Toronto, Ontario. -North American and European truck manufacturers are more closely aligned than ever. Daimler’s brands include Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Western Star. The Volvo Group presents Volvo cars and Max birds decorated with bulldogs. PACCAR’s Peterbilt and Kenworth consider DAF Europe to be a sibling. Now the Traton Group, formerly known as Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, owns a stake in Navistar.
However, the closer companies are to each other, the same equipment can look very different.
The most obvious difference is Europe’s preference for taxis rather than the covered engines that ply North American highways. But if you dig deeper, you can see the results of varying approaches to weights, dimensions, emissions and even preferences for automotive-like finishes.
“It’s interesting. Things like emissions technologies are actually being pushed out of North America. Some safety technologies are being brought in from Europe. Self-driving cars are coming out of North America,” says Darren Goosby, Navistar’s vice president – Powertrain and Advanced Technology.
Trucks have evolved against the backdrop of different regulations.
Taxi rides in Europe, for example, are largely the result of rules that focus more on the overall length of the vehicle, says Johan Agbrand, product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks North America. Forty-foot trailers coupled to individual 4×2 tractors are the norm on the other side of the Atlantic. Typical gross vehicle weights in Europe of 88,000 pounds are also closer to the Canadian experience than 80,000 pounds. Tandem formations that travel between US states.
Each configuration comes with its pros and cons.
The cabins are easy to maneuver through the tight confines of densely populated urban centers. Conventional cars provide a more comfortable drive because drivers are not sitting directly above the engine. Agebrand also indicates access to the engine. Loose items in the cab have been known to hit the windshield when everything is tipped for repair.
“Look at the axle locations on the trailer,” Goosby adds. “They’re somewhere about 2/3 of the length of the trailer.” European trailers are likely to have steerable axles as well. Together, this improves low-speed maneuverability in tight urban areas.
Power
At the same time, engines have evolved with a different focus on emissions. European regulators have previously shown interest in reducing NOx, leading to early adoption of diesel exhaust fluid. “SCR (selective catalytic reduction) or AdBlue had been around in Europe for at least five years before it got here,” Goosby says. Regulators in North America were quicker to focus on particulate matter and soot.
These differences are certainly less pronounced than in the past.
“Over time, emissions legislation has become closer and closer together,” explains Agbrand. But he stresses that it’s still not easy to use the exact same engine on both sides of the Atlantic because of the distinct standards that govern things like engine speeds and loads during certification processes.
It’s not the only way environmental standards differ. In southern Europe, for example, engineers face stricter rules on any noise produced, thanks to an 80 decibel limit.
Regulated road speeds have influenced truck designs as well.
Speed limits in North America are typically higher than those in Europe, resulting in a different emphasis on aerodynamics, says Agbrand, pointing out how these gains are achieved at around 95 km/h. Trucks in Europe tend to have speeds limited to approximately 80 km/h.
That’s not to say European buyers don’t care about fuel economy gains. Fuel costs in Europe can be four times higher than in the United States, leading to an intense focus on salvaging every possible decline in other ways.
But the increasing focus on reducing greenhouse gases in North America will play a role in strengthening vertically integrated engines that have a longer tradition in Europe.
“You can’t think of a truck as a collection of parts anymore. You have to look at a truly integrated system,” says Goosby. “It’s not going to be possible to optimize everyone’s solution in everyone’s application.”
safety
While each continent has a wide range of safety standards that it must meet, there are distinct differences in approach. In one clear European crash test, for example, a bar weighing about the same as a full-grown moose hits the A and C pillars of the truck, so the cab needs to remain rigid enough to open the doors. There is no such test in North America.
“If you generalize, safety standards in Europe are a little more difficult to adhere to,” says Agbrand, adding that there is a greater emphasis on dynamic crash tests. “You have more trucks or cars designed in Europe that can actually pass and get approved in the U.S. than the other way around.”
There are even variations in the preferred braking systems, with Europe adopting electronically controlled disc designs.
“Before (North America) got to ABS, there wasn’t any electronics present in the air brake system. It was really just a series of valves and primary and secondary systems,” says Fred Anderski, director of customer solutions and marketing – controls at Bendix. The development in Europe was different: “Instead of having one control unit, as we do in ABS, you started moving the control units… closer to the end of the wheel.”
“You look at the way our ABS systems and our trailer roll stability systems have evolved, where you have this functional unit that has modulators built in. It gets input from the wheel speed sensors, and it has a brain or a circuit board that says, ‘This helps it do things. “The approach originally adopted by Europe has led to the production of smarter braking systems.
“It’s the regulatory environment in Europe as well. You’ve seen faster and faster developments in terms of ABS stability control and even trailer communication. In Europe the communication is a direct line to the trailer rather than going through a PLC… it’s a much smarter connection.”
different buyers
Don’t discount cultural differences behind specification choices either.
“We have fleet customers here in the U.S. that are more sensitive to the price of the vehicle,” Goosby explains. In Europe, there appears to be a broader preference for fit, finish and premium content. “When you walk into a Scania or MAN product, the first thing you see is the carpeted floor,” he says, for example.
But since European truck owners have limited space to outfit a sleeper truck, there are plenty of opportunities to offer additional amenities in a North American truck.
“They want space to store stuff — and ‘stuff’ is literally the only way I can describe it,” Goosby says of North American buyers.
So is there any hope for a truly global truck idea?
“I think we’re getting closer,” says Agbrand, referring to the way global manufacturers are taking a global approach to developing things like autonomous technologies and electrification. This may make it possible to rethink the shape of the truck. “It depends a little bit on what the legislation will do.”
But Goosby remains unconvinced that combined trucks will travel on different highways, largely because of different length regulations and typical distances traveled. He says opportunities are likely to be limited to niche applications, perhaps in urban ride-hailing businesses that would benefit from tightly shunting taxis.
“I think we will have a hard time seeing a universal truck in all applications.”
