Thompson Delivers First Cat Vocational Trucks to Booneville Logging Company

Wed May 02, 2012
Aggregate Equipment Guide

Thompson Truck Centers LLC recently delivered the first two Caterpillar CT660 Class 8 vocational trucks within its territory to Pro Logging Inc., of Booneville, Miss.

Thompson Machinery Commerce Corporation president DeWitt Thompson V, presented the keys to Russell Stites, president of Pro Logging, at Thompson’s Tupelo, Miss. store.

Established in 1995, Pro Logging Inc., operates within a 100-mi. radius of Booneville, providing wood for paper, cardboard and engineered wood panel manufacturers. Pro Logging already was a Thompson forestry equipment customer, operating five 525 and 535 Skidders and two 553 Feller-Bunchers, and had a good working relationship with Thompson’s sales, service and parts departments in Tupelo.

Mike Farris, Thompson Machinery forestry sales representative in north Mississippi, arranged job site demonstrations of the CT660 truck for Pro Logging’s drivers. Stites liked what he saw, and his drivers reported good performance getting into the woods and hauling loads out.

“It’s designed to be a real sturdy truck and hold up to the daily abuse that our equipment takes, and that’s what first piqued my interest in it,” Stites said. “The first thing I saw that I liked about it was its height off the ground. It’s designed not to get into a lot of the problems we have with highway tractors, which are bumpers and front ends dragging in the mud.”

Another key feature that attracted Stites to the trucks is the fact their operating costs are lower because they do not require DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid or urea) additives.

Pro Logging’s CT660 trucks are equipped with 475 hp (354 kW) engines, 10-speed transmissions, 4.11 ratio rear axles, 12,000 lb. (5,443 kg) front axles and 40,000 lb. (18,143 kg) rear axles and suspension. In the logging application, the trucks will operate at a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 80,000 lb. (36,287 kg).

“We’re very proud of the fact that Mike Farris is the first Thompson prime product salesman to sell CT660 trucks to a good customer like Pro Logging, and we look for the relationship to continue to grow and be stronger,” said Allan Wainscott, general sales manager of Thompson Truck Centers.

With the new CT660 trucks entering the marketplace, Wainscott said he’s excited about the opportunities for Thompson and vocational truck customers in the territory.

In addition to DeWitt Thompson, Farris and Wainscott, other Thompson representatives on hand for the key presentation were: Duncan Fort, vice president of product support; Jeff Earle, business manager — Thompson Truck Centers; and Billy South, service manager — Tupelo.

About Caterpillar’s Vocational Trucks

Caterpillar introduced the vocational trucks at Con-Expo in March 2011, and the trucks, manufactured in Garland, Texas, are sold exclusively through Cat’s North American dealer network. The specs are designed explicitly for customers’ demanding applications and include a Cat CT11 engine with ratings from 330 bhp to 390 bhp, a Cat CT13 with ratings from 410 bhp to 475 bhp, and coming later this year, a Cat CT15 with ratings from 435 bhp to 550 bhp. Class 8 trucks are those with a GVWR of more than 33,000 lbs. (14,968 kg).

Available in truck or day-cab configurations, the CT660 supports a wide range of body types for the following applications (and more):

• Aggregates

• Asphalt

• Civil

• Construction

• Concrete

• Forestry

• Heavy Haul

• Manufacturing

• Mining/Quarry

• Pipeline

• Public Services

• Road Construction

• Sanitation/Refuse

• Site Construction

For more information about Caterpillar vocational trucks, visit www.drivecat.com.

Thompson Truck Centers

With the introduction of the Cat vocational truck line, Thompson Machinery created a new division to serve the needs of its vocational truck customers. Thompson Truck Centers LLC, headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., is a one-stop source for sales, service, and application information about Cat’s new line of vocational trucks.

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.