A trusted name in the industry, Peterbilt trucks pull cargo, equipment, deliveries, etc. Peterbilt owners trust the brand for reliability and capability. But what is it exactly that keeps Peterbilt customers coming back for more? The brand’s marketing manager for the medium-duty segment shares her insight, as well as brand innovation.
MWS: CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PETERBILT AND YOUR POSITION WITH THE COMPANY?
LAWTON:
I started my career with Peterbilt in 2005 and since then have held several positions of increasing responsibility throughout the marketing and pricing departments. In my current role as marketing manager—medium duty, I am responsible for the medium-duty product line for Peterbilt, a position I have held since 2017.
Peterbilt was founded in 1939 and acquired by PACCAR in 1958, and in the early part of the 1980s Peterbilt was relocated to Denton, Texas. At Peterbilt we pride ourselves in producing vehicles that have a global reputation for quality, reliability, fuel-efficiency as well as a wide array of aftermarket support programs that drive profitability for our customers.
MWS: WHAT HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE FOR RECENT INNOVATIONS IN PETERBILT’S TRUCKS?
LAWTON:
The short answer is the customer. Peterbilt is continually working with customers to ensure our products and services meet the needs of their businesses. Peterbilt customers expect products that are rugged and reliable, while also offering the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry; that is the driving force behind innovation at Peterbilt.
MWS: SPEAKING OF RECENT INNOVATIONS, WHAT ARE SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY FEATURES IN PETERBILT’S MEDIUM-DUTY LINEUP?
LAWTON:
We recently added Peterbilt’s SmartLINQ™ Remote Diagnostics system as an available option on our conventional medium-duty products, and again, our customers have been overwhelmingly pleased with this addition. Factory installed and fully integrated, SmartLINQ is Peterbilt’s solution for connected truck technology to provide customers with real-time fleet health to maximize uptime and keep deliveries on schedule. If a diagnostic code is generated, a notification is produced with details regarding the severity, urgency, recommended actions, and other pertinent information needed for a fleet manager to make informed service decisions to maximize uptime. A two-year subscription is included with the SmartLINQ option.
Peterbilt also recently announced an additional advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), Bendix® Wingman® Fusion™, as an available option on Peterbilt medium-duty Models 348 and 337 beginning in the fall of 2019. The system integrates camera and radar technology to enable advanced collision mitigation features including object detection, lane departure warning, and overspeed alerts. These features contribute to lessen the driver’s workload, helping to enhance overall safety and increasing uptime for Peterbilt’s customers.
MWS: WHAT ARE OTHER WAYS SMARTLINQ REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS IS BENEFICIAL TO THOSE IN THE VOCATIONAL, DAY-USE WORK TRUCK SEGMENT?
LAWTON:
Our vocational and work truck customers operating in construction areas, making local deliveries, or servicing utility lines cannot afford to have a vehicle out of service. Products like Peterbilt’s SmartLINQ Remote Diagnostics allow customers to make informed service decisions about their vehicle. SmartLINQ gives the customer the information needed to determine if and when their vehicle would need to be taken in for service and removes the unnecessary trip to a service location to diagnose a fault code.
MWS: TELL US MORE ABOUT ADVANCED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS AND WHY THIS IS ALSO BENEFICIAL TO THOSE IN THE WORK TRUCK SEGMENT.
LAWTON:
Today, our medium duty ADAS product offerings include WABCO OnGuardACTIVE™ and Bendix® Wingman® Advanced™, which have been popular options among our pick-up and delivery customers that operate in dense urban environments. While these systems do not replace the need for skilled drivers or safe driving habits, they do use features such as active braking and driver alerts, which are especially useful for work trucks in high traffic areas. Systems such as these are intended to complement the safe drivers that remain the heart of the transportation industry.
MWS: WHAT’S NEXT FOR PETERBILT INNOVATIONS IN THE FUTURE?
LAWTON:
Peterbilt has many future product and system enhancements in the pipeline, but it’s just a little too soon to discuss at this point.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Find out more about Peterbilt’s trucks and innovations, visit www.peterbilt.com.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS:
OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE
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