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Who knows Hino's

redytrk

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
A conventional expeditors truck from Japan has been long overdue.You cannot beat these engines for durability and quiteness.I would inquire how many service locations they have.I had a Nissan built UD back in '93-'96,the only problem was the lack of svc loc.Only about 20 dealers for the entire US. A real pain when you are brokedown in Cedar Rapids or Jackonville.
 
R

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I havn!t run auto freight in quite a while but I remember that some of the US companies would not allow foreign built trucks on their premises. Ford in Sharonville had that restriction among others. Something to keep in mind. We used to see a lot of Hino cabovers on the roads,most people seemed quite happy with them.There is a Hino dealer in Jacksonville(lol),they are hooked up with the Mack dealership,but I doubt if anyone there has seen a Hino lately.
Japanesee trucks became quite expensive for a while due to the currency changes,if you don!t mind can you tell us a ball park figure for the truck and the specs.Thanks
 
G

gojack

Expert Expediter
Point taken, I had thought about Hino being foreign, but the factory is in California.
(I ran into that problem 10+ years ago at the Neon engine plant in Indy.,)

But today
Ford has Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover....

BMW makes Rolls Royce and Mini's

Chrysler is Daimler Chrysler and they have Dodge, Jeep, Sterling, Western Star, Freightliner, Detroit Diesel, Thomas Buses, Mercedes Benz, Fuso, Mitsubishi, Hyundai...

GM has Saab, Opel, Isuzu, Fiat, Suzuki ETC..

I don't think that "Foreign made" has much pull left., a Pontiac can be Canadian, A Ford Mexican and a Toyota's are from Kentucky., Most people I have spoken to are just confused about who owns what.
 
T

tazman

Expert Expediter
Hi,


HINO's were mainly used as CO or LCF ( low cab forward ) design for a number of years...

They had good presence in the West mainly...although there us headquarters are in upstate NY....

They never achieved market share mainly because of the ISUZU and MITSU lines.....pricing was also an issue...

However with Ford now getting in to the LCF marketplace...HINO decided it would aim at the International and Freightliner conventional cab marketplace.....

They are good units...and have great serviceability ....


Might make a good expediter truck....
Will sleeper units be able to attach to the cabs ???


Frank in PA.
 
Twmaster

Twmaster

Expert Expediter
That is a sharp looking truck. A former business associate had a Hino wrecker and loved it. I wasn't aware Hino was Toyota. That is kinda neat to know as Toyota is a top quality product.

--
Mike N
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I'm pretty sure Hino is a division of Nissan, not Toyota, but no matter they both make really decent equipment.
Looks like a nice truck, have yet to physically see the conventional chassis yet. Probably reliable but..
Access to parts and service has always been an issue with any of the lower volume selling trucks, reagrdless where they are built. This could be a major problem for an OTR expediter as far as possible downtime.
I am not joking when I say this, my local mechanic has had one of those GMC "Forward" Isuzu built trucks in his shop for about 2 weeks now waiting for some silly engine part. That would not fly for me if it were my expediter.
But like the one above post stated, everything is getting to be this stupid "global market" thing. I know that from all the parts I haul back and forth to Mexico.
-Weave-
 
D

D Green

Expert Expediter
I owned several UD's, they are made by Nissan. Were great trucks, just lousy a/c & typical cab-over ride.

Hino is Toyota.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040201/nysu018_1.html

snip for educational purposes, only:

Headquartered in Orangeburg, New York, Hino Motors Sales U.S.A., Inc. (Hino Trucks) is the medium-duty truck arm of Toyota Motor Corporation. Hino Trucks is launching a nationwide sales effort to build U.S. sales of its Class 4, 5, 6 and 7 trucks. The ProQuest EPC in CD format will launch in early February, 2004, timed to coincide with the introduction of a new Hino conventional truck.

FWIW

Dennis
 
R

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
UD!s are Nissan!s ,Hino!s are Toyota!s,About 15 years ago International was selling a cabover,it was a UD in disguise. I would stay away from all of the Asian built trucks mainly due to parts availability.I know some folks out of Akron Oh with a UD that had a transmission seal blow out at 65 mph,took 8 weeks to get the tranny rebuilt.
 
