Freightliner LLC introduced its new Excelerator breakdown assistance program on Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. The program is designed to assist owner-operators and fleets up to 25 units in a variety of situations.
According to Freightliner, the initiative offers a 24/7 call center staffed by Freightliner personnel to assess drivers’ needs, finding the best local service providers, expediting repair parts and assisting with towing and other roadside services. Three packages are offered: Excelerator On Call, Excelerator Preferred and Excelerator Preferred Plus.
On Call was developed for drivers who want the benefits of breakdown assistance coordination and prefer a pay-per-event basis. Preferred builds on the On Call package by offering online access to a members-only Web page where drivers can check the vehicle’s status in the repair process. Preferred Plus has unlimited breakdown assistance coordination and up to three tows and one extraction per year for covered vehicles at no additional cost, according to Freightliner. The package also includes such benefits as a tire program.
Membership fees apply to the Preferred and Preferred Plus programs; additional service fees also may apply. Visit www.exceleratorservices.com, or call (800) 238-8063 for more details.
Chris Patterson, president and chief executive officer of Freightliner, also updated GATS attendees on the truck maker’s preparations for three EPA ’07-compliant engines – the heavy-duty Detroit Diesel Series 60(r) and MBE 4000, and the medium-duty MBE 900. The company says its emissions certification process should be finished by year’s end.
Patterson also unveiled a proof-of-concept prototype utility truck, a Class 7 Business Class M2 106, expected to soon come to market. A full-parallel hybrid with regenerative braking that recharges the batteries, the truck launches with electric power, and the diesel engine provides additional torque as required.
