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A review of diesel fuel injection equipment during the last twenty years reveals a great deal of accomplishment, with most of the new developments taking place during the last five to seven years. Undoubtedly, the pressure to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulation standards spurred the development of this equipment and forced suppliers and designers to achieve many and more significant improvements than at any other time in the past. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the last decade has probably witnessed more improvements and innovations in diesel fuel injection equipment than in the previous fifty years. Diesel engine designers now have a great many alternatives in the selection of fuel injection equipment that will help them meet the requirements of emissions regulations.

There is a clear trend for major truck manufacturers to expand outside their traditional “home markets,” and it appears almost inevitable that a global truck industry will eventually become a reality. It is therefore of interest to speculate whether such global manufacturers will be able to serve world markets with a single product line, i.e., a world truck. This paper examines the factors that have brought about variations in the form and function of trucks (3.5 tons and up) in different regions of the world, as well as the trends toward convergence (or lack thereof) of these design variations that are now taking place. The factors that appear to have influenced variation and which are considered here include: historical development, source of vehicles (manufacturing base), regulations, geography, technology, and special market factors.