Freightliner announced a series of options that offer truck upfitters with added convenience and improved efficiency and consistency.
Speaking at the recent Canadian Transportation Equipment Association’s manufacturer conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Freightliner’s Dan Silbernagel pointed to several new additions that should save time when installing truck bodies and equipment. They include:
• Improved routing and clipping brackets. These brackets are designed to provide dedicated pathways for air, fuel, and electrical lines. They were scheduled to become available in November for M2 106, M2 112, 108SD, and 114 SD models. The routing and clipping brackets can be ordered by the zone of the truck—aft of suspension, left rail, or right rail. The advantage
• A 12-volt alarm circuit that power’s an upfitter-installed alarm that sounds when the park brake is not set. This option became available in October.
• Auxiliary range inhibit enable with jumper. Available now, it offers plug-and-play installation for the body interface.
• Access Freightliner has been replaced by DTNA Connect. Through it, upfitters are able to access Freightliner technical information, including Smartplex tools, body builder guides, and Freightliner vehicle resources. Registration is required.
• Final-stage manufacturers should plan to take advantage of the new exhaust system configurations which now feature single canisters. They free up space along the frame rails and are available in multiple routing configurations.
• Comprehensive three-dimensional chassis drawings are now available. Models are sent between 18 and 25 days of the factory build date. A nondisclosure agreement and registration with Freightliner are required.
• Over-torqued zip ties can cause kinks and ripped insulation. To combat that, Freightliner has switched to wider ties to distribute the force over a wider area.
Earlier this year Detroit Diesel Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), announced collaborations with AT&T and Microsoft Corp to deliver enhancements to its Detroit Connect suite of connected vehicle services. ♦