Top 7 Truck Manufacturing Brands
The truck manufacturing industry is a complex one. Apart from the capital-intensive nature of their business, truck-manufacturing companies also have high expectations from both the government and customers, which are mostly businesses, alike. As a result, they have to keep up with general industry advancements and also develop their own innovative edges in order to thrive.
The following are 7 of those brands that have been able to attain widespread use.
Iveco Truck
Whether light, medium, or heavy, Iveco's commercial vehicles have earned a reputation as one of the best for construction, firefighting and defence. The three special duties types are sold in range, with the New Daily being on the front line of the range of the light vehicles. The manufacturer’s medium range includes the Eurocargo while the Stralis and Trakker are in the heavy range.
The light-to-medium S and Z series are old and strong. The exclusively-medium Iveco-Magirus MK, Ford Cargo, and Eurocargo have been succeeded by the heavy EuroStar, PowerStar, Stralis, and Trakker and by the latest, the S-way, released in 2019. The EuroStar and Trakker, especially, are designed for off-road and construction works. The Iveco Astra is made for heavy construction, oil and gas, and mining duties.
Iveco is a highly innovative truck manufacturer that applies the latest engineering technologies to its products. The company has gone through a series of restructuring exercises in recent years and has actively acquired other brands. Little wonder that it now accounts for over 10% of the European truck market. Last year, it sold no less than 134,300 trucks to customers from all over the world.
Mercedes-Benz Truck
Mercedes-Benz. The German global automobile marque known for its quality and durability. Be it construction, distribution, mining, or special purposes, Mercedes has got a product to satisfy your need. For all construction projects, both on the site and on the way, Axor, in its steel body,incorporates a lot of amazing ideas which confirm that high load capacity and a low kerb weight can exist together.
What is even most amazing is the high priority that Mercedes places on the safety of the users of its products. The Axor, for example, has LED daytime running light, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), and a particularly short braking distance. Then, if you want a truck for distribution, go for Actros. Actros is reliable and cost-effective and provides long-distance transport, with the capacity for 18 to 26 tonnes. It uses the Active Break Assist 2, an advanced safety tool that can respond to stationary obstacles. The different cab variants of Actros also help to ensure that there is a solution for each customer's distribution requirement.
Moreover, Mercedes makes special trucks such as the Unimog U 4000/5000 whose off-road capability, compact and robust design, and endless attachment and mounting possibilities will tick off each of your desirable features of a versatile truck. As of 2019, Mercedes had a market share of 6% in the EU, courtesy of increasing demand from indigenous customers.
DAF
Improving transport efficiency has always been DAF’s goal. And that has culminated in its drive to produce industry-leading trucks and related services. With its long-standing and high-thriving relationship with Leyland, DAF has been able to roll out heavy-duty vehicles for a wide range of uses. Its current models include the CF, XF, and LF series.
The CF series, produced since 1991, has a powertrain that is both manual and automatic with road-ranger and Eaton Fuller 18 speed transmission system. The XF series is a range of semi-trucks boasting of the 2007 International Truck of the Year, the XF 105, a ZF AS Tronic gearbox that comes in both electronic and manual formats. The XF series is made up of cab-over-engine long-haul semi-trucks.
If you are looking for more compact, light-to-medium duty trucks, the DAF LF series is there. The LF 45 and LF 55 come in both distribution and pick up versions. On March 16, 2020, DAF delivered its first electric refuse collection truck to the Dutch public waste management firm, ROVA. The vehicle, the CF Electric 6×2 works on a zero-emission VDL electric powertrain and has its driveline powered by a battery of a total gross energy content of 170 kWh, which can recharge up to 80% capacity in 30 minutes.
Earlier last year/in 2019, DAF Trucks had a really good business time. The company secured a market share of 16.2%, the second-highest in its history, in the heavy-duty segment, to launch itself into the top 3 largest truck manufacturers in Europe. In the light-duty segment, it won over 7.1% of the total EU market. And altogether, for the year, the company produced 64,090 trucks.
