Trucks: more than freight haulers

Show exhibitors and panelists (a blue ribbon gathering of executives and engineers) at the 1999 SAE International Truck & Bus Meeting & Exposition offered insights into future truck innovations, as well as examples of current innovative products.

“There's a thought out there that trucks tend to follow behind passenger cars in technology,” said Bernard Robertson, 1999 General Chairperson of the SAE International Truck & Bus Meeting & Exposition in Detroit, MI, as well as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at DaimlerChrysler. “But there's an enormous amount of technology that starts out in trucks and migrates to passenger cars.”

“The next generation of trucks will be more individualistic and (styling) will encompass the whole vehicle - not just the hood,” said James Hebe, President and CEO of Freightliner Corp. “How you bend sheet metal, gain fuel economy, or lower cabin noise is important, but it pales in comparison to having an intelligent truck.