PEORIA, IL – A complete line of four Caterpillar 2007 engines in full production and readily available. Customers are providing feedback on how the newest additions to the Caterpillar engine line are doing on the road.

One such customer is Ray Birkmire, an over-the-road driver for New Century Transportation in Westampton, N.J. Birkmire, a 35-year veteran of driving trucks, averages 130,000 miles each year running east coast to west coast. He currently is running a 430-hp 2007 Cat C13 with ACERT Technology. So far, he's put 80,000 miles on the engine, using the required ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.

Even with the different fuel requirements, performance and fuel economy is equal to or better than previous engines, Birkmire said.

"I'm happy with the engine, it does a good job. I'm not seeing any performance issues with it using the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. It pulls a mountain in Tennessee that I regularly run at about 65 miles per hour, the same as the previous Cat engine I had," he said. "We're getting good fuel mileage, too—it gets 6.8 miles per gallon, and I was amazed that this truck would get that."

Although the engine iron has changed slightly with the addition of the self-regenerating diesel particulate filter, driving this new C13 feels the same as running a Cat engine always has, according to Birkmire. "There's no special training required. The dealer sat down with me when the truck came in and explained the regeneration process and the indicator lights," he said. "Usually it regenerates all by itself, I don't have to do anything."

Designed to meet the new, stringent 2007 EPA emissions standards without sacrificing performance, reliability or fuel economy, the new engines provide lower emissions than ever before. One pleasant surprise for Birkmire was how clean the new Cat engine runs.

"There's no smoke coming out of that stack, which amazes me," Birkmire said. "It doesn't smoke at all, and the stack on the truck does not get carbon buildup in it. It actually keeps the trailer clean!"

Birkmire worked closely with New Century's Caterpillar dealer, Ransome Cat located in Bensalem, Pa., to ensure that the transition to the new engine went smoothly. "The support from Caterpillar has been really good," he said. "When I first got the truck, they called me and wanted to know how I was doing and what fuel mileage I was getting. If I am having any issues, they want to know about it."

Cat customer Robert Long, chief financial officer of USA Dry Van Logistics, LLC, in McAllen, Texas, concurs with Birkmire's opinion of Caterpillar support.

"Cat's always been the preferred motor. There are fewer breakdowns. I've always liked the support Cat's given—I like the way they stand behind it. When we spec the truck, I don't get the support from the competitors," Long said.

Long also mentions fuel mileage as a Cat advantage. "We had to take 10 competing engines and test them, and the Cat's doing a lot better than those engines, averaging about 7.2 or 7.4 miles per gallon," he said. "We weren't afraid to jump into the new motor, and it's doing well for us. Drivers love them too, and haven't had problems with them."

With the same range of engine ratings, fuel economy and projected life to overhaul as previous Cat engines, the 2007 engines continue to provide the value, performance and fuel economy customers expect, according to George Taylor, director and general manager, Global On-Highway at Caterpillar.

"With refinements to the same technology approach proven successful over millions of miles, the new engines are meeting or exceeding our customers' expectations in every way," Taylor said. "The more than a half million engines with ACERT Technology on the road today are a clear statement on the customer value our engines deliver."