Billionaire investor Carl Icahn told CNBC yesterday that he sees synergy in a merger between the two heavy truck makers.


Icahn says he'd like to see the trucking giant merge with rival Oshkosh.

"I definitely think it would be a good merger. I think there would be a lot of synergy. I own stock in both and I think shareholders of both companies would benefit," he told CNBC.

In October, Icahn had Wallstreeters wondering if he had set his sights on an amalgamation between Navistar and Oshkosh. He had just acquired 9.8% of Navistar stock on "the belief that the shares were undervalued at current levels," making him the second largest single shareholder in the company.

Three months earlier, Icahn had acquired a 9.5% stake in Oshkosh.

Icahn has a history of buying positions in companies he considers to be underperforming and then pushing for change.

About a month ago, Navistar reached a deal with Icahn that could put its directors up for election each year. In exchange, Icahn agreed not to propose his own slate of directors at the company's annual meeting, CNBC notes.

Icahn is currently involved in a proxy fight at Oshkosh.