JOST International has shipped the 400,000th fifth wheel manufactured at its Greeneville, Tennessee, facility. The cab-actuated, air-release fifth wheel was installed on a Class 8 truck for Werner Enterprises.
Production of JOST fifth wheels began in the U.S. in 2000 at the site of the current 90,000-sq.-ft. Greeneville facility. In November, the company broke ground for a 12,000-sq.-ft. addition to add loading docks and increase inventory space.
“We had a vision to increase JOST fifth wheel position in North America by dedicating resources to domestic manufacture. The new expansion will help us meet the on-time delivery requirements of our growing customer base,” said Lee Brace, president.
JOST fifth wheels feature safe and simple locking mechanisms with only four moving parts. They are infinitely adjustable and the ease of maintenance results in the lowest total cost of ownership in the fifth wheel segment, the company said.
“The reason we have reached this 400,000th milestone is simply because North American fleets and truck manufacturers recognize the benefits of the JOST design and local manufacturing support,” said Rich Carroll, vice president of sales and marketing. “We expect to gain increased penetration in the domestic market as our OEM positions have dramatically improved in recent years.”