Caterpillar brings on-highway CT series truck production in-house

Sources: Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill.; CP staff

Transitioning from a contract with Navistar International Corp., Caterpillar will begin designing and manufacturing its Class 8 on/off-highway truck line at a three-year-old Victoria, Texas, plant presently used for hydraulic excavator assembly. The line spans two mixer and dump-suited models, the set-back axle CT660 introduced in 2011, and set-forward axle CT681, which entered production in late 2014. The heavy haul-grade CT680, available as a tractor or straight truck, debuted earlier this year.

“The on-highway vocational truck product family is important to our product line; customers like our trucks and want to include them in their fleets in a variety of heavy duty applications such as dump trucks, mixers, haulers or one of the other configurations we offer,” says Caterpillar Global On-Highway Truck Group Director Chris Chadwick. “To continue to provide the best solution for our customers, we will bring the design and manufacturing of this product into Caterpillar. Our updated strategy reaffirms our commitment to grow and develop our presence in the vocational truck industry.”

“We appreciate the collaboration we have had with Navistar,” he adds. “As we look to future launches of new truck models, this updated strategy will better position us to help provide our customers with the best products and services for this market. Caterpillar continues to drive the design phase of all models, both current and planned.”

The transition process will begin immediately, with production expected to begin in the first half of next year. Caterpillar Victoria will continue to produce excavators; the addition of vocational trucks is expected to add around 200 jobs at the facility.