S

Sterling_owner

Expert Expediter
>I owned several UD's, they are made by Nissan. Were great
>trucks, just lousy a/c & typical cab-over ride.
>
>Hino is Toyota.
>http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040201/nysu018_1.html
>
>snip for educational purposes, only:
>
>Headquartered in Orangeburg, New York, Hino Motors Sales
>U.S.A., Inc. (Hino Trucks) is the medium-duty truck arm of
>Toyota Motor Corporation. Hino Trucks is launching a
>nationwide sales effort to build U.S. sales of its Class 4,
>5, 6 and 7 trucks. The ProQuest EPC in CD format will launch
>in early February, 2004, timed to coincide with the
>introduction of a new Hino conventional truck.
>
>FWIW
>
>Dennis

I stand corrected.

2 1999 Sterling Semis
2000 Ford F650 24ft box truck
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I guess I don't know my Hino's:7 Even though Toyota and the other foreign makes have a good reputation for quality, I still don't think I would consider one myself even for local delivery work, at least not at the present. According to my mechanic who works on them along with the domestics, even routine maintenance jobs such as brakes cost nearly double that of the domestics. I have noticed that many of the foreign trucks are starting to use a lot of domestic chassis components to eliminate downtime and make repair jobs more on line with that of common trucks. Bering, which I guess is a divison of Hyundai of Korea, use an engine made by Detroit Diesel, and many of them use Eaton or Meritor trannies and axles. Maybe just a matter of time, but then again the first of those little Japanese cabovers I remember seeing was the Iveco. Those things were little bombs, and you don't see that name around anymore. I have noticed the frame rails on the Isuzus and Mitsubishis are paper thin and tend to be rusted out within 5 years of use. If I needed a small truck I would spend a little more for an International 4300 over any of those foreign jobs, and looks to be just about every local delivery truck fleet in my area agrees. For expediting it still isn't too good of an idea to pull into a big 3 auto plant with a foreign named truck.
-Weave-
 
Twmaster

Twmaster

Expert Expediter
Iveco trucks are Italian Weave. Most of the parcel vans FedEx had/have are built on Iveco chassis.

As for the repairs on the Japanese trucks I can tell you this. My brother drives a car carrier for a large auto auction in Maryland and drove a UD for the first 4 years he was there. The truck went 200K miles before needing a clutch and 150K+ miles before needing brakes. Nobody where he works at is even close to treating those truck *nicely*. He now drives a 4700 International 4 car rig that has more time down than he gets vacation per year. Go figure.

--
Mike N
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I have to do some refreshing on my knowledge of the global market. I did not know Iveco was Italian, but I do know they were bombs;)

Have to say I only base what I post here mainly on applications to expedited trucking or local delivery trucks. I don't know the requirements of a car carrier, or know what works best for that business.

I am definitely not a "Japan basher," as I restore and ride Honda and Kawasaki motorcycles and post on many tech forums regarding that subject worldwide.


I am going to go off the subject a bit here to give you an idea of what I am talking about regarding OTR trucks and best bets regarding them.

In the late 1960's the two main railroad locomotive manufacturers in the USA and Canada were GE and GM. At that time the Southern Pacific decided to test some locomotives from Germany, made by a company called Krauss Maffei. They were diesel-hydraulic machines, instead of the common deisel-electric domestic ones.
The KM machines had superior performance and initial quality. Where did they fall apart? Service in the field. Nothing mechanical lasts forever and will eventually need repairs. Complexity of construction and inaccessibility for repairs will bring the best things down much faster than a mediocre product that can be serviced quickly. This is where the Foreign trucks have fell short in the US, and I know I am not wrong here as I have noted in my previous post the things they have been doing to correct that downfall.

I always make this joke to my family. My personal car is a 1978 Pontiac LeMans. Never noted as the greatest car in the world, but how many 1978 Hondas or Toyotas do you see on the road?

One thing that I am feeling a little guilty about, I'll get it off my chest. I do a lot of hauling of auto parts that go in and out of Mexico. The quote in my mind is this: "Great for the American trucker, horrible for the American worker."
Go figure on that, it's true food for thought.
-Weave-
 
G

gojack

Expert Expediter
Weave,

>I have noticed that many of the foreign trucks are starting to use a lot of domestic >chassis components to eliminate downtime and make repair jobs more on line with >that of common trucks.

