10 mpg? It looms, says Daimler’s CEO

Updated Mar 14, 2013
The Freightliner Cascadia Evolution is the next step toward the trucking industry reaching a 10 mpg standard, says Daimler Trucks North America CEO Martin Daum.The Freightliner Cascadia Evolution is the next step toward the trucking industry reaching a 10 mpg standard, says Daimler Trucks North America CEO Martin Daum.

The days of expensive diesel may not be over any time soon, but the days of 5 mpg trucks could see their demise in the near future, said Daimler Trucks North America CEO Martin Daum speaking at the Heavy Duty Manufactures Association in Nashville this week.

Daum said during his address that trucks getting 10 mpg “will definitely come during our professional lifetimes.”

He cites his company’s Freightliner Cascadia Evolution as a large step in that direction, saying that on a recent trip from San Diego to Gastonia, N.C., a fully loaded Cascadia Evolution clocked 9.31 mpg.

Daum also addressed the potential layoffs announced last month, in which DTNA said up to 1,300 workers could be cut at plants in North Carolina and Oregon. Daum said the company will offer an update on the exact number next week at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

For more on Daum’s address, see Overdrive sister site CCJ‘s coverage.