International Unveils Revamped Class 8 HV Vocational Trucks
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NEW CARLISLE, Ind. — International Truck launched a redesign of its HV Series of Class 8 vocational trucks Sept. 17.
Series production of the updated HV 509, HV 515, HV 609 and HV 615 models — which come equipped with the S13 integrated powertrain and T14 automated manual transmission — is due to start in June 2025, executives said.
HV models — as well as fellow severe-duty models HX520 and HX620 — with the S13 drivetrain and T14 transmission are available to order, Vocational Marketing Director Andy Hanson said at parent company Navistar’s proving grounds.
Crew cab, day cab and extended cab options will all be available on each configuration and model, he added.
Alongside the revamped drivetrain — production of which began in October 2023 — and transmission, upgrades include a sloped hood, panoramic wide windshield and two crawler gears for the T14.
The trucks’ design changes improve fuel efficiency by more than 5%, which has been measured through third-party testing, said Dan Kayser, executive vice president of commercial operations. “It is not a marketing campaign. It took a lot to convince our lawyers to approve this language,” he said.
Hanson said, “We took the workhorse of the International product line, modernized its appearance and powered it with the industry’s most advanced powertrain. We also raised the bar when it comes to chassis and body integration by helping customers increase productivity and reduce equipment downtime.”
To do so, International eliminated components including the exhaust gas recirculation cooler and diesel oxidation catalyst. It also reduced the truck’s weight and introduced galvanized frame rails for superior anticorrosion protection.
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The revamped trucks also are intended to be easier for drivers to use, executives said, with the introduction of LED headlamps to help increase visibility and an extra set of cab steps to assist with entering and exiting the vehicle.
Hanson said the new steps are intended to minimize back, knee and hip problems for drivers. The new trucks’ hoods are also 30% lighter to ease the strain on drivers and mechanics.
Multiple original equipment manufacturers continue to see a growing vocational market, and Navistar is no different, although it was hit hard by the North American mirror supply shortage in the second quarter.
Production is back to normal now, said Kayser, with a lot of red-tag trucks leaving its facilities. Trucks that are almost built but not shipped are known as red-tag units.
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“We’ll see that bump come through in the [retail sales figures] for the next couple of months,” he said.
August retail sales for International saw the biggest year-over-year decrease of any of the major Class 8 brands, falling 27.2% to 2,612 trucks from 3,587 a year earlier, the latest Wards Intelligence data show.
Government and municipal demand is driving sales, according to Chad Conley, vice president for work truck. Supply chain problems hit municipalities hardest, so states allowed them to roll over their budgets, he said. Now, “most of our municipalities are flush with cash.”
Municipalities are ordering 120 to 180 vehicles instead of the 40 they would have previously, Conley said, adding that a further ramp-up in vocational truck sales was on the way.
