skip to main content

Press Releases

RollTek_Banner2RollTek’s Side Roll Protection System is now exclusively available as an option in Pierce Manufacturing’s Freightliner commercial chassis.

APPLETON, Wis. (April 7, 2021)Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, announced today it has added RollTek’s Side Roll Protection System as an option in Freightliner commercial chassis. The integration of the RollTek system in the Freightliner commercial chassis is exclusively available in Pierce fire apparatus. The safety feature was first incorporated into specifications for a recent order placed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management consisting of 14 Type 3 Interface wildland fire trucks and 25 Type 3 and 4 wildland fire engines.

RollTek_Inset1“We have seen an increase in commercial products in various types of fire apparatus fleets, driven by cost, lead time, and chassis preference,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “Fire apparatus operators must navigate everything from demanding terrain to narrow rural roads, and rollovers are a significant threat, particularly in tanker products. Becoming the only provider of the RollTek system in Freightliner commercial chassis for fire apparatus is one more step in Pierce’s ongoing mission to help protect firefighters by continuing to enhance and improve fire truck safety systems.”

Extreme environmental factors and weather conditions have contributed to the recent uptick in fire activity, increasing truck rollover incidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA), firetruck accidents are the second leading cause of death for firefighters on the job, and rollovers account for more than 66% of firetruck accidents each year. RollTek side roll protection systems help protect fire truck occupants by allowing for side roll air curtains to be fully integrated into the seating system rather than deploying from the wall in a crash or rollover event.

Elden Alexander is the national fire equipment program manager with the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. He and his team have seen what was previously a summer “fire season” turn into a “fire year” with active fires in all regions of the United States. These circumstances have increased the need for highly mobile firefighting forces throughout the country. As a Federal centralized fire equipment program, the advancement in RollTek safety technology will benefit not only the Department of Interior fire programs but well beyond.

Rolltek_Inset3“While firefighter safety is at the forefront of everything we do, it is inherently a dangerous job,” said Alexander. “On a single fire dispatch, we can respond 100 miles on the highway, traverse steep mountain roads, and then transition to using equipment off-road while suppressing fire. The addition of the RollTek side roll protection system is a remarkable advancement in firefighter safety and assures us that we are helping to ensure every firefighter returns home safely.”

Pierce’s decision to offer the RollTek side roll protection system as an option exclusively offered in its Freightliner commercial chassis was initiated by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, when purchase coordinators incorporated the feature into the specifications for recent orders. Pierce worked with IMMI and the Center for Advanced Product Evaluation to develop a program to test and certify the RollTek system and the cab structural integrity of the Freightliner cab. This application was the first in the commercial market for multiple cab configurations.

“Vehicle safety technology has advanced to a point where it became possible to push side roll protection features from light trucks and custom cab fire vehicles into the commercial-chassis market, which has resulted in the development of a reliable, comfortable, and affordable solution for the whole vehicle,” said RJ Johnson the national fire engine production manager with the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. “It was not as simple as bolting a new seat into the cab, there were significant design alterations and testing conducted. It was evident early in the process that all involved understood the significance of what we wanted to do, and we were going to make this happen.”

To learn more about Pierce Manufacturing and the RollTek side roll protection system, visit www.piercemfg.com.

View All Press Releases

Subscribe & Keep Up To Date

Yes, I want to become a Pierce guru!


Topics: Innovation, Apparatus Orders


About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, mini pumpers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com.

About Oshkosh Corporation

At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs approximately 17,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common purpose: to make a difference in people’s lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG®, Hinowa, Power Towers, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® Defense, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products, Oshkosh® AeroTech™ and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the Company's ability to successfully integrate the AeroTech acquisition and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; the risks associated with international operations and sales, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;  the Company’s ability to comply with complex laws and regulations applicable to U.S. government contractors; cybersecurity risks and costs of defending against, mitigating and responding to data security threats and breaches impacting the Company; the Company’s ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate other acquisitions and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; and risks related to the Company’s ability to successfully execute on its strategic road map and meet its long-term financial goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this news release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.

# # #