International S13 Integrated Powertrain Hits the Road for Interactive Training Tour

Two International LTs equipped with the S13 Integrated Powertrain are on a road trip through the U.S. and Canada. Each truck is hauling an S13 Integrated educational trailer set up as an interactive classroom and stopping at International dealerships as part of a mobile customer experience training tour.??

The International S13 Integrated Powertrain Mobile Training Tour began on April 2. To date, the trailers have visited more than 48 dealer locations, trained more than 486 sales professionals, and educated more than 1,311 customers.?

Doug Bradley on the Sales Enablement team was the key architect behind the S13 trailer tour with input and support from numerous stakeholders across Navistar. The preparation for the tour began in 2022 and encompassed:?

1. Designing and selecting a vendor to build the trailers.?
2. Selecting drivers and facilitators.??
3. Developing the learning content and training facilitators.?
4. Managing the logistics to visit more than 100 locations across North America.??

During the customer portion of the ongoing training, a mix of fleet owners, state and municipal highway superintendents and technicians, dealers, and other customers are given the chance to explore the advanced powertrain and its components hands-on.?

When walking through the training trailers, various components of the S13 engine, T14 transmission, and dual-stage aftertreatment system are highlighted so customers and dealer sales professionals could learn more about the intentional design of the powertrain. International subject matter experts and sales professionals are on-hand to provide interactive training exercises for dealer sales professionals and fleet end users. And the key part of it all is that at some locations customers had the chance to get behind the wheel and experience the powertrain’s performance first-hand.????

Dealer Sales Professionals Weigh In???

Since the start of the tour, Navistar’s Sales Enablement team has been collecting feedback from International dealer principals and sales professionals. Overall, dealers are very satisfied with the training, noting that the tour is a positive representation of both their dealerships and Navistar. They also indicated that the training equipped them with the information needed to inform customers about the benefits of the S13 Integrated Powertrain.???

Pliler International, for instance, said: “We really enjoyed the training/trainers/trailer, etc. All the guys received great takeaways, gave them confidence to sell the product, and generated some excitement behind the new powertrain. Also, it proved to be extremely beneficial to showcase to the customers!”

A representative from Rechtien International Trucks said: "What I really like is the T14 transmission. It's going to crush competition product line, especially in the line-haul application."

Kyrish Truck Centers of Houston pointed out that they would have had more customers attend if they had a better understanding of how impactful the training was going to be. This is the “best training that Navistar has had in years,” according to Kyrish.

Waters Truck and Tractor in Columbus, Mississippi, provided some constructive feedback, calling for better planning, communication, and coordination among the trainers and back-office staff. ?

“There was some disconnect in communication between back-office staff and the dealership and the trainers. It worked out, but that could have been better,” Waters noted.????

“I liked that it was hands-on training, that we weren't just watching a slideshow or a video,” Waters added. “I like how the instructors kept it entertaining and informative. The component breakdown was very helpful.”??

Customers Tout Fuel Efficiency, Performance???

During one stop at International dealer Arkel Motors in New Windsor, New York, current and potential customers in the area stopped by the dealership to explore the S13 Integrated training trailer and have their questions answered. Arkel Motors is an authorized, full-service International dealer located in the southeastern part of the state. The dealership carries the complete line of new International trucks, tractors, and chassis, as well as a full inventory of used trucks, full-service leasing, and rental trucks.??

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Keith Watts, a third-party consultant for Navistar, who helps facilitate training events like last summer’s S13 Bootcamp, and is one of four facilitators assigned to the S13 Training Trailer Tour, has ensured the training is consistent on both units going around North America. Keith explained that the point of this training is to educate the sales professionals on the components of the S13 engine, T14 transmission and dual-stage aftertreatment, and how these components contribute to superior operating economy, stellar performance, simplicity, and serviceability. This information helps sales professionals develop talking points based on their customers' “hot button” needs and enhance their credibility when talking to current and prospective customers.???

“It’s about pulling off valve covers and explaining to people along the tour why we don’t have certain parts anymore,” Keith said. “They are seeing what we have simplified and why.”??

“The S13 Integrated powertrain is new to this market, but not the world,” Keith added. “Truckers here know that Scania is synonymous with quality, and I am hearing them embrace this powertrain.”???

One International customer who attended the Arkel Motors event is Dane Mannese. Dane owns Mannese Distribution in Milton, New York, and runs a fleet of International HX 520 Series trucks that haul general freight across five states in the Northeastern part of the U.S. Mannese’s less-than-truckload freight operations generally run about 85,000 lb. of loaded weight every day.???

This summer, Dane ran the Arkel Motors rental LT equipped with the S13 Integrated Powertrain to compare with the fuel usage he sees in his current fleet powered by a competitor’s engines. He was immediately impressed by the early fuel savings he experienced with the S13 Integrated Powertrain.????

“We run the same lanes and I see the report at the end of every day,” Dane said. “When my drivers leave, my computer tells me how many miles the truck had on it. And when they fill up, the computer tells me how many miles the truck has. I get immediate reports to my phone, and when I saw the S13 numbers, I texted my Arkel rental representative and said, ‘I think something’s wrong. This truck is getting 8.8 MPG today.’ Then, I ran it again the next day and it got 9 MPG.”??

Dane added that a typical run to Allentown, Pennsylvania, from Milton, New York, takes 43 gallons of diesel for every truck in his fleet. With the S13 Integrated, the run took just 28 gallons.????

When it comes to purchasing, however, although Dane said he is impressed with the fuel savings the S13 Integrated Powertrain delivers, he needs to make sure that savings will outweigh vehicle depreciation when it comes to resale value or any other potential loss that can occur on the backend.???

“I’m curious about what International is offering for the S13 warranty,” Dane said. “My fleet doesn’t do all that much mileage, so we have been doing the Cummins six-year, 600,000-mile warranties. We have been selling the truck after about four years, with a little more than 200,000 miles on the warranty left for the resale. Someone is more apt to buy a four-year-old truck with 200,000 miles still covered than they are with a truck that’s got no miles covered.”??

Although Dane had already tested the S13 Integrated Powertrain, he attended the mobile training tour at Arkel Motors to learn more about vocational offerings and warranties for the product.??

Another potential customer, James Vananden, owner-operator of JVE Trucking, was also interested in spec’ing the S13 Integrated Powertrain for the HX Series. He hauls products like stone and topsoil via a 48-ft. drop-deck flatbed and needs the power the HX 520 offers. That said, James tested the rental LT to see what the S13 Integrated Powertrain was all about.???

“I’ve been at this 37 years and I am set in my ways,” James said. “I have driven them all—name an engine. That truck right there [he pointed to the LT equipped with the S13 Integrated Powertrain]—it’s the engine and transmission combined—I have never driven anything in my life with an engine brake that good. Ever.”?