International Truck and Engine Corp. has completed the final educational session of a 16-week-long drive that helped prepare more than 2,000 customers in 30 communities for the impact of tougher Environmental Protection Agency emissions-control mandates that go into effect Jan. 1, 2007 on medium-range and heavy-duty vehicles with diesel engines. The effort represents the first leg in the company’s 2007 Emissions Customer Education Campaign.
“We were out in front on the emissions-control issue — in terms of technology innovation and product testing, as well as industry education — because we know its significance for our customers,” says Dee Kapur, truck group president for Warrenville, Ill.-based International. “This campaign represents a key step in our ongoing drive, in conjunction with our suppliers and our dealer network, to share the information customers need about the emissions issue itself and International’s solutions so that they can make informed decisions for their business.”
The 2007 Emissions Customer Education Campaign, kicked off by the 16-week-long drive, will share emissions-related information through face-to-face customer events, training seminars, webcasts, video, literature and other educational approaches. This initial phase was designed to inform customers about the estimated vehicle-price increases announced last fall and to increase understanding of the compliance technologies involved. Facilitators for the program explained that price increases for 2007 vehicles reflect the cost for engines, as well as after-treatment equipment, integration into the vehicle and all necessary certifications.
In conjunction with the 16-week long effort, International has also trained more than 700 dealership sales personnel to date to ensure that small- to medium-sized businesses understand the regulations. When dealer training concludes in late June, more than 1,000 sales associates in 13 cities in the United States and Canada will have gone through the sessions, titled “Clearing the Air on 2007 Emissions.”
Thus far, dealer training has been conducted in Atlanta, Boston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Toronto; sessions also have been held in Garland, Texas and Huntsville, Ala. Training will be conducted in Minneapolis on June 21 and Chicago on June 27. Due to demand, consideration is being given to adding additional dealer training sessions this summer.
For more information, go to www.greendieseltechnology.com.
