Autocar has delivered the first production model DC-64R conventional roll-off refuse truck to WCA Waste Corp. of Houston. In February, Autocar met with WCA to inspect the vehicle firsthand and to celebrate their collaborative efforts on the new DC-64R, which Autocar said is the first, ground-up designed, refuse conventional truck.

“The three Cs of a healthy business relationship are communication, compromise, and commitment. WCA Waste was the right partner; we learned to communicate, to compromise, and to stay committed so that trust was established and extraordinary results were created. This has been a long time coming,” said Autocar President James Johnston.

Autocar announced the DC-64R a year ago as a completely new conventional truck purpose-built from the ground-up for severe-duty refuse applications, the first new conventional truck for the Autocar brand in 31 years.

WCA CEO Bill Caesar commented, "This truck is a great throwback to the tradition of Autocar. Because of Autocar’s track record supporting WCA for years uniquely, day-in and day-out with your ACX cabover product, we are confident in also now partnering with Autocar on your new DC-64R conventional product as well.” 

He also announced a major, additional new truck order during the event, held at Autocar’s Birmingham, Alabama, assembly plant.

Engineering innovations on the DC-64R include ultra-high-strength 160,000 PSI steel frame rails (24% stronger and lighter than the rails on other trucks, according to Autocar; and the new Always Up digital display, designed to direct technicians to root cause issues and to minimize driver distractions for operators. 

Also, Autocar engineered in the recently launched Cummins X-12 lightweight engine package, coupled with the Allison 4700 transmission.

Autocar Touts Integration Advantages

In a departure from refuse industry tradition, Autocar is mounting the roll-off hoist body onto the DC chassis on the OEM production line.

“This is VIN number one, the first DC off our assembly line," said Autocar Specialty Vehicle Group Managing Director Eric Schwartz. "It’s not just a custom-engineered truck for WCA — we do those every day — but, for the first time ever, it was built with a roll-off hoist integrated on the same truck chassis assembly line right here in our Birmingham plant.”

Autocar refers to this capability as the Power of One integration of the chassis and body. Autocar said this offers benefits over the traditional body mounting process, which historically takes place after chassis production at the body builder’s site, or a third-party dealer. 

The traditional process, besides taking several months from order to delivery, at times includes post-production modifications, according to Autocar. The Power of One integration process is designed to protect the integrity of the OEM build, reduce production cycle time, and achieve advances in safety and reliability by avoiding disassembly at the body builder. Data reported by truck operators for the first 90 days in service shows a "substantial" improvement in uptime and reliability and cost savings on unscheduled repairs and maintenance, according to Autocar.

The DC-64 joins the ACX and ACMD cabover trucks and the ACTT terminal tractor as Autocar’s fourth line of severe-duty work trucks.