The Growing Popularity of Cabover Trucks

Kenworth, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Mack – all of these truck manufacturers are now producing medium-duty cabover trucks.

We, at Work Truck, have written several articles on whether to choose a cabover or convention medium-duty truck. We have discussed the benefits, and the differences.

Our 2013 Medium-Duty Truck of the year was the Isuzu N-Series – a cabover. It’s offered in both gasoline and diesel models. The 2014 model-year Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is even getting a solar-power option.

These trucks are great for urban delivery, which requires a tight turning radius and a more maneuverable vehicle.

At a recent Kenworth event, Doug Powell, medium-duty marketing manager for Kenworth, noted that these trucks had a stigma that they still needed to overcome, which included the viewpoints that the trucks ride rougher and noisier than a conventional truck. But, that the latest generations of these vehicles were quieter than ever before.

(Check out the photo gallery from the Kenworth event here.)

But, in the real world, what are you as a fleet manager seeing? Are you starting to purchase more medium-duty cabover trucks? Why or why not?

Share what you think – leave a comment below or e-mail me directly at Lauren.Fletcher@bobit.com

By Lauren Fletcher