ATLANTA - Work Truck magazine presented the first-ever Medium-Duty Truck of the Year to the Ford F-Series Super Duty in a special presentation Feb. 26 at the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) 2008 Work Truck Show. The full-size pickup was chosen by fleet professionals from among 20 Class 4-6 medium-duty vehicles and vehicle series in an online ballot.

“The trucks in this fleet segment are the workhorses for commercial applications throughout the country,” noted Mike Antich, Work Truck editor and associate publisher. “From small local companies to national corporations, these trucks, vans, and SUVs play a critical role in contributing to the company bottom line. We’re glad for the opportunity to highlight their importance.”

“It’s a great honor to be voted Medium-Duty Truck of the Year by commercial fleet professionals,” said Len Deluca, director of Ford Commercial Trucks. “This recognition confirms Ford’s commitment to bring to the commercial market products with value and functionality — products that really work for our customers.”

Citing Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s challenge to the marketing and product staff to “listen to the customer,” David Gutman, sales and marketing manager, Ford commercial truck sales and marketing, remarked, “An award like this demonstrates that what we are trying to do is to design a vehicle that meets all the needs of this huge market. It’s great to be voted the best by the market. We’re hell-bent on continuing to get product to customers we haven’t been serving.”

Gutman added, “The Super Duty was completely redesigned in 2008, which makes earning this award in a changeover year even more significant.”

He also noted that the Super Duty offers “the most configurations in the chassis cab than any other manufacturer and some of the industry’s highest capacities in handling and towing.”

The 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty is newly redesigned, offering new capabilities and features, including the first “clean” diesel engine offered in a full-size pickup — Ford’s exclusive 6.4L V-8 dual sequential turbodiesel. Meeting the new, more stringent diesel emissions regulations, the engine delivers 350 hp and 650 ft. lb of torque. Two other powertrains offered in the F-Series are the 6.8L Triton V-10 and the 5.4L Triton V-8. Other 2008 enhancements include a refined chassis, industry-leading towing capacity in the F-450 (up to 24,500 lbs.), improved cargo-handling flexibility, and a quiet, more functional interior.