Engine Makers Reassure Dealers

LAS VEGAS -- An Environmental Protection Agency requirement that heavy-duty diesel engines emit 38% less nitrogen oxides than current models has produced the biggest “buzz” at the annual meeting of the American Truck Dealers, an ATD official said Monday.

The requirement is the result of a 1998 consent decree signed by the six major U.S. engine makers and the EPA.

Representatives of the manufacturers sought to reassure dealers meeting here that the federal mandate will not affect their ability to sell trucks with high-quality heavy-duty engines this year.

Four of the six executives said their companies are using exhaust gas recirculation technology to meet the federal emissions guidelines for heavy-duty engines. They are Cummins Inc., Detroit Diesel Corp., Mack Trucks and its sister company Volvo Trucks North America.

Caterpillar Inc. will not be fully compliant with the rule until 2003 and International Truck & Engine Co. is using different designs more appropriate for its medium-duty products.

Regardless of the eventual performance of the new engines, worries over their reliability and cost have caused truck buyers to rush in orders for vehicles with current engine designs and take possession before Oct. 1. Dealers and manufacturers refer to the phenomenon as “pre-buying.”

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