LOUISVILLE, KY -- Navistar International is returning to the severe-service, low-cab-forward truck market it left in the 1980s with the Class 8 LoadStar.

It is designed with extensive customer input for the waste, concrete pumping and airplane refueling markets, among others.

"It's the most exciting truck I've seen in a long time," declared Jim Hebe, senior vice president for North American sales operations, who described the truck on the eve of the Mid-America Trucking Show's opening in Louisville last night.

LoadStar includes innovations and features designed for long life, productivity and driver comfort, he said. These include:

* A stainless steel cab with aluminum doors to minimize corrosion and increase durability;

* Vocationally oriented variable-depth frame rails for strength and light weight, low height and good ride characteristics;

* Ergonomically designed cab interior with body controls integrated with Navistar's Diamond Logic multiplexed wiring system; and

* MaxxForce 10, 11 or 13 diesels and Cummins ISL-G natural gas engine.

"We talked to drivers to better understand their needs and what is missing from the trucks they drive," said Hebe. "To fit driver needs, we optimized the space in the cab, increased seat and steering wheel movement, and adjusted joystick placement to deliver an outstanding ergonomic and customizable work environment.

"The exterior boasts the signature appearance and design of the International Truck brand."

Belly room is enhanced with a standard tilt/telescoping steering column and seats with 10-inch fore-aft and 6.5-inch up-down travel. Entry and exit are eased by a wide 90-degree door opening and modest 18-inch first step height.

With superior driver visibility and up to 40-degree wheel cuts, the LoadStar also delivers excellent maneuverability, Hebe said.

Loadstar was a name was last used for a series of International medium-duty trucks in the early 1980s, industry observers recall. The capital S modernizes it for inclusion in the builder's line of midrange and heavy trucks.

LoadStar will be available for orders in October 2012 through International dealers in the United States and Canada, he said. Production will begin late this year at a plant still to be determined.