"On October 1, 2002, trucking will change forever. Will you be prepared?" That's how one trucking association promoted a seminar on the new emissions regulations due to take effect on that date. There will be significant changes for every segment of trucking – certainly for every commercial vehicle with a diesel engine.

As probably everyone in trucking knows by now, Oct. 1 is the effective date of reductions in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reaching those levels requires new technologies, such as exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) and exhaust after-treatment similar to catalytic converters in cars.

Questions about the new engines' reliability, efficiency, maintenance costs and performance have caused an epidemic of nail-biting, heartburn and insomnia among association executives and fleet managers (see page 27).

Most Road King readers drive as either regional carriers with medium power, medium-haul and bulk carriers using day cabs, or long-haul truckload carriers using sleeper cabs. Those are the kinds of trucks we drove to see how the new engines perform. Our drives were in two Internationals and a Peterbilt. Two had versions of Cummins ISX with cooled EGR. The other had a Caterpillar C12 with the latest Clean Power technology. Each had its own unique characteristics.

International 8600/Caterpillar C12

Our regional truck was a brand-new International 8600. Its Caterpillar Clean Power C12 (Cat is dropping the hyphen in its engine model names) is called a "bridge engine." It doesn't fully comply with EPA's NOx requirements; instead, it bridges the gap until Cat's fully compliant Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology (ACERT) engines become available sometime next year.

The 8600's Cat had revised fuel injection, improved software, a turbocharger with a computer controlled waste-gate and, the only change obvious to the eye, a diesel oxidation catalyst in a large-diameter housing behind the cab. This exhaust after-treatment looks like an oversized muffler. ACERT engines will have the Clean Power features plus more flexible fuel and air systems, integrated electronics and more advanced exhaust after-treatment.

With John Fehring, International's engineering program manager on board, I set out from the Fort Wayne Heavy Product Center and headed down US-24 toward Wabash looking for hills to subject the engine to a load. The biggest hill for miles around was 3% for about three-quarters of a mile.

The 53-foot trailer had its tandem set far forward, so it was quite maneuverable, especially with the 8600's generous 50-degree wheel cut. The 107-inch BBC tractor had a 177-inch wheelbase; its front axle was set back 46 inches. The combo weighed 68,000 pounds.

The C12 was rated at 430 hp, with 445 maximum horsepower and 1,550 lbs-ft of torque. It worked through an Eaton Fuller 10-speed. It was geared for 55 mph at 1,500 rpm and a top road speed of 77 mph at the 2,100 redline.

The first time up the hill, we started at a virtual standstill. I was under 1,000 rpm in 2nd, coasting up to the traffic light at the bottom. The light changed and I put my foot down. The Cat was instantly responsive to the throttle, with absolutely no turbo lag. We reached the top doing 38 mph. There was a significant turbo whine when we were accelerating at full throttle, but virtually none at cruise.

Going on and off freeway ramps or maneuvering around town, the Caterpillar seemed as responsive to the accelerator as a family car.

International 9200/ Cummins ISX

The International 9200, with its 112-inch BBC day cab, is typical of what you'll find in line-haul LTL or bulk carrier operations. The 9200 uses the same chassis as the 120-inch BBC 9400 and 9900, so the cab is positioned 8 inches forward on the frame. The engine is shrouded in the firewall more than in the longer models, but the slight intrusion inside the cab is not noticeable. The new cab is roomy and comfortable.

Hooked to the same trailer as before, we grossed about 70,000 pounds, 2,000 more than the 8600. The Cummins ISX, rated at 450 hp and 1,650 lbs-ft, uses cooled EGR as its main emissions reduction strategy. Adding exhaust gas to the intake air lowers combustion chamber temperature, creating less NOx.

But because the gas must be cooled before it re-enters the engine, the load on the cooling system is increased by about 30%. To handle the increased heat, International decided to use a larger radiator – 1,400 square inches instead of 1,100.

The builder couldn't make the radiator higher or wider without changing the trucks' aerodynamics, so International went lower. It widened the front frame so the cooling package could fit between the rails, not sit on top of them. That let the cooling package extend 8 inches lower than before.

The wider frame also moved front spring centers to 35 inches, 3 inches wider than before. The wider front spring base improved stability and handling without changing ride comfort.

On the road, the extra torque and power were apparent when we crested the same hill at 45 mph (vs. 38), shifting at 1,800 rpm. As we climbed, we heard a slightly annoying "snort" every time we backed off to shift and came back down on the accelerator.

