Cummins Top Overall Supplier of Class 8 Diesel Engines in 2017

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Roger Gilroy, Transport Topics  /  February 15, 2018

Independent engine maker Cummins Inc. supplied more diesel engines used in Class 8 trucks in 2017 than any other engine maker, earning nearly a 40% market share overall amid expanding demand, WardsAuto.com reported.

There were 249,284 diesel engines used in Class 8 trucks last year in North America. Cummins supplied 94,053, or 38%, and had all truck makers as customers, according to Ward’s.

The 2016 total was 226,480. Cummins made 80,230 of those, for a leading 35% share.

“We are proud of the performance in 2017. We like to be the power of choice for the end consumer with our truck maker partners. We think we provide value, and it is shown in how the market voted in market share,” Brett Merritt, general manager of on-highway engine business, told Transport Topics.

Cummins boosted its overall position in 2017 with a 78% share in Class 8 engines under 10 liters as it supplied 22,145 out the total 28,479.

Freightliner, a truck brand of Daimler Trucks North America, was Cummins’ leading customer in this category — taking 15,232 engines, up from 13,836 a year earlier. DTNA’s niche vocational brand Western Star took 908, up from 249.

Cummins also increased the number of engines it supplied that were 10 liters and over but did not lead that market.

In the heavier Class 8 engine category, DTNA again took the top spot with 35% of the total 220,805 supplied — up from a leading 33% a year earlier. DTNA has two Class 8 engine brands, Detroit Diesel and Mercedes-Benz.

In the heavier segment in 2017, DD supplied 77,345 engines and MB 818.

That compared with 66,049 DD engines and 808 from MB in the 2016 period, when the segment’s total was 200,628.

“Our goal is to provide our customers with a variety of top-quality engine choices so that we can best meet their individual needs,” said Kelly Gedert, director of product marketing for Freightliner and Detroit.

Meanwhile, in 2017 Cummins supplied 71,908 of the heavier engines for a 33% share. Kenworth Truck Co. took the most, 29,115.

Kenworth is a unit of Paccar inc. Peterbilt Motors Co., also a Paccar brand, took 18,114. Both Kenworth’s and Peterbilt’s totals with Cummins rose compared with the 2016 period.

In 2016, Cummins supplied 63,314 of the bigger engines and earned a 32% share.

Going forward, Cummins remains committed to its 10 liter-and-over engines, Merritt said, and he noted large fleets remain loyal customers.

“We are particularly excited about how the X15 engine [launched in August 2016] is performing in the field,” he added.

That engine has about a 20% better fuel economy and 40% lower maintenance costs than 2010 ISX15 engines, according to the Columbus, Ind.-based company.

“We have 3,000 different locations in North America where you can get a heavy-duty or medium-duty truck worked on. And that matters to the consumer,” Merrit said.

Also, Cummins announced its X12 engine for commercial vehicles will be available late this year and marketed toward vocational regional haulers.

Among other engine makers, some installed more proprietary engines while others saw those numbers decline compared with a year earlier.

Paccar-supplied MX engines 10 liters and over rose to 28,320 and a 13% share compared with 27,303 (14% share) a year earlier in a smaller market.

The number of Paccar engines under 10 liters slipped to 1,161 last year from 1,244 in 2016.

Also, International, a unit of Navistar International Corp., saw its proprietary engines under 10 liters plunge to 1,410, as 4,293 engines from Cummins replaced them compared with 2016 totals — when International supplied its trucks with 3,336 lighter Class 8 engines and 1,448 from Cummins.

“Our goal is to grow our portion of that 11- to 13-liter market, while maintaining our share in the 15-liter market,” said Jeff Sass, Navistar senior vice president of North America truck sales and marketing. “We want to add new 13-liter customers. And we have really been able to do that with our new A26 engine.”

Also, Volvo Trucks North America saw its engines in its Class 8 trucks fall to 18,481. A year earlier, it supplied 19,889.

VTNA’s use of Cummins engines 10 liters and over in 2017 also slipped, to 1,297 from 1,666 a year earlier. However, Cummins and VTNA are working together to increase that share.

“There is commitment, and I think both of us feel like this is an opportunity for both the companies to increase their market participation,” Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger said in a fourth-quarter earnings call with analysts.

VTNA is a unit of Volvo Group.

Mack Trucks, also a unit of Volvo Group, saw its engines installed rise to 18,766 compared with 17,956.

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