INDIANAPOLIS—Stahl Truck Equipment Company is celebrating its 80th birthday by giving customers a present—the all-new Challenger Pro series of service truck bodies.
The new line, revealed during NTEA’s Work Truck Week 2026, replaces the Challenger ST series that has served fleets, contractors, municipalities, and trade professionals for more than 20 years. Designed from the ground up with customer feedback and modern worksite demands top of mind, the Challenger Pro introduces upgraded features engineered to deliver exceptional quality, durability, and long-term value, company leaders said Wednesday.
“Great companies don’t stand still,” Mike Stuckey, Stahl president, told attendees. “Over the past several years, we’ve listened closely to our customers, we’ve studied the evolving demands of the job site, we’ve analyzed wear points, security concerns, environmental exposure, and long-term durability expectations. [And that] led us to ask one simple question: How do we elevate a service body that’s had such great success over the past two decades?
“Today, we introduce the next generation of our most trusted platform, a new service body that will help our customers protect their tools, their investment, and most importantly, their reputation—the Challenger Pro series. This isn’t just an update. It’s an evolution. It’s a strengthening and a re commitment to quality, designed with quality and engineered to last.”
Stahl, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, began accepting pre-orders for Challenger Pro truck bodies in March and expects to begin shipping the new bodies in June. “As we celebrate 80 years of American craftsmanship, the Challenger Pro represents the future of Stahl,” Stuckey said. “It’s built on everything our customers trust—strength, durability, reliability—and is engineered to deliver an even higher level of quality and security for the next generation of fleets.”
Challenger Pro service bodies better protect power tools and equipment by taking compartment storage “to the next level,” said Brandon Kelderhouse, Stahl head of sales and marketing. “In addition to having the largest storage compartment space in the service body industry, we’ve now enhanced the compartment ceiling itself to better defend against water and dust intrusion with our additional frame design and automotive-grade rubber seals that also serve as a drip edge for better protection from the elements,” he said.
“That means fewer damaged tools, less corrosion, and greater uptime in the field to get the job done day in and day out.”
The new bodies still feature Stall’s internal hinges, but for added security, compartment doors now feature a new frame-style design that removes easy pry points. Customers also can spec a master locking system, which engages an internal sliding bar to secure every compartment in one motion. And for a professional appearance that also boosts corrosion resistance, the bodies are built from galvanneal steel and finished with a polyester TGIC powder coating.
“We’re going to support that with a revamped limited warranty that now covers rust-through for seven years,” Kelderhouse added. “What does that mean for our customers? It means longer service life, a lower total cost of ownership, and greater confidence on the job site.”
The five “core” engineering features introduced in the new Challenger Pro are:
- Advanced steel construction combining American-sourced galvanneal steel with Sherwin Williams polyester TGIC powder coating for superior resistance to surface rust and a high-quality fleet vehicle appearance
- Framed compartment design with upgraded reinforcement for exceptional durability and body longevity
- Dust and water intrusion defense using automotive-grade sealing technology to protect tools and equipment
- Expanded compartment storage in the industry’s largest space creating countless variable organizing options
- Internal door hinges provide enhanced security for compartment storage and options for master lock systems
“On a personal note, the Challenger Pro, for me, reflects 25 years of conversations with customers, either via phone calls, or sometimes at tables at this very conference,” concluded Jake Stickney, Stahl’s director of engineering. “So, it's not just something that we are proud of.
“Our customers can be proud of it as well.”
About the Author
Jason McDaniel
Jason McDaniel, based in the Houston TX area, has nearly 20 years of experience as a journalist. He spent 15 writing and editing for daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and began covering the commercial vehicle industry in 2018. He was named editor of Bulk Transporter and Refrigerated Transporter magazines in July 2020.