UD Trucks launches New Quester in GCC for smart trucking
UD Trucks has unveiled the New Quester in the Middle East, East and North Africa (MEENA), a new version of the brand’s well-established heavy-duty truck that introduces a range of enhancements to help logistics companies across the region boost their bottom line through Smart Logistics.
“The truck industry in the region is changing rapidly and customers are increasingly conscious of the total cost of ownership,” said Mourad Hedna, president of UD Trucks MEENA. “With the New Quester we have the ideal product to address these needs.”
The New Quester delivers enhanced fuel efficiency of up to 10 percent over the current Quester. This is aided by the ESCOT automated manual transmission, lighter tare weight and optimised driveline.
But fuel efficiency is also affected by operating conditions, driving behaviour and vehicle maintenance, so ESCOT includes software which optimises gear shifting according to the engine revs, vehicle speed, loading weight and even road gradient.
The smart system also includes a sensor that will select the optimum gear automatically instead of assuming a first gear selection.
This takes away the need for manual gear shifting which, depending on the transportation operations, happens 1,000 to 1,500 times a day.