MAN
MAN is one of the world's largest producers of trucks. The Germany-based manufacturer has trucks that come with either diesel or natural gas engine and that function well for both commercial and military purposes. The commercial trucks category includes the LE, ME, FE, CLA, TGL, TGM, TGA, TGX/TGS, and MAN TGE brands.
The CLA is a medium-to-heavy-duty truck with a forward control body type. The vehicle has an exclusive option of a six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. The TGL, TGM, and TGX/TGS all belong to the TG-range and have a fully-digital instrument cluster, while the TGA is no longer in production. With the TGE, however, MAN offers a higher standard of service for professional customers.
MAN also produces tactical trucks for military duties. The trucks for this purpose are the HX, LX/FX, and SX. In 2019, Man Truck & Bus posted revenue of around 11 billion euros and an operating profit of 371 million euros.
Ford Truck (NYS: F)
Beyond its reputation as the historical initiator of large-scale automobile manufacturing and industrial workforce management, Ford also holds the record for making one of the best brands of trucks. The Ford F-series, which has been in production since 1948, is made up of both light and heavy-duty trucks. Trucks in the light-duty range are marketed as full-size pickups.
On the other hand, the heavy-duty range, also known as the Super Duty series, comprises chassis cab trucks, medium-duty trucks, and pick-up trucks. Currently, the Ford F-series consists of the F-250, F-450 Super Duty pickups, F-450/550 Super Duty chassis cabs, F-650/750 Super Duty Class 6-8 trucks, and the F-150 pickup, the most popular of them.
The F-150, now in the thirteenth generation, was the first pickup with adaptive cruise control, which, for safety reasons, enables speed regulation with radar sensors. Its electric version, the F-150 Electric Pickup, is expected to reach production after the 2021 F-series refresh. Ford cars are popular especially in North America. In Q1 2019 alone, the company recorded a profit margin of 6.1%. However, lower demand in China and South America has been the company's undoing, being responsible for at least an operating loss of $100 million during the quarter.
Renault Trucks
If you want a truck with the most robust and hardy interior, you should go for a Renault truck. Renault trucks are suitable for a variety of purposes that include delivery, distribution, and construction. The Renault Master and Renault Maxity, for example,were both built for delivery. The Master comes in the form of an upper medium-size van while the Maxity was developed as a light commercial truck with a cab-over-engine style.
For distribution purposes, the Renault Trucks D, a range of medium-duty vehicles, is just perfect. Launched as the successor to the Midlum, the D's powertrain runs on an automatic transmission system with multiple body styles. For construction, you have even got more choices. The Renault Trucks C and Renault Trucks K, two ranges of medium and heavy-duty trucks, are available for you. Without sacrificing comfort and safety, they operate with a temporary hydrostatic traction system and an all-wheel system respectively.
Perhaps, the company’s diverse offerings explain why it has been enjoying steady revenue growth for the past five years. In 2018, it invoiced a total volume of 54,868 vehicles, up 10% from the previous year, and recorded an average sales growth of 11% for its light, medium, and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. In the same year, the company was able to grow its sales in Africa by a whopping 25%.
Scania
Scania has been in business for over 125 years. And it has been helping other businesses for as long. The Swedish manufacturer, over those years, has fully acquired the knowledge needed to produce vehicles that are reliable and efficient enough to actually increase the profitability of companies that use them. In fact, it always seeks to understand its clients first and then give them packages of tailor-made services. Scania's list of covered industries include construction, retail, agriculture, petrochemicals, and even forestry!
If you have distribution and short-haul duties to meet, then theL-series that the company launched in December 2017 is for you. The next-generation series is purpose-designed for congested city conditions. It comes in three line-ups: the L-Cab Day Low, the lowest in the range preferred for its height, the L-Cab Day Normal with low entrance and outstanding visibility, and the L-Cab Day High, the perfect comfortable working environment for the city. For this series, the manufacturer has a broad range of powertrains thereby ensuring that you can always get a fit based on different specifications such as the gearbox, rear axle gear, axle configuration, and chassis height, among others.
Besides the L-series, you might also want to try out any of the other manufacturer's old products which include the P, G, R, and S series depending on your business needs. Scania has been consistently growing in revenue, with its 2018 net sales increasing by over 11% in 2019.