SUPERTRUCK II

It's not just about the future, it's about tomorrow.

SuperTruck II reflects our relentless pursuit of freight efficiencies to focus on core components that are already critical to real-world savings today and will become more important tomorrow: powertrain, rolling resistance, aerodynamics, and safety. With our customers at the center of all we do, the innovation behind SuperTruck II resulted in technologies that can lead to results sooner rather than later.

12%

REDUCTION IN TRACTOR AERODYNAMIC DRAG

12%

REDUCTION OF TRACTOR ROLLING RESISTANCE

5.7%

REDUCED FUEL CONSUMPTION

50%

MORE EFFICIENT AC SYSTEM
 

Its evolution was
shaped by the winds

The wind creates perfect shapes in nature and now it creates them around SuperTruck II.

Creating a New Surface

Wind tunnels don’t lie. What the eye sees is not always what the air sees—an aerodynamic truck with a sculpted bumper, hood, windshield and mirrors that cuts right through it.

Aero Newsurface 425X425jpg
Closing the Gaps

Automatic side extenders and a roof spoiler close the gap between the tractor and trailer at highway speeds.

Rollingres Adaptivetandemaxle 758X758
Auto-lowering at Speed

Dynamic ride height decreases drag by automatically lowering the truck at highway speeds, with no effort required from the driver.

Aero Loweringspeed 758X758

Bringing Rolling Resistance Down

New rubber, new tread, new technologies, it’s all about minimal friction and maximum efficiency.

Significantly Lower Tire Rolling Resistance

Our Michelin partnership created new tire compounds, new treads and new technologies.

Supertruckpreview2
Adaptive Tandem Axles

At highway speeds, axles automatically shift from 6x4 to 6x2, extending tire life.

5I8A5189 Ret RGB Crop
Dynamic Load Shift

At highway speeds, the tag axle, with less rolling resistance, handles more of the load.

Rollingres Dynamicload 758X758 (1)

When the Engine is Off, Everything Else Stays On

Maximizing powertrain efficiencies now includes turning the powertrain off.

A More Efficient 13-Liter Engine

A 13-liter engine with twin turbo and interstage cooling delivers more efficient air compression.

ST II New Engine
Coasting to Savings with EcoSail

On downhills the engine automatically shuts off. Everything else is battery powered.

Engine Ecosail 758X758
13-Speed Overdrive Transmission

An added 13th gear achieves lower down-speeding and higher fuel savings.

Engine Transmission 758X758

REIMAGINING POWER AND SAFETY

We've taken a completely new approach to power and safety. 

A New Electrical System

Fully run the hoteling feature without the engine running using the 48-volt electrical system.

Safety Electrical 758X758
A New Power Steering System

The 48-volt power steering system uses significantly less power by adjusting demand only as needed, whether maneuvering at low speed or driving at highway speeds.

FTL STL II Image Resize
Greater Driver Visibility

Mirrorless cameras are aerodynamic, out of a driver’s line of sight and they work brilliantly in low light.

Safety Cameras 758X758

The Making of SuperTruck II

From the design and engineering teams’ efforts, to working with partners, to real-world testing, this truck was a full-on collaborative effort on a global scale.

Designing the SuperTruck II

Our engineering and design teams joined forces to create our most aerodynamic truck ever. It was inspired by the wind and fine-tuned through clay models and prototyping.

STII Design Close Up Sketch 1M6A7339 Ret HR
Integrating the Powertrain

Collaboration between the advanced engineering team, Detroit powertrain engineers, and the global powertrain team was critical to developing an even more efficient engine and transmission—one that met our increasingly higher demands for energy efficiency.

STII Batch 1 Engine Drop Engineer Working On Engine Close Up 1M6A7270 Ret CMYK
Putting it Together by Hand

With a truck like this, there’s only one way to build it, and that’s by hand. That’s exactly how we did it, panel by panel, until the last one fell perfectly into place.

Makingof Exterior 758X758
Testing and Learning

We pushed it. We learned from it. We drove this truck over thousands and thousands of real-world miles, in all conditions.

Makingof Testing 758X758

What This Means for the Future

As a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, we create new technologies and designs for a reason—for our customers and their needs. When it comes to our brand, our customers, our industry and our planet, we strive to be relentless. We never stop innovating. That’s the way it’s always been for Freightliner, and that’s the way it will always be.

 

A special thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy, which co-funded this program. Without them, there would be no Freightliner SuperTruck II.

 

To view the full press kit, please click here.