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Heavy-duty truck designers finally are starting to loosen up as younger drivers demand more comfort and aesthetics.

A fairly stable discipline over the years, the goal of big-rig design was not to "wow" buyers with radical changes, but to tweak existing models and maintain a rough-and-tough look and image.

As a result, truck designers are more practical than their automotive cousins, says Orlan Ervin, a staff member at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Automotive designers, meanwhile, are extremely emotional and stimulated by art and fashion trends from around the world.

A shortage of truck drivers and new safety regulations are forcing truck designers to pay more attention to vehicle aesthetics, ergonomics and safety in new designs. And truckmakers will continue to add aerodynamic devices such as air-dam bumpers, chassis belly pans, movable front skirts, wheel covers, roof and cab enclosures, cab skirt extensions and rear-axle fenders.

What's in it for truckmakers? Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. says a driver-friendly truck can increase productivity by as much as 2%. Reducing interior noise and vibration, for example, increases driver comfort and reduces fatigue.

In the future, truck interiors will be more comfortable and functional, Mr. Ervin says. For a look at what's to come, Art Center students redesigned the interior of a Kenworth T600A Aerodyne cab. The project, which was sponsored by Kenworth Truck Co., yielded reclining swivel chairs, built-in computers and sculptured equipment.

In the past, Mr. Ervin says, truck-makers relied too much on outside suppliers for various parts and components. As a result, there was little integration and design continuity in big rigs. In some cases, however, turning more responsibility over to outside suppliers is paying off. The interior of the new Freightliner FLD 120, for example, was developed by ASC Inc.'s ASC Trim Div. The goal was a free-form interior with no hard edges, explains Chris I. Ito, ASC Trim's chief designer. The design stresses functionality wherever possible -- one corner of the cab incorporates a speaker system and lighting unit, while adding structural support.

A new breed of owner-operators are emerging, Mr. Ito says. Drivers are younger and their tastes are changing; instead of exposed screws and rivets, they want a soft comfortable interior.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:36 AM