The Hino's part's list reads like Kenworth's except for the Engine and the optional Aisin Auto tranny.

From Hino.com:

1. TRW Steering Gear
TRW worked directly with Hino’s engineers to develop a steering package unique to Hino’s product line. The result is a Conventional truck that turns like a COE.

2. Allison Transmissions
The 2400™ Series is a fully automatic, five-speed overdrive transmission with lockup and a powerful 32-bit microprocessor that determines the exact shift point for maximum performance.

3. Eaton Transmissions
An industry standard, proven over billions of miles on the road. Smooth shifting and excellent durability, strength, and quiet operation from both the 4205 and 5406 Series manual transmissions.

4. Aisin Transmissions
Aisin is a worldwide provider of automatic transmissions. We use the 450-43LE transmission in our Class 4 and 5 products.

5. Dana Drive Shafts
Dana® Spicer® drive shafts are the preferred brand in the U.S. by OEMs, fleet specifiers, dealership sales, and replacement parts professionals. Years of reliable service make the Dana choice an easy one.

6. Hendrickson Suspensions
They are the world’s leading supplier of heavy duty springs. We worked together to custom-design a spring suspension for an excellent ride and stability, without increasing weight.

7. Meritor Axles
Known for their combination of lightweight and durability, Meritor Axles improve vehicle stability, reduce steering effort, and deliver excellent maneuverability.

8. Accuride wheels
Accuride produces more medium truck steel wheels than any other manufacturer in North America.



FYI My local Bering dealer says Bering has gone out of business.
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Guess you are right about Bering: http://www.fleetowner.com/ar/fleet_bering_shuts_down/index.htm

My figuring is along with service/repair issues, the smart Asian truck makers relize they are going to have to spec the trucks with American components if they want to gain any real popularity here. It will still be a long time before one will see a majority of truck owners with a Hino or UD, including myself. For even as long as Isuzu has been selling trucks here, even under the GM name, they have never really achieved a big bite of sales away from International or Freightliner for the small class 4-6 segment. Isuzu started with a domestic engine option a couple of years ago as an alternative to Isuzu power, but unfortunately it is the CAT 3126, and I'm not sure which is worse. I do think Hino is on the right track with a conventional cab, that will for sure get more sales than those little cabovers.
-Weave-
 
S

Sterling_owner

Expert Expediter
As far as Bering goes I wouldn't get within 10ft of them. I almost got one in September because of how cheap they were (used)I talked to a friend who owns a Truck dealer and said even though they have alot of American components, the companies would not stand behind Bering's. If your Alison tranny goes out...you're out of luck, turbo goes in your Detroit motor..oh well. If it's in a Bering expect no warranty. They pulled out of the American market about a year ago and shut down every dealer. No parts, no warranty...nothing. They came back this year selling trucks under the Hyundai brand.

2 1999 Sterling Semis
2000 Ford F650 24ft box truck
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I owned a Hyundai car in the early 90's. Simple equation: Hyundai=Lemon.
From what I read a few years ago Bering was started by an American guy who I think used to have something to do with Kenworth. The small trucks were American designed and then Hyundai built them under contract in Korea with American components. His plan was to build an assembly plant in Virgina to build a new line of single drive axle big trucks for LTL haulers, and become the first new producer of class 8 trucks in the USA in over 50 years.
From what I read in that article, looks like Bering got screwed over by Hyundai when D/C bought a percentage of Hyundai and decided to market the Hyundai built trucks under the Freightliner/Sterling name, leaving Bering empty handed. Typical story of big business screwing the little guy again. The founders of Bering have a big lawsuit going against D/C and Hyundai because of this. The truck designs were essentially stolen from them! Talk about a dog-eat-dog market:+
-Weave-
 
Twmaster

Twmaster

Expert Expediter
What? Big comanies screwing over littel guys? Who'da thunk it?? :+

As for the UD's I made mention of in my previous comments they are beat hard. Often they get 400 miles a day and are asked to haul more than engineered to. SO in my book that adds up to a good tough truck. In the area I am we benefit from 3 UD service shops/dealers locally. I am sure they are more sparse out in the hinterlands.

--
Mike N
 
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