It turned out to be the variable-geometry-turbocharger (VGT) changing its vane settings in response to my foot pressure. VGT is Cummins' way of regulating pressurized air in the manifold, which Cat does with its waste-gate. The snort or growl has been corrected, and the later-model ISX I drove did not have it.

The Cummins held a nice, comfortable 62 mph, loafing along at 1,500 rpm in overdrive. I was interested in how the truck handled the increased heat rejection from the EGR, but the larger radiator and its 32-inch fan (up from 30 inches) kept the coolant between 190 and 200 degrees even while pulling hills at maximum throttle.

Peterbilt 379/Cummins ISX

What better truck to try the characteristics of a "big power" long-haul engine than a Peterbilt 379? Mine had a 127-inch BBC, with more than enough room for the Cummins ISX. Rated at 475 hp at 2,000 rpm, the engine maxed out at 500 hp at 1,800 rpm. Torque was 1,850 lbs-ft. Power went through a Fuller 18-speed single overdrive through 3.70 rears to low-profile 22.5-inch rubber.

As in Indiana, there are no hills worth speaking about near Denton, Texas. So with Peterbilt engineer Doug Gunter in the passenger seat and PR manager Derek Smith relaxing in the bunk, we headed north on I-35. Loaded with 40,000 pounds of bricks, we were in search of hills to climb.

I headed into Oklahoma to see how the big ISX would handle the hills near Turner Falls. There's an interesting curve right at the Oklahoma line, which I took a bit faster than I should have. The Pete's new FLEX Air suspension handled it easily, staying perfectly stable as I braked at 40 psi in the turn.

Further north, the 2% to 3% (estimated) grades were a snap with our all-up weight just over 69,000 pounds. Staying in overdrive, I let cruise control do all the work and still topped the steepest hill at better than 55 mph.

Splitting down to direct, the truck held 65 mph at 1,700 all the way up, also on cruise control. On the way back, we could maintain speed in 17th, and in 18th, we dropped only 3 mph in three-quarters of a mile.

When we left Denton, the outside temp was 94 degrees, but everything stayed cool in the cab and in the radiator. The Pete's air conditioner was so good that, despite the temperature and humidity, we had to cut it back.

The engine temperatures were managed by Pete's new over-and-under radiator/cooler, replacing the side-by-side setup optimized for the 387. The new aluminum Modine radiator will now be standard for all new trucks, since Peterbilt does not intend to have separate systems for EGR and ACERT engines, according to Mike Dozier, assistant chief engineer.

On the return trip, we ran into a typical Texas gullywasher. The 379 behaved well, despite the strong crosswinds and standing water on the highway. When we returned to the TA for some quick relief, the truck stop went dark as lightning hit its transformer.

The Pete lived up to its reputation, providing a smooth and stable ride from this latest version of the classic "large car." Even putting out 500 hp (for brief periods at full throttle), the Cummins ISX stayed cool and responsive. We had to listen carefully to detect just a bit of turbo-whine. And like both emissions controlled engines in the Internationals, this ISX was immediately responsive to the throttle.

Fleet execs are leery of new iron

If real-world engines run as well as our demos, drivers should love them, if only for the way turbo lag has been eliminated. But fleets buy the greatest volume of trucks, and they tell a different story. The trade press is full of stories about pre-buying to beat the deadline and uncertainty about the new engines.

As Road King was going to press, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported that a survey of its members showed that 40% were pre-buying trucks in advance of the Oct. 1 deadline.

More than 90% said they won't buy trucks with the new engines in the last three months of 2002, and almost half said they didn't plan to buy in 2003, either.

Those that do plan to buy indicated they would order less than half the number they'd usually buy as part of a normal replacement cycle. The ATA estimates that many fleets could wait as long as two years to buy new trucks, by purchasing late-model used vehicles, rebuilding existing engines and maintaining older equipment longer.

A big economic surge likely wouldn't change this picture much – the fleets answering the ATA survey said they would lease or buy used trucks. Some are even willing to buy new trucks with engines that don't meet EPA's standards and pay the penalties.

While at Peterbilt, I asked Nick Panza, general manger and a vice president of Paccar, about his expectations for post-October sales. "There is order activity," Panza said, "but it's certainly not strong at this point. It's early yet, but orders are not at the pace we'd like to see."

When asked about the uncertainty fleets are expressing about the new engines, he said, "The engine makers have been in business a long time, and they are certainly not making plans to go away. They worked hard to prepare their products for the marketplace, to make sure these engines will work.

