Sweeping changes overtake heavy-duty truck market

Each tightening of emissions regulations has resulted in increased cost and complexity of systems required to meet the standards, which has also led to a booming glider market for tractors, says Rick Barry, sales rep at Kenworth Northwest. Gliders are new trucks without engines or transmission. They can be fitted with a powertrain centered around a rebuilt, older engine that faced less-strict emissions standards.

Gliders with older engines mean that customers don’t have to contend with diesel particulate filters (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). There may also be a higher percentage of residual value if the truck is sold to another customer wanting to avoid perceived issues with modern emissions compliance systems. At least one glider manufacturer, Fitzgerald Glider Kits, touts savings of up to 25 percent compared to a complete new truck.

Kenworth Northwest also offers gliders, and Barry says the cost varies depending on the specs and features a customer wants. Savings compared to a new truck vary, too, and there may be no savings at all.

“But price isn’t the main reason customers buy gliders,” he says. “They pay what’s required to get a truck configured the way they want it.” And most want a truck with no DPF/SCR or DEF.

Some may want a Caterpillar engine. But since Cat stopped producing new truck engines after 2009, rebuilts are the only option.

Another consequence of aftertreatment is diminished demand for dual exhausts, say Frank Miller, vice president, and Bill Burns, new truck sales manager, both with Kenworth of Pennyslvania. The driver-side stack on a Kenworth is a dummy, there just for aesthetics.