America’s All-New Western Star 49X Vocational Truck Is Here To Get Any Job Done

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has unveiled the all-new Western Star 49X truck in the United States.

Designed for the so-called heavy-duty vocational segment, which designates special vehicles and construction site vehicles, the 49X retains the outgoing 4900’s striking front-end design and characteristic chrome look.

Underneath the skin, though, the Western Star 49X is very different as it has been designed from the ground up to be tougher, safer and lighter. During development, Daimler Trucks also incorporated feedback from leading truck equipment manufacturers to ensure the 49X would meet their needs for a quicker, more efficient conversion.

Compared to its predecessor, the new Western Star 49X is said to offer weight savings of more than 350 lbs (150 kg), starting with the all-new vocational frame promising best-in-class RBM (Resisting Bending Moment) strength rating for greater durability. The new 49X vocational truck also features a tougher cab made of steel-reinforced aluminum that’s 8 percent lighter than on the 4900, enabling more payload.

Under the signature long hood, the Western Star 49X gains the all-new 14.8-liter DD15 Gen 5 heavy-duty engine from Detroit Diesel which offers enhanced performance, uptime and reliability. The six-cylinder diesel delivers up to 505 HP and a monumental 1,850 lb-ft (2,505 Nm) of torque. Apart from the DD16, customers can also opt for Cummins’ X12 and X15 engines.

All units are mated to the all-new DT12-V or DT12-VX automated manual transmissions (AMT) with 12 forward and four reverse speeds. The truck also introduces Detroit Assurance safety equipment such as active brake assist, side guard assist, adaptive cruise control, and more.

Western Star says the 49X is its toughest truck yet and the most tested model in the company’s history. Daimler Trucks North America spent six years designing and validating the truck and employed testing and validation methodology never used before.

For example, DTNA’s Product Validation Engineering (PVE) team crushed the cab with 20 metric tons, performed 10,000 frame twists to replicate the lifetime of the truck, and spent over 400 hours of testing on full-vehicle and component shakers – the testing equivalent of over 800,000 miles (1,287,475 km) of use.

The all-new Western Star 49X is available for order this winter and deliveries will commence in early 2021.