Cat leaves on-highway truck market (again)

[big ben]

Well, to call it anything other than a failure would be a lie I would say.

Cat announced effective immediately they are no longer going to make the CT660, CT680 or CT681 but will support the trucks out there now and continue to sell the remaining trucks on the lots. Who would want to buy a truck now that is discontinued and was never popular ? You couldn't give me one. I feel sorry for those that bought them only to have Cat again pull out of the on-highway side of things - I'm guessing for good this time

http://www.equipmentworld.com/cater...tional-truck-line-exits-business-immediately/

 

[lantraxco]

Sterling part two... Cat can't seem to figure out what it's doing, they're too big to keep up with all the global changes going on continuously.

 

[mikebramel]

Better money in selling boots and hats

 

[Shimmy1]

Good riddance.

 

[Tags]

Great way to build confidence with existing owners...I think I've only seen a couple on the road around me anyway, good luck selling the ones they have left....

 

[movindirt]

Hopefully they have a few warehouses full of parts for all of the trucks they already sold. I'd love to know just how many of them they even sold..

 

[Wes J]

Those "Cat" trucks were built by Navistar (International). Parts should be available from them. Only the body parts were unique, all the working parts of the truck are Navistar.

I don't understand how Cat thought it was going to work. They took an existing truck, put their name on it, and sold it for more money than an identical International with nothing extra to offer. They thought that their dealer network and service network would attract buyers. It's not hard to get an over the road truck worked on.

All the Cat vendors around here scrambled to buy them when they came out to impress their Yellow overlord. Now they have a bunch of overpriced orphans. It would have been different if it had a real Cat engine, or Cat trans instead of a rebadged Maxxforce and an Eaton.

IMO, it's much different than Sterling. Sterling trucks were pretty decent and really just Ford trucks that Sterling continued to improve. They just got caught out in the great recession and couldn't hold on until it was over. They sold out to Daimler who shut them down rather than compete with Freightliner, who they also own.

****Some of those "facts" may not be 100% correct, but that is the way I understand it. I'm sure someone with more intimate knowledge will come along and tell me I'm completely FOS. That very well may be the case. I don't know everything. So, take the above post as conjecture only.****

 

[Birken Vogt]

I thought Sterling was 100% Daimler from ~1997 when Ford sold them right up to the end. I remember working on Sterling trucks in the early 2000s and a lot of the parts still had Ford logos and part numbers.

I have only seen about 10-20 Cat branded trucks in the time they were out and never laid a finger on one. Did they put the MAN engine in Cat trucks or was it always a Cat engine?

 

[Dozerboy]

I've seen a few. One of the places I did work at bought one for heavy haul. They said it's a good truck. Seemed a little gutless to me and it's been in the stop a bit. It sounds more like the problems are with cat working on the truck then the truck it's self.

 

[Dozerboy]

Shop not stop...

Stupid phone

 

[Wes J]

There's quite a few running around here. The city has a few dump trucks. Hitchcock (scrap yard that deals with Cat) replaced their entire fleet with Cat tractors. Altorfer (Cat dealer) has a whole building just for trucks. Not sure what will happen to it.

 

[Desertwheeler]

We have one as a water truck and it's ok nothing special other than full lockers. Had some problems with check engine lights.

 

[nowing75]

Yes we have one in the check engine light is on more than it is off. I'm assuming this will kill the resale value of the truck

 

[Birken Vogt]

Yes we have one in the check engine light is on more than it is off.

It seems to me that the CEL on post 07 trucks seems to be wired straight to the ignition switch

 

[Shimmy1]

It seems to me that the CEL on post 07 trucks seems to be wired straight to the ignition switch

:falldownlaugh :beerchug :idea :bash :thumbsup

 

[lantraxco]

It seems to me that the CEL on post 07 trucks seems to be wired straight to the ignition switch

Well, saves a lot of time that way!

 

[movindirt]

Those "Cat" trucks were built by Navistar (International). Parts should be available from them. Only the body parts were unique, all the working parts of the truck are Navistar.

I don't understand how Cat thought it was going to work. They took an existing truck, put their name on it, and sold it for more money than an identical International with nothing extra to offer. They thought that their dealer network and service network would attract buyers. It's not hard to get an over the road truck worked on.

All the Cat vendors around here scrambled to buy them when they came out to impress their Yellow overlord. Now they have a bunch of overpriced orphans. It would have been different if it had a real Cat engine, or Cat trans instead of a rebadged Maxxforce and an Eaton.

IMO, it's much different than Sterling. Sterling trucks were pretty decent and really just Ford trucks that Sterling continued to improve. They just got caught out in the great recession and couldn't hold on until it was over. They sold out to Daimler who shut them down rather than compete with Freightliner, who they also own.

****Some of those "facts" may not be 100% correct, but that is the way I understand it. I'm sure someone with more intimate knowledge will come along and tell me I'm completely FOS. That very well may be the case. I don't know everything. So, take the above post as conjecture only.****

They were hiring mechanics at the truck shop over there not too long ago, they work on a lot of different truck stuff as long as its got a Cat engine in it, so I'm sure they will stay busy.