"There has to be a drop [in sales] after October 1, but if freight tonnage continues to grow, even at a modest pace, the factors will continue to create demand for trucks. Things will bet better as time goes on."

Asked about the two brands of engines that Peterbilt will offer, Panza concluded, "I believe both are good products, and I believe customers will see that."

Having driven both Cat's and Cummins' engines for October, I tend to agree.

By Tom Berg

The "Engines of October," many with possibly troublesome EGR gear and most carrying higher prices, are almost upon the industry, for better or for worse. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the White House have denied appeals to delay the Oct. 1 deadline, as has California's Air Resources Board. Barring last-minute action by Congress, the new, cleaner-burning diesels will go into production and begin appearing in new trucks by year's end.

The main change is a lowering of nitrogen oxide levels in exhaust from 4 grams per horsepower per hour to 2.5 grams. This stricter level was to have begun in 2004, but EPA moved up the deadline to Oct. 1, 2002, to punish most domestic builders of heavy-duty diesels for allegedly cheating on NOx emissions through much of the 1990s.

Trucks with the cleaner engines will each cost thousands of dollars more than before. The unknown reliability of their exhaust-gas recirculation equipment – the method of NOx reduction chosen by most engine builders – will cause many fleets to avoid buying them until they've been proven in real-world service. This will cause a drop-off of truck orders following Oct. 1, hurting a truck-building industry that's just coming out of a bust.

Fleets will run their current trucks longer, which will keep "dirtier" engines on the road and deny Clean Air benefits to the North American public, the trucking industry argues. Still, government officials are sticking to the 1998 Consent Decree that brought on the tighter exhaust limits at this time, and engine makers have reiterated their capability to build the new engines, or alternatives to them.

Detroit Diesel Corp. says its EGR system has been successfully running in transit buses for several years. The four-cylinder Series 50 bus engine uses essentially the same system as the six-cylinder Series 60s for heavy trucks, which DDC has readied for production.

Cummins, Mack and Volvo also say they're ready, with Mack EGR'd engines already certified by EPA and Volvo's in for approval. Cummins' ISX is certified and other models are pending. Details of the Consent Decree will cause some smaller, non-EGR'd models to disappear for three months, and 600-hp models from Cummins and Cat will be withdrawn until well into next year and perhaps beyond.

Caterpillar will continue to sell engines beyond Oct. 1, even though they do not meet the 2.5-gram standard. Cat Clean Power diesels make about 3 grams of NOx – 1 gram less than now, but a half-gram more than the limit. So under EPA rules, Cat will pay penalties of approximately $4,000 per engine, until its new ACERT models come out next year.

Cat says it will not pass on the penalties to customers, but acknowledges it has raised prices to begin recouping the $3 million per day it's spending to develop and test ACERT models, which will meet the 2.5-gram limit. The price hikes are "value-based" because they are comparable to competitors' price increases, and because the Cat engines do not come with EGR and the associated maintenance and motor oil issues as competitors' engines do.

The first ACERT diesel is a new 8.8-liter C9, due out in January. Then a mix of models and horsepower ratings will be released from April through October 2003. Some are now in carefully run fleet testing to ensure reliability – the most important factor for truck engine popularity, Cat believes, and the main reason fleet people say they'll stay away in droves from post-October EGR'd diesels. Time required for the testing is also one reason Cat's ACERT models won't make the Oct. 1 deadline.

The current "pre-buying" frenzy by truck operators avoiding October engines has the entire truck-building industry running at capacity, Cat notes. Its plants have been running three shifts since May, but it still can't meet demand, so Cat has put truck builder-customers on allocation. One is International Truck and Engine, which is suing Cat because it can't get enough engines, and also because of the price hikes. Cat will not comment on the suit, and International will say little beyond reiterating its basic complaints.

Like other engine makers, Cat expects a major slowing in sales and production after Oct. 1. However, it expects to then gain market share and regain volume as buyers grasp the advantages of the non-EGR'd Clean Power and later ACERT diesels.

Cat is the only domestic builder whose entire line of truck diesels will not use EGR. International's six-cylinder diesels will also not need it. And Mercedes-Benz non-EGR'd medium- and heavy-duty diesels are available in Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star trucks. The M-B engines are built in Brazil and will be backed by Detroit Diesel, which, like M-B and Freightliner LLC, is owned by DaimlerChrysler of Germany.

Other domestic and foreign makers of light- and medium-duty diesels were not part of the EPA's Consent Decree. So, like M-B, they will not need EGR until the original deadline of Jan. 1, 2004.