International Truck & Engine Corp. has another headache to deal with on top of labor problems and a lawsuit against an engine maker ... not enough engines for truck orders.

On Wednesday, during a teleconference with reporters, President Steve Keate said the company will not be able to fulfill all of its truck orders due to Caterpillar cutting back on the number of engines it is providing to International.
International recently filed a lawsuit against Caterpillar, alleging the engine maker reneged on an agreement to supply engines for the model 8600 truck International plans to roll out in August. Caterpillar also allegedly refused to honor a pricing schedule that would have provided other truck engines to International through 2006 costing no more than 9 percent above January 2000 prices.
“We’re getting Cat engines now, we're just not getting enough,” Keate said Wednesday.
According to Keate, International is in the process of working with Caterpillar and Cummins to get more engines. They hope to convince some customers who have spec’ed Cat engines to order ones from Cummins. However, Keate noted the inadequate supply will most likely mean a loss of sales.
Keate did rule out any possibility of using Detroit Diesel engines in International trucks as way to deal with the shortage.
Meantime, International is keeping quiet about its plans for trying to restart truck making operations at its Chatham, Ontario, truck plant, where workers have been on strike since June 1.
Company spokesman Roy Wiley says the company has instituted a news blackout about whether or not it will bring in temporary workers.
Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union hit the picket lines when talks with International broke down over the company’s plans to begin a series of cost cutting moves at the plant.
Previous attempts by International to bring in replacement workers failed, with strikers and private security firm guards clashing on several occasions, resulting in injuries and arrests.
While plant managers and supervisors have turned out a few trucks since the strike began, production at the facility is down dramatically, with most of the production being transferred to International’s plant in Mexico.