinstalled GPS maps and the latest commercial route data to make adjustments to cruising speed without the need to pre-drive the route. It looks ahead of the vehicle and recognizes the terrain and continuously calculates the most efficient speed and gear for optimal fuel economy in real time. My test was on a closed track so I didn’t get to fully deploy this feature.

A 2017 Navistar N13 engine will be available early next year and rated up to 475 hp with up to 1,750 lb.-ft. of torque on LT models. Its design is expected to be 500 to 600 pounds lighter than traditional big bore engines.

Reception to the LT since its debut barely two weeks ago has been strong, and Sass says more than 3,000 have been ordered to-date with 1,150 slated to be built by year’s end.

All in all, if International was looking for a truck that carries the mantle of the company’s driver-centric mission a little further, the LT Series seemingly fits the bill with its mixture of traditional elements to keep drivers happy and technological innovations that help boost efficiency and the bottom line.

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Driving the International LT

Truck News  /  October 17, 2016

Navistar’s DriverFirst philosophy shines through with design of the new International LT

International recently offered the first driving opportunities of its new LT-series Class 8 highway tractor, which will supplant the popular ProStar.

Drivers played a big role in the design of the new truck. International sought the opinions of hundreds of professional drivers and evidence of their feedback can be seen throughout the cab. The air horn lanyard has been restored and put back where it belongs in the upper left corner and the air brake releases have been moved further from the driver so they don’t encumber movement into the sleeper.

“The only time you touch those is when the truck is stopped, so there is no reason to occupy the primary real estate on the panel with those releases,” explained Jeff Sass, senior vice-president of sales and marketing with Navistar. “Everything we are doing today is based around the driver.”

The instrument panel is cleaner and better designed. Virtual gauges are shown on a vibrant driver display. Improvements to functionality are found throughout the cab. Ample USB and 12-volt outlets keep drivers connected. A deep ledge along the dash provides useful storage for phones, pens and other small items.

The HVAC system – a source of complaints on the ProStar – has been completely redesigned and its reliability improved.

“We have dramatically improved the efficiency of the HVAC system,” said Joe Werth, vice-president, new product development. “It is 40% more efficient in terms of speed to defrost the window.”

Sightlines have also been improved. The vent window has been eliminated to offer greater visibility out the sides. Werth said the LT boasts 15% better visibility out the passenger side window and a 5% improvement out the left. Forward visibility is better as well thanks to a new, one-piece curved windshield and a redesigned hood.

Better door seals reduce interior noise. I drove an LT 625 with the new Cummins X15 engine rated at 450 hp. Drives were limited to a few laps around Navistar’s three-mile test track but the truck drove nicely, was quiet and comfortable. The shifter and engine brake have been integrated on the right side of the steering column for easy access. The most frequently used buttons and switches have been moved closer to the driver.

“The focus was to bring closer to the driver the things that were important to them,” said Werth.

The redesign did not extend to the sleeper, which is a direct carryover from the ProStar. Serviceability, however, was improved thanks to new routing and clipping and easier access to the fuse panel inside the cab.

While the LT was designed with drivers in mind, its owners will be equally happy with the upgrades. International is touting a 7% fuel economy improvement over its most efficient ProStar ES model. This comes from a combination of improved aero, 3%, and powertrain enhancements which count for 4%. Aerodynamic improvements include a reshaped hood and bumper and more slippery mirrors as well as the redesigned windshield.

“We looked at how the bumper was structured, how air flowed under and over the hood area and improved the shape of that to accommodate aerodynamics,” Werth explained.

Engine improvements came in the form of calibration activities and the reduction of parasitic losses. Werth said both Cummins and Navistar N-series engines will deliver the same fuel economy gains over previous models.

The Diamond level interior with black cherry panels in the truck I drove was handsome. But Navistar officials were quick to point out drivers didn’t want a truck that felt like a car, despite the trend towards more automotive-inspired interiors.

“We have introduced features to make this vehicle easier to drive and more capable of supporting a less experienced driver to be able to come in and operate this vehicle effectively,” Werth explained. “It brings in more automotive familiarity, however the robustness of the design allows for operations with gloves, that kind of thing. It’s a balance. The issue of driver retention was probably one of the primary drivers for us in how we brought the design in. You do get some of those automotive features as a result, but where we tried to make the difference was in the robustness of the dials, how the driver interacts with them, – can you grab them with gloves on in the winter? – the size of the toggle switches. Those were all designed to accommodate a truck driver.”

Sass said feedback from fleets emphasized the truck had to be a vehicle drivers were happy with.

“Driver retention equals cost of ownership,” Sass said.

Denny Mooney, chief engineer, added “We have fleets, big fleets, whose CEOs tell us that if drivers don’t want to drive your truck, we’re not buying your truck. These are fleets that have multiple brands and are having a tough time attracting drivers. It sounds simple but if your truck is sitting there and drivers don’t want to drive your truck, they’re not buying your truck.”

To win the hearts of drivers, Navistar realized uptime was critical.

“We are trying to get our truck to be every bit as reliable as any automobile is today,” Mooney said.

The LT series is supported by OnCommand Connection, Navistar’s open architecture remote diagnostics platform. It provides vehicle health reports and advises customers on the most appropriate action when fault codes appear. Navistar is also offering over-the-air engine updates, allowing customers to keep their software updated without taking the truck off the road.

“When I think about uptime, it’s about reliability and durability, making sure the truck never has to come in unless it’s for scheduled maintenance,” Mooney said.

So far, the LT has been well received. Sass said more than 3,000 orders have been received. Navistar is in the process of revitalizing its entire product line. The first of these new models to be unveiled, the LT, is a comprehensive upgrade over the ProStar. Drivers will find it quieter, more ergonomic and comfortable to operate and will enjoy better visibility. Less reaching and straining will be required. The ProStar served International well but drivers won’t be asking for their ProStars back once they’ve driven the new LT.

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