Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. has been selected as an original equipment tire manufacturer by Daimler Trucks North America LLC. The annoucement was made at the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.
Under terms of the agreement, Hankook will be a major supplier to the Freightliner Cascadia and Coronado models starting this May. The two flagship Freightliner trucks will be equipped with Hankook’s fuel efficient AL11 steer and DL11 drive tires.
“As our growth continues throughout 2012 and in the years ahead we look forward to extending not only this relationship but also expanding further in the premium truck tire market.” said Soo Il Lee, president of Hankook Tire America Corp.
Hankook Tire’s AL11 and DL11 are SmartWay-certified. The AL11 tires are optimized for long haul driving conditions. It provides "longer mileage, while its innovative pattern design offers improved steering and handling," according to the company.
The DL11 long haul drive tires feature a unique three-dimensional Kerf design that minimizes abrasion while maintaining superior traction control. DL11 also comes with a pattern design and compound developed specifically to achieve "seamless performance and increased fuel efficiency for the Freightliners."
Hankook offers 17 truck tire models for all truck and bus tire service applications and is available at more than 700 servicing commercial tire dealer locations in the United States.
